Main Ingredient

November 2, 2011

Salt-Free Corn and Brussels Pasta

Sometimes the best things are the most simple. Like snuggling up in a blanket on a blustery, winter day. Or soaking in the sun while you wait for a friend to arrive. Or eating this pasta, with only a few ingredients and lots of flavor. Roasted corn is awesome. Whether you use a grill or your oven, giving the yellow and white kernels a little extra love and char suddenly adds a deep smokiness to an already sweet ingredient. And because of its texture, taste, and creamy quality, it pairs incredibly well with tacos, soups, on top of fish and […]

October 14, 2011

Low-Sodium Collard Sandwich Wrap

It usually starts with a big flappy sheet of lavash or a soft tortilla. Those flat, towel-like breads that so easily twist and snuggle around your sandwich fillings. And while I’ve bought salt-free lavash and no-sodium corn tortillas before, they are either special grocery store items that only show up once in a while (lavash) or they tend to crack and break apart when you roll them (tortilla). Which means a sturdy, low-sodium sandwich wrap is difficult to make for a simple Wednesday lunch. Le sigh. But you didn’t think I was going to give up that easily, did you? […]

October 7, 2011

Welcome to (NEW) Sodium Girl

WELCOME FRIENDS! Welcome, welcome, watermelon salad and welcome! I am so thrilled to finally be able to invite you inside the new Sodium Girl website–feel free to leave your shoes on. And I also can’t wait to tell you about this simple low-sodium, final days of summer salad. But before we get to the arugula, watermelon, and heirloom tomatoes, let me tell you a few things about Sodium Girl’s brand new home. First, we just moved in. There are still a few boxes to unpack and I’m pretty sure I won’t find the good silverware for another year–you know how […]

October 4, 2011

Salt-Free Radish Sushi

Before I say anything else, let me tell you that I just ate some rice doused in Dave’s Total Insanity Hot Sauce (0mg of sodium). And they seriously aren’t lying in their marketing. This is total insanity. I overdoused. And now I think I’ve permanently scarred my mouth. Or, less melodramatically, I’ve definitely started sweating profusely in public. But moving on. Speaking of insanity, I experienced another form of this emotion (less burning) a few weeks ago at Bar Agricole here in the good old Bay Area. And while I can hardly remember the meal they so carefully crafted for me […]

September 19, 2011

Carrot “Cheddar” Chili

It is finally football season again. And even though that means Sunday afternoons (and my living room) have been taken over with grunts, guffaws, and (hopefully) giddy explosions of team spirit, it also means that my kitchen and belly are full of my favorite tailgating treats. In the short period between pre-season fun and the real deal, the likes of ribs, beans, dips, fries, and chips have all already made game-day appearances. And you better believe that these simple dishes are just a warm-up for the real masterpieces to come on my second favorite day of the year–the Super Bowl. […]

September 2, 2011

Kohlrabi Chicken Salad

Here we are on our last day of the kohlrabi adventure. Most of our kohlrabi has been enjoyed in the raw. Or as art. But it’s time we enjoy this green veggie in a sandwich. With some curry and paprika. Some Greek yogurt. A pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Some quinoa (for texture). And of course, juicy chicken thigh. Cooked. I just popped these suckers in the oven at 375 dg F for 45 minutes, until the inside was no longer pink, and mixed it in with the kohlrabi cubes and other ingredients. And in less time than it […]

August 10, 2011

Chicken Thighs and Pineapple Relish

Cooking Light created a party on a plate and they’ve invited you to all join in. And eat. And enjoy. Party hats optional, but dancing pants required. Thanks to a little blogger love from the wonderful magazine, I get some of their latest dishes before they go to print. And the best part is that I can then share them with you. It’s like looking into a culinary crystal ball and seeing your dinner future. Which, this week, is a quick fix of Southwestern Chicken Thighs topped with a snappy Pineapple Relish. Beyond being glad that they didn’t call it […]

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 27, 2011

The Incredible Edible Purple Egg

Yesterday I made purple eggs. Yep. Dr. Seussish, delicious purple eggs. Not because it was Easter, although I wish I had thought of doing this earlier this year. But because I was pickling cabbage (for something very, very special) and I had a tub of fuschia pickling liquid that just couldn’t be wasted. Seriously, can you imagine just pouring it down the drain? I couldn’t. So I quickly learned how to hard boil eggs — yes, I had to look this up, no judgment — and I plopped my freshly peeled gems into the cabbage container. A few hours later, […]

July 25, 2011

Salt-Free Dolmas

So I had a job. It wasn’t supposed to involve food — there was a lot more paperwork than stirring or standing over a stove. But nonetheless, it was a subject we always found ourselves gravitating towards. I also had a manager at this job, to whom I always paid a quick visit before heading to the nearest market to grab something for lunch. And upon said visit, I would ask, “is there anything you want me to get for you while I’m in the outside world?” To which I expected answers like: sandwich, coffee, maybe chips. But she always […]

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