How to Float

It’s finally summer. Really. I swear.

The sun has been shining for at least a few days in a row and I even got burned (burned I tell you!) just by sitting outside for more than an hour. And I didn’t mind one bit. Cause summer is finally here.

Which brings up thoughts of pools and floaties and root beer floats. Which suddenly reminded me of an old friend: Hanson’s Natural Soda.

Now I can’t believe it has taken me this long to write about Hanson’s, which has been making sodium-free pop since long before low-sodium food was hip.

I grew up drinking Hanson’s. Gallons of it.

My grandparents had an extra fridge in their garage which, it seems looking back, was kept plugged in with the sole purpose of chilling a million Hanson’s sodas. There was a rainbow of flavor choices, from cream soda, kiwi strawberry, mandarin lime, and root beer. And because they were “natural,” I thought drinking these was akin to eating my broccoli.

Now if you haven’t turned a can of root beer around lately, let me warn you that it is usually high in sodium. Higher than other big favorites like Coca-Cola and 7-up. So I usually skip the stuff.

But Hanson’s has nada. Which means it is perfect for us low-sodium sippers and even better for a big scoop of sodium-free ice cream.

And with 4th of July around the corner, it seems like the perfect time to get to know your new best friend, Hanson. Pick up some cans  and some carton’s of Coconut Bliss ice cream, and get fizzing. Or jazz it up the traditional combo with some mandarin lime and sodium-free sorbet. With this line of soda, you can make any fountain dream come true.

Float on.

Thoughts on Release and Sesame Seeds

Sometimes you just need to let go.

You need to find time to sit down and watch Country Strong and cry your eyes out over a few notes of twang. Or make it to that yoga class to stretch, breathe, and namaste. Or just shake that sesame shaker so hard that the entire thing opens and all the little seeds spill out.

Sometimes blockages just have to get blown apart.

And sometimes you don’t know when it will happen. But you just have to accept it and go with it.

Like with this pork stir fry. It started out as a simple little dish: some leftover kale, a little bit of pepper, and a drizzle of honey. And then I decided to gussy it up with some sesame seeds (just a sprinkle, of course).

But when I opened the bottle, the seeds wouldn’t budge. The clock was ticking. The pork was tightening. The greens were wilting. And I shook and shook. And the seeds remained stubbornly inside.

Until I shook so hard that both sides of the bottle (“sprinkle” and “full shower”) opened. And out poured the sesames in all their glory.

Blockage removed, chi was returned. At least for those seeds.

And instead of crumbling apart myself, I went with it. I added more honey and a sticky glaze of Ginger People Chili Pepper Sauce (salt-free) and 1 tablespoon of Chinese five-spice powder. And then the seeds – instead of being a disaster – became a wonderful salt-free, crunchy coating for the pork. Peace was returned, to life and the kitchen. No tears and no salt necessary.

So I guess the lesson is, when the flood gates open, embrace the overflow. Then add some honey.

And always, chow on.

Meet Padrón

Today we are voyaging to Spain. Actually, a small coastal town on the north western tip of the country called Padrón.

This town is famous for two things: first, and most obviously, the medieval poet named “Macias the Lover” (which I know was on the tip of your tongue). And secondly, the Padrón pepper (which, if you haven’t had yet, should be on the tip of your tongue).

Now this is no ordinary pepper, just like Macias is no ordinary poet. Or lover.

This pepper is small, green, and related to all the other capsicum family members (like jalapeno and habanero). But their most intriguing characteristic comes in the anticipation of their spice. Some are hot. Some are not. And you play a little bit of pepper roulette when you eat them.

But even the ones that are spicy are just perfectly so. Nothing that would send you to the ER or even the grocery store to glug up a gallon of milk. The majority of them are sweet and mild. And that’s why these little guys are most often eaten whole.

Just give them a quick saute with some hot oil (until their skin begins to wrinkle and char), toss them with some fried onions and garlic, and serve up an interesting, gorgeous, and exciting low sodium starter that is fun for any guest. Salt eater or not.

I’ve also had these guys served alongside fresh, fried sardines. Which are low in sodium too, especially if you get them straight from the fish counter. And I also like throwing them in with other greens, like this kale, to help brighten a dish in color and in taste.

These peppers make a tasty low sodium tapa and definitely add an entertaining (and interactive) quality to your meal. And they just happen to be in season. So get to your farmers market and look for these Spanish gems.

Good luck.

And chow on.

Salt and Stove-Free Pasta

Hi! What did you do this weekend?

I set my oven on fire.

Yeah. I really did. I meant to make chips. I made a huge mess instead. And I’m pretty sure I’m inhaling tons of chemicals as I’m writing this. If anyone has advice on cleaning this thing out, please let me know.

But let’s talk about something with less charcoal flavor and more taste.

While my range is taking a brief vacation, I started to think about no-cook meals. Ways that I could eat food full of vitamins and flavor without using any kind of flame.

And that’s how I came to this stove-free and salt-free pasta dish. Which is not only a great idea for those times when your oven is covered in fire-extinguisher dust, but also when you have limited time to throw something together for dinner, lunch, or any other snack attack.

This particular “pasta” is made from thinly sliced asparagus, which I cut with a peeler. I then chopped up some fresh summer fruit – nectarines and tomatoes – gave it a squeeze of lime, sprinkled it with chive, freshly ground pepper, and a quick dressing made from the final bits of my salt-free Mendocino Sweet & Hot Mustard and some olive oil.

Drizzle and dig in.

So the next time you find yourself in a hazmat suit, just know that your cooking appliances may be limited, but your food doesn’t have to be.

Chow on. And safety first.

Pork for Pops

Let me tell you something about Dads – they love pork.

Even if they say, “Jess, I don’t like pork,” the thing is, they do.

And this brings me to the second point that I want to make about the big guy – they also don’t know what they like. And sometimes, you just have to tell them.

Take my dad for example. No really, take him. Just kidding, I want him back.

My dad says he doesn’t like a lot of things. Like eggplants, curry, curried eggplant, and pretty much anything that you can’t find in (a) a snack mix, (b) in a Cobb salad, or (c) at the ballpark.

After years of playing to his so-called dislikes, I finally realized that the problem wasn’t that dear old dad hated the food, but that he just didn’t know he liked it.

I started making things like “yellow chicken” (i.e. curried chicken) and “really soft zucchini” (i.e. roasted eggplant). And turns out, dad liked it all. Even the bean dip (well, that was just bean dip).

So with father’s day around the corner, I wanted to say thank you to my dad for letting me trick him into liking things and for keeping his mind open (and his heart and kidneys safe) with all my low sodium creations, even as he settles into that time of life where’s he’s allowed to exclaim that he just likes doing things his way.

And for all those dad’s who love pork (and may or may not know it yet), celebrate them this weekend with these three recipes.

Just tell them they’re filled with love. And chicken.

Chow on.

Matzo Ball Meatballs

Honey Baked Ham Chops

Sausage Pepper Poppers

Pasta Pretzel Bites

Um…wait…what?

Pasta pretzel bites! I made pasta pretzel bites.

I’m still not sure what you’re talking about. I’ve never heard of those before?

I know, neither had I. Until I made them 15 minutes ago.

Still lost.

Basically, let’s say that you have a serving of leftover pasta. Like two day old noodles that are facing the grim reality that, most likely, they’ll have to be tossed away. It gives a low-sodium green god or goddess like yourself a bit of a heart attack. But what can you do?

First, turn on your oven to 400 dg F.

Then, pour a drizzle of oil on your pasta and sprinkle it with salt-free spices. Like dried dill. An herb blend. Or spicy chili.

Then, simply fold them into pretzel shapes. Or a lump of old pasta shape. Or really, whatever shape they’ll make.

Then put them in the oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until the pasta puffs up and becomes crisp and crackly. Take them out and eat immediately or serve as a pre-dinner snack. Or on top of salads in place of salty parmesan crackers and bread crumbs. Or in a cup like pasta pretzel bread sticks.

And that’s it. Pasta pretzel bites.

Totally salt-free, totally awesome.

Chow on.

Monday Morning Sandwich Cake

For a long time, I resisted using Twitter, Facebook, or FourSquare. Not because I was against the free sharing of private information. But because I thought it was really weird that people felt the need to constantly tell me (and the entire world) what they were eating.

Thanks to these public broadcasting systems, it’s 11 am and I already know that Katie is enjoying a frozen yogurt with berries. And that Tom and six other friends are meeting at the local pub later to watch the game and eat some hot pepper pizza. And that Michelle has already had her second lunch of the day and she’s still not full. Someone get the girl a burrito.

Sharing details about today’s news, your latest accomplishment, or even the weekend’s funniest YouTube video – that’s all great. But the black bean salad you just downed? And the aftermath? I’m not sure I really wanted to know about that…

Of course, I eventually gave in. Big Time. I mean, I own a blog about food. I welcome stories about your bean salad. And I take it all back. The guffaws, the judgment, the misunderstandings.

Because this is what I am eating for breakfast.

And I couldn’t resist telling you about it.

I now totally understand the enthusiasm for sharing live updates on the food you put into your body. Because while this low sodium breakfast sandwich is nothing special, it is really good. I am enjoying it very much. And I want you to be able to enjoy it too.

So here’s what we have: a salt-free rice cracker, topped with a layer or no-salt spicy mustard, a mound of alfafa sprouts, a layer of (leftover) roasted vegetable and bean spread, and slice of no-salt-added turkey. A sandwich that is just as filling, colorful, and flavorful as something you would find at the deli. Without the salt.

Sure, it is gorgeous. And yes, it is just as a tasty. But most importantly, it is easy to make. A true feat when it comes to low-sodium breakfasts and lunches.

So yeah. I just told you about the sandwich I made. Now I’m going to take a bite.

And I hope you’re inspired to make something this simple and flavorful the next time you need a healthy snack to start your day off right.

Sharing is caring.

Chow on.

Turmeric Tofu Bites

Can we talk about tofu for a second?

What was once thought of a bland and boring brick of vegetarian blah, has now made its way to the culinary big leagues. And while its pure white cube form is probably the most recognizable to meat eating eyes, tofu now comes in a variety of dressed up variations. Some are soaked in teriyaki, others are made to taste like chicken, some are even transformed into “cheese.”

The point being that tofu is a great canvas for flavor. And while I think it is rather tasty just cut up, raw, on its own, tofu can become something really special with just a quick soak in sesame oil and curry powder. Or turmeric. Or garlic powder. Or miso and sake. Or sesame seeds. You get the point.

And to kick it up one extra notch, I like to bake my tofu in the oven (425 dg F) for 10 minutes on each side so that they puff up and get crispy. You could also fry them in oil if you want them to be a bit more moist.

Use them as colorful (and flavorful) toppers to a simple salad or rice bowl. Or even stick a toothpick in them and serve as an unusual appetizer with a low-sodium chili and ginger dipping sauce.

It can be a snack. It can be a meal. And no matter what, it is low-sodium and full of flavor.

Happy weekending.

Chow on.

 

Root to Tip: Radish Greens Salad

Radishes are bonkers. When they are raw, they are crunchy and peppery. When they are roasted or cooked in a frying pan, they turn juicy and sweet. And I love using them in place of potatoes for hashes, salads, or a quick snack.

But I recently realized that I’ve been quite rude with my radishes, always paying attention to what’s below instead of looking above their shoulders. I mean, if some guy treated me that way, you’d better believe they’d get a reminder that there’s more to this package then some sturdy roots.

So yesterday, with two bushels of radishes in my basket, I decided to give the flowing locks on this pretty little vegetable some well deserved love and attention.

As with most vegetables, the radish leaves are edible and by using them in your cooking, in place of more familiar greens, you can not only alter the flavor of a humdrum dish, but you can really stretch your dollar as well. Making the greens a useful addition to your low sodium cooking arsenal.

Whether your leaves come from carrots, fava beans, beets, or of course radishes, add them to your next vegetable stew. Use them in your stock. Cook them like spinach and put them over pasta or lentils. Or use them in a salad like I have below.

Get creative and discover a new world of flavors that (achem) were right in front of you the whole time.

Chow on.

Pumpkin, Apple, Radish Greens Salad

• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup salt-free pumpkin seeds
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1/4 teaspoon red (or black) peppercorn
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 gala apple, core removed and chopped into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 cup cleaned and chopped radish greens

Place raisins with balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and allow them to soak while you prepare the salad. This way they will burst with little bits of “dressing” when you bite them. It’s a neat little salad trick to keep your greens from getting too wilted and heavy with liquid.

Then heat a small frying pan over medium-high flame. Add your pumpkin seeds and toast until you start to hear them pop like popcorn, 2-3 minutes. Take off of heat and put the seeds into a salad bowl. Keep the frying pan over medium-high flame.

Pop your cardamom pods open by placing a knife over them and hitting the flat side with your palm. Remove the little black seeds and add them to the hot frying pan with the red peppercorns. Toast the seeds, allowing their aromas to blossom, 1-2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and then add the apple cubes. They should sizzle a bit. Let the apples cook, no stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Mix them and then cook 1 minute more. Put the apples and the toasted spices into the salad bowl.

Finally, add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan and let it get hot. Add the greens and cook until they soften and become vibrant in color, about 1 minute. Immediately remove the greens from heat (you can turn off the flame now) and add them to your salad bowl. Drain the raisins from the balsamic vinegar and add them to the bowl as well. Drizzle a bit of the extra vinegar into the bowl, mix everything, and taste. And more balsamic vinegar if you want to.

Put it on a plate and eat.

Miso, Maybe

This is salt-free, low-sodium Miso soup. Sort of.

A few months ago, I began writing a list of all the super salty foods I missed eating: chicken wings, deep dish pizza, pretzels with mustard, ravioli, pad thai, and of course, miso soup. And one by one, I knocked each of them down, conquering the salt, and replacing it with my own mix of flavors and spices.

Then, I got to my friend miso.

That silky Japanese broth made from dashi and miso powder or paste that delicately slips down your throat. That bowl dotted with seaweed threads and tofu cubes, adding a bit of texture to all those silky sips. The one that begins your meal right. The one that warms you on a cold day. The one that can contain thousands of milligrams of sodium per cup.

Yeah, that soup.

But salt has never stopped me before. Neither has miso. So I set about attempting my own version. Miso would be mine again. Maybe.

To start, I had to make my own dashi, which is a traditional broth made from a number of items – most often dried sardines, dried fish flakes (bonito), dried kelp (konbu), and shitake mushrooms, daikon, or even carrots (used to add flavor, color, and to represent what is in season).

So dashi was not necessarily the problem. I have made a salt-free dashi before with the help of bonito, pacific seaweed, and plenty of shitake.

The real issue was the miso, which is made from fermented rice, barley, or soybeans. And if you haven’t realized this yet, the word “fermented” might as well be written with glowing neon lights that flash the word “salt.”

So fermented soy, rice, and barley was out.

But I wondered, could just dried soy work? Could it add the color and taste needed to make this low-sodium miso soup slip and slide as it should?

In my closet of goodies, I just happened to have a pack of dehydrated tofu skins. Don’t ask.

I ground a few of these delicious tofu sticks into a fine powder and thought, yes, this will give my miso soup that cloudy look I’m looking for. Not to mention the earthy undertones it needs.

I added it to my dashi and let the potion boil and bubble. Melt and simmer. Transform into miso. Maybe.

When I could no longer resist the savory steam coming from the stove, I diced up some tofu cubes, shredded some extra seaweed, chopped some fresh green onion, and sliced extra shitake mushrooms.

I scooped the soup into bowls. And I took my first slurp.

Nope.

Not. Even. Close.

The soup was way too dark as you can see (probably because I added molasses at the last minute to make it more “fermented” tasting). And the stock was a bit too fishy, a result of my heavy-handed bonito flaking.

But was it a failure?

Not. At. All.

I may never be able to make an exact miso soup without the salt. But I can surely get close.

And to make it really extraordinary, the next time around, I’ll skip all the miso-copy-cating and search for a new mix  of flavors. That way, there will be no need to compare it to the salty original. It will be a dish of its own.

Perhaps I’ll use dried daikon. Maybe I’ll add okra chips instead of seaweed. Or I’ll use clam shells in the dashi stock in place of the bonito for a more subtle sea-fare flavor. No matter what, I’m well on my way to discovering a new way to miso. One hot, fishy bowl of soup at a time.

Above all else, this experiment reminded me that I haven’t heard from you in a while. What are your greatest low-sodium challenges? What are you missing? What do you crave?

My creative juices are flowing and the stoves are hot! So send some salt-free recipe requests my way. It may take me a while to get it right, but with each misstep, I get closer to the right dish.

Chow on.