Main Ingredient

January 15, 2014

Banana Blueberry Coconut Pancakes

I’ll start with an apology as I’ve kind of gone bonkers for bananas lately. They’re just so mushy and malleable and crazy transformative when it comes to creativity in the kitchen. And I just simply cannot get enough of them lately. Of course there are banana breads and banana smoothies. But did you know that bananas can also be used as a substitute for eggs? True story. Or that with a little powdered sugar, they can become buttercream-like frosting, without the buttercream? Or that, when mixed with sugar and cinnamon, they make a delightful and sweet stand in for butter […]

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 25, 2013

Thanksgiving Obsessions

I hope you’re wearing a loose pair of pants right now because I’m about to STUFF you full of Thanksgiving ideas, tips, and yes, some turkey. We are four days away from the big day, people. So it’s time to get seriously serious about all this holiday cooking stuff. But before we get to mashed potatoes and brine-free birds, I want to pass forward this piece of wisdom. To make the best Thanksgiving feast of your life, you only need to do one simple thing: MAKE WHAT YOU WANT. It’s that easy. Forget about recreating the soggy green beans and […]

November 20, 2013

Bringing Hasselback

If you asked me to choose between a baked potato and some baked french fries, I’d have a really hard time coming up with an answers. (Okay, I’d probably pick the fries). But thanks to a little technique called “hasselback” you never have to make that choice again. This is awesome. It’s a game changer. And you may just want to skip the mashed potatoes this year for this simple starchy side that delivers the comfort of mushy potatoes and crispy skin, all at the same time. To make a hasselback potatoes, you simply make cuts along the “back” of the […]

November 8, 2013

Weekend Obsessions 11.08.13

This week’s theme: try it. We are three weeks out until my favorite day of the year, aka Thanksgiving. Usually, on this holy of holy food days, by the time dinner is finally served I’m so stuffed with stuffing and soup and tastes of turkey drippings (don’t judge) that I can barely finish my plate. But somehow I usually manage to finish two. Because did you hear what I said? Favorite. Day. Of. The. Year. Just wait a minute, though. Could things get better? By golly they could. Because on top of gravy and mashed potatoes and yes, turkey drippings, […]

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 23, 2013

BBQ Apple Chips

Here’s the thing about October. It’s all about apples. Apple cider. Apple picking. Apple fennel soup. Apple pie. Apple cobbler. Apple potato hash browns. Appleseed, Johnny. Apple candy. Apple bobbing. Apple baking. (I think I’m having a Forrest Gump moment). Point being: apples are super transformative. They are also naturally low in sodium and kidney friendly. And from the long list of apple recipes and apple activities that are possible, it’s pretty clear that apples are the star of this fall party. So move aside pumpkin. This fruit has your number. But that’s not the end of the story. Because there’s […]

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 […]

October 9, 2013

Chinese Five Spice Quinoa Meatballs

When’s the last time you had an Chinese Quinoa Meatball? TRICK QUESTION! Because the answer is probably never, because I totally just made them up. (Please note: no official research was done to confirm this statement). So I guess the better question then is WHEN will you eat a Chinese Quinoa Meatball? Let’s just make that a resounding, SOON! Because these meatballs are the perfect metaphor for satisfying low-sodium living. They’re all about not just losing the salt and sodium, but replacing them with interesting, intriguing, and attractive tastes. Taking salty ducks and turning them into gorgeous low-sodium swans. Or […]

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