Effort

February 26, 2014

Low-Sodium Faking Bacon

Heart Health Month is coming to a close. And so I thought there’s no better way to celebrate these few weeks of good health and good choices than to talk about salt-free, low-sodium bacon. Wait, what? Now I know that high-fat, high-calorie, high-sodium bacon is usually on the “don’t you touch that!” list for people watching their weight and cholesterol and overall health. And especially in light of the dramatic childhood obesity shift (did you read about this), I do feel a pang of guilt even promoting eating pork belly, i.e. one fatty cut of meat. But here’s the thing. […]

February 19, 2014

Crunchy Cornmeal Broccoli

For all those broccoli haters and naysayers, I’m about to seriously rock your world. And change snack time forever. FOREVER. In doing some research on how to make truly scrumptious turnip fries (this is a thing), I discovered the power of mixing vegetables with a simple cornmeal coating, thanks to the gorgeous blog My New Roots. Her “shake and bake” strategy cuts down on time and mess while increasing the crunchy coating factor. Meaning, little work and big crunchy results. And since trying this technique with turnips and baby broccoli florets, I’ve also used it to make flour and fry-free […]

February 12, 2014

Egg in a Heart

Remember my good friend who didn’t have any special dietary needs but decided to put herself on a low-sodium diet for the month of January, just to put herself in my shoes for a little while and experience a whole new world of flavor makers? Well one thing you didn’t know was that when that friend decided to cut out salt and processed foods and embark on this routine shifting, meal changing experiment, she also started another life-altering adventure at the same time. She started dating a new dude. Yup. True story. Just as she was getting to know a […]

January 30, 2014

Salt-Free Super Steam Buns

Happy almost Super Bowl Chinese New Year. If you’ve never celebrated before, it’s a very special time of year where people eat dumplings and chicken wings all in the same weekend. Or at least, that’s what is happening in my house. And if you’ve been on the Internet lately you’ve probably been bombarded with different recipes for dim sum, pot stickers, and egg rolls, all loaded with high sodium products (including those ready to use wrappers). Which is why I made something special for you: SUPER SALT-FREE STEAMED BUNS. All so you can celebrate, of course. First things first, I […]

January 24, 2014

Creamy Chowder’d Corn

Friends. Let’s chat for a quick second. Whether you’re cold or have a cold (and I’m going to assume it’s one of the two right now), this chowder’d corn is just what you need. But wait, what in the what is chowder’d corn? Well I’m so glad you asked, because I cannot wait to tell you all about it. Chowder’d corn is simply frozen (or fresh) corn, blended with a little water. It can be used in pretty much anything from a creamy corn sauce for tacos to a creamy corn broth for chicken and mushroom soup to a creamy corn […]

January 6, 2014

Breathing and Blueberry Banana Bread

As I kid, I announced new career aspirations as often as the months changed. In January, I wanted to be a veterinarian. By August, an archeologist. And come October, a mermaid. So let’s just say commitments and resolutions have never been my thing. Which is why each new year, I don’t make promises. I choose mantras. A word that helps define my every move for the days and weeks to come. A word that remains the same even as plans change and life does its twisty turny thing. And this year, I picked the word BREATHE. To remind myself to […]

December 18, 2013

Southwestern Quinoa Bowl

Right now, the world is filled with caramels, fruit loafs, chocolate covered what-nots, and sugar plum fairies. Everywhere I look, I see sweets and breads and sweet breads. And I’m definitely not complaining about this. It’s my favorite time of year and I enjoy every bite of it. But since the holidays bring with them a major candy and carb rush, it’s nice to find some balance in between all the parties and glasses of bubbles. And by balance I mean a Southwestern Quinoa Bowl, complete with homemade BBQ dressing. And blue corn chips. Yep, balance. It’s a lighter, healthier, more […]

November 13, 2013

Pomegranate Blackberry Winter Tart

When the ancient philosophers of times long ago decided how things should work, someone silly came up with the idea that dinner always comes before dessert. And I guess I understand. If you served me caramel filled doughnuts before a hearty helping of vegetables, I might never make it to that cauliflower and broccoli course. Let’s be real. But let’s also break the rules. Because sometimes dessert needs to proceed the roasted meat and sautéed greens. Sometimes pumpkin pies need to be replaced with pomegranate and blackberry tarts. And sometimes, as we prep for the Thanksgiving meal ahead, we need […]

November 6, 2013

Greens, Eggs, and Kale French Toast

Let’s talk about leftovers. Kale pesto leftovers, to be exact. After hosting three, yes THREE, parties last weekend, I had two big cups of kale pesto leftovering in my fridge. And after inserting the kale pesto remains into pastas and potatoes and potato pastas, I still had half a dozen globs or so to play with. Which brings me to toast. French toast, to be exact. Typically, french toast is made with a mixture of eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and perhaps a pinch of cinnamon and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. In sum: it’s sweet. But as you […]

October 11, 2013

Weekly Obsessions

Oh hey new Sodium Girl column! Nice to finally meet you! Yes siree. It’s here. A weekly round-up of awesome and tasty nibbles from the Internet that will keep you appropriately busy and full and inspired all weekend long. For a while now, I have wanted to create a space where I could tell you all about the cool articles I read, dishes I tried, or products that landed on my doorstep during the past week(ish). A space where I could answer questions and give you the information needed to get creative and silly and totally salt-free in your kitchen […]

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