Effort

December 14, 2010

Green Bundles of Joy

For those of you who have read this blog for a while, you know about my tumultuous relationship with bacon. I live for the stuff and as a child, weekends and Sunday mornings (before going to temple – isn’t that ironic) were synonymous with the smell of bacon. Even though I had to give the salty-stuff up, I still find myself craving the crisp bite and smoky flavors that define this breakfast treat and for the past few years, I have been determined to find a low sodium substitute. I even went so far as to try and cure it […]

November 12, 2010

Dinner in Delhi

Well, without an ounce of modesty, I have to say that this first foray into Indian cooking was a big success. Yes, the beef could have been slow-cooked for the entire day in order to achieve a truly melt-in-your-mouth texture. And of course the spices could have all been measured with more precision and toasted for deeper flavor. But all in all, with sixty minutes, some simple instructions, and spices from my cabinet (and not a specialty store), I think I accomplished something that comes close to what you’d find at your favorite neighborhood Indian takeout restaurant, with healthier ingredients […]

October 27, 2010

Salt-Free My Recipe: Mama's Enchiladas

A few weeks ago, I received the following, lovely letter from Sodium Girl reader Cindra Fox: Dear Sodium Girl, I’m on a low-sodium diet to prevent complications from migraines. I’ve been on it for over a year now and have found a whole new world of food and flavor that I ignored back when I could just grab a burger at the closest drive-through. What I miss the most, though, is Mom’s famous enchiladas. I’m half-Mexican and we would make these at least once a week. Now it’s been over a year since I’ve had them. But here’s the catch: […]

September 29, 2010

Matzo Ball Meatballs

When it comes to Italian women and Jewish mothers, I know one thing to be undeniably true – they always want you to eat more. A desire that can sometimes be as challenging as completing a triathlon, but depending on the meal, can also barely require the a twist of the arm. And when it comes to these holy moly meatballs you see above – do those suckers look juicy or what? – you’ll never have any trouble cleaning your plate. Or asking for more. These little rounds of herb-flavored pork you see above are truly as succulent and savory […]

September 15, 2010

Corn Stalk Stock

As a prelude to the big shebang (and no, I’m not talking about “She Bangs” for you Ricky Martin and American Idol fans, but the reveal of Friday’s Salt-Free My Recipe surprise), I wanted to share with you the essential base to making a delicious corn chowder and a great way to reuse your corncobs one more time before throwing them in the compost bin. A few months ago, I happened to click through to this adorable video on DailyCandy.com where Miss Sophie Dahl (cookbook writer, model, and granddaughter to Roald…and yes, I’m totally jealous) demonstrates her recipe for asparagus […]

September 13, 2010

Spice-Rubbed Cob

It’s Corn Week over here at Sodium Girl and to start off this Monday and ramp up this corn fest, I thought it wise to begin with something simple in order to (a) get our corny juices flowing and (b) give me time to actually wake up – I am only two sips deep into my sodium-free coffee and I feel it would be dangerous to talk about anything that requires heavy lifting or sharp knives. As I described last week, my first foray into corn was eating it in its most traditional form – on the cob. My dad […]

August 23, 2010

You Say Potato, I Say Ricatto

This post begins with a lovely, late dinner at SF hot spot, Frances. Dim the lights, cue soft “yazz” music, and pour yourself a bottle of house wine. The densely packed, haute diner offers a slim menu of seasonal delights. And while impromptu creation of two sodium-free dishes blew me away – a refreshing consume of tuna, cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and jalapenos and a bowl of perfectly roasted eggplant, zucchini, shredded basil, and tomatoes – it was really my dining partner’s plate of fluffy dream clouds (i.e. ricotta gnocchi) that had me drooling. Since I try to avoid being the […]

August 13, 2010

Take Your Tops Off

I apologize for getting a bit frisky this Friday morning. It’s just that last night I discovered something novel, something exciting, something that even some might call brilliant. While making a fresh batch of potato leek soup (sweet butter + leek + potato + blender), I was left with a bunch of hard, green leek tops. Unless you want some sort of Dr. Seuss-ish soup, it is best to only use the white parts of the leek and put the darker green parts to the side. But right there is the big dilemma. What do you do with the discarded […]

August 9, 2010

Hot Pockets

It is true that the easiest way to lower your sodium is to cut out the prepared, packaged items from your diet. But it is false that home-cooked meals, made from scratch, have to be costly, time-consuming, and exhausting to create. Now, I’m not saying your assumption is wrong, because many dishes, like making your own mole sauce, could put you into an ingredient-induced coma for weeks. But thanks to inventions like the slow cooker and immersion blender, you can make flavorful, low sodium meals in the time it takes to order a pizza. For this particular story, let’s just […]

August 2, 2010

BBQ (and salt free) Burgers

I love hamburgers. But I hate manning the Bar-B-Q. Actually – true confession – I hardly know how to turn one on. I’m sure it’s simple, but the whole deal with the gas and the coal and the clean-up afterwards…it’s just too much for me to handle. So for those nights, when no one else offers to man the barbie and I’m craving a succulent bite of summer, I take my meat to the stove. This recipe for pan-fried burger literally packs sautéed ginger, garlic, and a flurry of fresh herbs directly into the pattie. A topping of tomato, curried ketchup, […]

Previous Entries

Next Entries