Improbable Eats

August 19, 2011

Spam. No, Seriously.

I don’t think I am going to blow anyone away with this next statement, but SPAM is super high in sodium. One serving (and remember, there are usually multiple servings in one package), contains over 770mg of sodium. Even the oxy-moronic Low Sodium SPAM (really?) has over 530mg of sodium. So unless you want to eat one serving of SPAM musubi for your entire day’s worth of food, I’d suggest leaving SPAM on the shelves. Maybe. Last weekend, I attended a dinner party. More like a potluck. And the theme was SPAM. Going traditional was seriously frowned upon by the […]

August 16, 2011

Salt-Free Cake Pops

I’ve decided to give up sugar. Just kidding. Have we met? I love my sugar. And to celebrate the fact that I adore sweets of pretty much any flavor and variety, I made cake pops. Salt-free cake pops, to be specific. Now you may have seen these little sticks of dough and frosting on Starbucks counters or on bookshelves (Chronicle has published some pretty rad guides on how to DIY the little suckers). But please excuse me as I toot my horn for a moment and say this: I have been popping cake long before it was popular. Or at […]

August 1, 2011

Bibimbap On Over

Very, very special meal! This is the very, very special meal I was so wickedly tempting you with last week. It is called Bibimbap. It is a super traditional Korean dish. It literally means “mixed meal” (because after it is placed in front of you, you best mix all those compartments of yum up). It looks like mother nature’s painting palette. And it is usually off-limits to low-sodium eaters–mostly due to the salty chili pepper paste that is so wonderfully and deliciously dumped all over it. For years, I watched as adventurous eater friends dove into authentic Korean food dives […]

July 21, 2011

Pickled Chard Stalks, Rainbow Style

Oh hi. Remember that garden I told you about a few months ago. The one that made my heart burst (in a good way)? That looked out to the gorgeous city skyline? That was a mere, dirt-filled twinkle in my eye? Yep, that’s the garden. Well, only a few months later, our little plot is full to the brim. With squash, eggplant, budding asparagus, walking stick kale, monsterous amounts of collard greens, a splash of herbs, and you guessed it, tons of rainbow chard. But a funny thing happened. Not funny haha, but funny as in we had maggots crawling […]

July 5, 2011

Magic Mini Cornbread Madeleines

Rule number one: you eat with your eyes. In a sensory-overload kind of way. Not in actual chewing and digesting. Which brings us to rule number two: do not try to stick a forkful of food near those pretty little lids of yours. It will only lead to disaster. But back to the first lesson…presentation is perhaps one of the most important tools for a low-sodium cook, other than an immersion blender. It can be just as flavor-enhancing as a good shake of cayenne and salt. And if you play around with the look, feel, or structure of a traditional recipe, the […]

May 27, 2011

Tomato Free Ketchup

There are some rules that I strictly adhere to: 1) White pants are always appropriate, even for dudes. 2) When it is raining, flip flops are a fine choice. 3) And ketchup is good on anything. Even pancakes. I’ll understand, though, if you use syrup. Now ketchup can cost you a few hundred mg of sodium depending on how much you squeeze. The brand I looked at today had 190mg of sodium in it. Per tablespoon. And I’m pretty sure neither you nor I are only going to use a tablespoon. That’s plain ridiculousness. Which is why I am so, […]

May 16, 2011

Can't Believe It's Not Mayo

People have phobias. Weird ones. I have a few and I’m sure you have some too. I think it is just a part of life and those quirky qualities that make us so adorable. At least that’s what I tell myself. I for one hate ants. Okay, hate is kind of a strong word and now I’m feeling a bit guilty saying I hate ants because I’m sure, in the whole Lion King circle of life situation, they do fulfill some important (maybe even cute) purpose. Like hauling small twigs to their mounds or drinking dew drops from a lily […]

April 27, 2011

Low Sodium Macaroni N’ Peas

Ah, the wonders of Stouffer’s Microwavable Macaroni and Cheese. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – this cheddary, oozy, black box of noodles was my comfort food. It is right up there with Bagel Bites and Choco Taco’s in my little black book of favorite foods. Did I mention I was a junk food junkie? In my younger days of watching Saved by the Bell after school and wearing boxer shorts as shorts (nice trend, America), a fluorescent orange bowl of Stouffer’s sunshine was the cure all for anything gloomy. Got the sniffles? Stouffer’s. Stressful day in […]

April 20, 2011

Salt-Free Umami Broth

Umami. The elusive fifth taste. The other four – sweet, sour, bitter, and salty – can be found in canned products and even more surprisingly, in natural ingredients. Sweet is easy. Just grab a fresh strawberry or even a red pepper and taste the natural sugars that seep out with each bite. Sour is even simpler. Just bite into a lemon. Or a spoonful of greek yogurt. Or a dash of vinegar. And bam, you’ve got sour. Bitter can be found in a plate full of chicories, like endive, or slices of freshly peeled horseradish. And salty, well you don’t […]

April 18, 2011

Passover Pie

Apologies for the whisper. I’ve lost my voice to a nasty head and chest cold. I’ll do my very best to annunciate and hopefully you can still hear me. But definitely do not worry about me, because I’m going to be fine in no time. Because tonight is Passover dinner with the family. And Passover dinner means matzo ball soup. Which is Yiddish for magic whisper-voice potion. And here’s another wonderful thing about Passover – it is filled with a lot of flavorful and useful sodium-free ingredients. Like horesradish, parsley, and of course, matzo. For a few years now, I’ve […]

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