Low-Sodium Commandments

This is no ordinary guacamole. I know it looks like it. Creamy. Green. Ready for a salt-free chip or a spoon.

But no. This is no ordinary guac.

It has toasted coriander seeds and some fresh cilantro. There’s even diced jalapenos, which got into my eye and yes, stung quite a bit. But none of these ingredients are ground shaking.

The real star is in there, though. Hiding, smushed, camouflaged, and bursting with surprising low-sodium flavor.

Can you see it? It’s right there, between the avocado and the green onion. It’s the oven roasted zucchini.

I know, I broke every rule in the chip dipping book. I made something fatty and delicious slightly healthy and earthy. I gave it a zing of vitamins not to mention a a punch of savory flavor. And that, my friends, is exactly how you take a standard, usually salty dish and make it your own. Make it low-sodium. Make it worth sharing with friends.

And that’s what we’re talking about today.

Taking the rules and rewriting them. It’s the biggest lesson of all in learning how to make the most of your low-sodium diet. You have to be a rebel. You have to challenge all the limitations and find creative ways around them. You have to make guacamole with zucchinis.

So if you’re ready to channel that inner low-sodium James Dean, then check out my first ever post on HuffingtonPost Living, where I’ll be blogging regularly about putting the “special” back into special diets.

And give someone a high five today because it is May 1st — the beginning of Hypertension and Sodium Awareness Month. Which means it’s time to celebrate all the things you are doing (and eating) to best take part in your health care, with your kitchen, and your own two hands.

Chow on.