Winning: Can’t Be Beet Bloody Marys

Some things feel impossible. Like learning how to tie your shoes. Doing long division.  Making salt-free bloody Marys.

But luckily, there’s this little tiny fiery cheerleader inside all of us, just waiting for those can’t do moments, that lights up and pushes forward to make those bow knots. To use a calculator. Or, of course, make a version of the classic salty brunch drink from scratch, at home, without all that sodium.

Tiny fiery cheerleaders just love a good obstacles. It’s when they do their best work.

And last week, I swam through almost 700 (SEVEN HUNDRED) of your best salty challenges. Salty dishes that you wanted to make over. From chicken and dumplings to corned beef and cabbage. And what I loved most about this long list was how you didn’t hold back. You let your imagination run wild. You dared to ask for the impossible. Because I think you know now that even the most dauntingly difficult salty challenges are never as hard as they seem. And that my tiny fiery doesn’t mind working overtime.

But want to know the best news? A lot of those low-sodium makeover wishes you sent me have already come true — on this blog(kalua pork, enchiladas, corn dogs, hot dogs, pickles, pizza, pretzels) and in my new book (French onion soup, pad thai, teriyaki chicken, clam chowder, corn chowder, pumpkin pasta sauce, fish sticks, mac n’ cheese, and buffalo wings, to name a few). So if you’re looking for something, simply type some keywords into the “SEARCH” field to the right and see what salt-free makeover pops up. Or, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, just let me know.

Like a bloody Mary, perhaps? Your wish is my command.

To cap off this week and start of this weekend, I want to gift you the seemingly impossible salt-free beet Bloody Mary recipe from my new book. It’s bright, it’s tangy, it’s peppery, it’s hot. It’s perfect. It’s served in a mason jar.

Doesn’t it just make your mouth water? It’s not impossible, it’s impressive. It’s a winner.

And speaking of winners, I’m happy to announce that Ana C. won the coveted Vitamix from last week’s Love Your Heart Recipe Rally. I see many blended Bloody Marys in her future.

For everyone else that participated — THANK YOU. And get ready, because, guess what. I’m giving ANOTHER VITAMIX AWAY as well as a signed COPY OF MY COOKBOOK. I know. You just fell over. Sorry about that.

All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for your very own blender of inspiration (aka Vitamix). The giveaway begins today, Friday, February 22nd. So as soon as you are done reading this sentence, simply follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter Widget below and leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite low-sodium substitute for super salty ingredients. The giveaway will close on Friday, March 1st, 2013 at 11:59 PM PST. The winner be notified by email and announced on this blog and the Rafflecopter widget on Monday, March 3rd, 2013. All rules and regulations can be found at the end of this post and in the Rafflecopter Widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for even more fun, you can catch me and some tasty treats from the book at these upcoming appearances, readings, and cooking demos over the next two weeks…

SEATTLE: February 28th, 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm: Demo – Northwest Kidney Center, Seattle SIGN UP HERE

SEATTLE: February 28th, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Reading & Signing – Book Larder, Seattle INFO HERE

SAN FRANCISCO: March 3rd, 3:00 pm: Reading, Signing, & Tasty Bites – Omnivore Books, San Francisco INFO HERE

SAN FRANCISCO: March 4th, 6:30-8:30: Demo, Signing, & Tasty Bites – 18 Reasons, San Francisco, SIGN UP HERE

So come join me for some low-sodium fun. Enter the SECOND VITAMIX givewaway. And get those little fiery cheerleaders revved up and ready.

Cheers and chow on.

CLASSIC BLOODY MARY

from Sodium Girl’s Limitless Low-Sodium Cookbook

makes 10 cups

 Ingredients

• 4 large celery stalks, with extra stems as garnish
• 2 small red beets, peeled and stems removed
• 1 1/2 red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed
• 4 cups no-salt-added tomato puree (one 24-ounce jar has a little more than 3 cups, so you can always fill the jar with 1 cup water and shake to loosen the leftover tomato puree to make 4 cups)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons prepared low-sodium horseradish
• 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• Ice for garnish

If you are using a juicer, juice the celery, beets, and bell pepper. Place liquid into a pitcher or large mixing bowl and add the tomato puree.

If you are using a blender, put the celery, beets, bell pepper, and tomato puree into a blender. Pulse until you have a vegetable smoothie. Then make a sturdy pouch out of some folded cheesecloth and, over a pitcher or a large bowl, carefully pour the blended veggies into it. Gather the cheesecloth at the top to close and then squeeze. Really squeeze, many times, until all the juice runs out of the cheesecloth and all you have left inside is dry veggie pulp. If you don’t have cheesecloth, you can also pour the veggie smoothie into a fine-mesh sieve and use a wooden spoon or the bottom of a ladle to press down on the puree, squeezing the juice through until you have strained every bit into the pitcher or bowl. Set all your vegetable scraps aside.

Now that you have your vegetable juice, add 1 teaspoon of the horseradish, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, juice from 1 lemon, and vinegar to the pitcher or bowl. Whisk together and taste, adjusting spices (oh hello, horseradish and pepper) according to your cocktail preferences. I like mine spicy!

Place your pitcher or bowl in the refrigerator to chill, 15 minutes minimum or 2 hours maximum.

When you’re ready to serve, fill glasses with ice. Pour in Bloody Mary mixture and add a celery stalk for garnish. Cut the remaining lemon into wedges and offer them to guests as well for extra citrus punch. Finally, stir, sip, and savor.

+ Sodium Count: Celery: 51mg for 1 large stalk; Beets: 64mg for 1 beet; Canned tomato puree: 15mg per [1/2] cup depending on brand; Prepared horseradish: 20mg per 1 teaspoon depending on brand

Giveaway Rules:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Winner must be a US resident in order to win.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email to claim prize before another winner is chosen. The name of the winner will be announced on SodiumGirl.com and the Rafflecopter Widget once the giveaway has closed. In the event the Sponsor (Vitamix) fails to send the prize, the Host (SodiumGirl.com) will not to be held responsible or liable in any way. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Twitter or Facebook. Complete terms and conditions can be found within Rafflecopter Giveaway Widge above and here.

Giveaway and photos provided by Vitamix. I, Sodium Girl, was provided a Vitamix product as part of the giveaway promotion, however all thoughts and opinions are my own.