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Chicken Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

December 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Shepherd’s pie is one of my favorite low sodium comfort food meals — it is something I crave on a cold winter’s day.  Since we’re not tending sheep or toiling away in the fields as our ancestors may have, we’ve tried to lighten the calorie load by using more vegetables and less potato:  the main trick is to keep it moist (by adding a sauce) and flavorful.  We used a head of Romanesco broccoli, but this can be substituted with regular cauliflower or broccoli.  Thankfully, we had some mashed potatoes already on hand — from holiday eating! Enjoy.

PS – technically, this is actually a “cottage” pie recipe, because we’re not using lamb as our base.


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Chicken Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (low sodium)

Yield: Serves 4- 6; one 9 x 9 casserole dish (tall sides, at least 3-4 inches)

Chicken Shepherd’s Pie Recipe (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • Filling
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon thyme (leaves), chopped
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 1/2 cups grated carrot
  • 1 cup leek, chopped
  • 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 head Romanesco broccoli (or cauliflower), chopped into smaller bite sized pieces (approx 1  3/4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1/3 cup onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, crushed (or pureed)
  • vegetable oil for sauteing
  •  :
  • Sauce (for filling)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3/4 Tablespoon potato starch
  • 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
  •  :
  • Top
  • 3 cups mashed potatoes
  • 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. In a large fry pan, sauté the lemon zest, thyme, chicken until the chicken is no longer pink. Put the mixture in the casserole dish.
  3. Sweat the vegetables in a fry pan over medium heat: carrots, leeks, mushrooms, broccoli, peas, onions, garlic, and vegetable oil (or a little chicken/vegetable stock) -- the point of this is to not brown the vegetables, but rather, to draw out the flavors. Once this step has been completed, place the vegetables in the casserole dish with the cooked chicken, and toss together
  4. In a small bowl or ramekin, create a gum-type base using the starch and a little stock. Pour the mixture into a fry pan, slowly bring up the heat; slowly add the liquid (stock) to the starch, whisking together to create a consistent viscosity. Add the bay leaf to the pan. Bring to medium heat. Remove from heat when the sauce starts to thicken, remove the bay leaf, and pour the remaining sauce over the vegetable/chicken mixture.
  5. Evenly cover the chicken/vegetable mixture with mashed potatoes, and smooth the mashed potato layer:
  6. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and paprika over the top. Using a fork, poke a few holes in the top, allowing the steam to vent.
  7. Bake (uncovered) at 350F for 30-40 minutes, or until the mixture has been evenly heated and the vegetables have been cooked through. Remove from heat and serve.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2011/12/chicken-shepherds-pie-recipe/


Simply delicious!

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Romanesco Broccoli

December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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Romanesco broccoli’s fractal patterns make for a fun culinary delight; this versatile vegetable tastes sweet (like broccoli), but the texture is more firm (like cauliflower). Also known as Roman cauliflower,  broccoflower, or Romanesco cabbage, this heirloom varietal of broccoli either can be part of a dish, or presented on its own as a vegetable highlight.

Some simple ideas are:

  • wash; quarter and toss in olive oil together with a head of garlic and roast,
  • cut into smaller pieces, steam, finish off with lemon zest and a little freshly cracked black pepper,
  • eaten raw, in salads or with a dip, or
  • use as part of a dish — regardless, it’s oh, so good.

Consider growing this in your heirloom garden this coming year.  Seeds can be ordered online through various vendors (though we bought these ones fully grown at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market), and the taste is superior!  We couldn’t obtain an exact sodium count from the USDA nutrient database –  a handful of other websites (including a produce vendor) seems to suggest 20 – 35 mg/sodium per 1 cup serving.  Keep posted, we’ll show you what we did with some of ours!

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Apple-Cinnamon Waffles (Gluten & Dairy Free Recipe)

December 21, 2011 By
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Waking up to the smell of homemade waffles crisping on a hot iron, biting into the delicate crunchy exterior to discover a soft, comforting pillow of goodness, and experiencing a warming sensation that emanates from the inside out…bliss.  Whether we start these kinds of traditions or are the recipients of heirloom recipes/techniques passed down over generations, I still relish the simple pleasure that “waffle gratification” brings.

So if you’re thinking about breakfast/brunch over the holidays, consider our low-sodium apple-cinnamon waffle recipe, its gluten & dairy free. (Sorry, it uses egg).

Pairs well with fresh fruit compote, icing sugar, or maple syrup.

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Apple-Cinnamon Waffles (Gluten & Dairy Free Recipe) (low sodium)

Yield: 8 waffles

Apple-Cinnamon Waffles (Gluten & Dairy Free Recipe) (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • Dry Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour*
  • 2/3 cups potato starch*
  • 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon (or 6 Tablespoons) tapioca starch*
  • 1 Tablespoon sodium-free baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  •  
  • Wet ingredients
  • 2 eggs, separated (+ few drops of lemon or vinegar for beating the egg whites) (egg whites seem to whip better @ room temperature, or ~ 30 minutes)
  • 1 cup applesauce*
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cup rice milk
  • Oil - spray (we use grape seed oil) for waffle iron
  • *we buy a gluten free brand

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the waffle iron (per their instructions).
  2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  3. Separately, beat the egg whites in a small clean, dry, deep bowl.  Add a few drops of lemon or vinegar approximately half way through the process (helps to stabilize). When stiff peaks form (more or less), set aside.
  4. In another (medium sized) bowl, whisk the egg yolk, applesauce, vanilla and rice milk together -- until a consistent texture is achieved.
  5. Add the egg yolk/applesauce/vanilla/rice milk mixture to the dry ingredients; combine/stir until the batter is a smooth consistency (too many lumps will create an undesirable texture).  Then, gently fold in the whipped egg whites (we use a rubber spatula for this).
  6. Spray both sides of the waffle iron with the vegetable oil (follow the manufacturer's instructions).  Gently ladle the batter onto the hot waffle iron.  Close the lid, and cook until the waffles are a golden brown color, the edges are crisp, and the waffles are easily removable from the waffle iron (they should just "lift" up without too much struggle).  Serve warm.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2011/12/apple-cinnamon-waffles-gluten-dairy-free-recipe/

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Warby Parker: Eye Wear Bliss with a Social Conscience

December 17, 2011 By
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Warby Parker is a wake-up call to the highly padded, margin-gouging eye wear industry.  It’s a great concept and fun company — and I’m personally excited about them.

For years, I’ve thought “why doesn’t anyone optimize the supply chain for eye wear”?  Well…Warby Parker did it! And boy, did they ever!

To digress, I’m not sure if anyone remembers, but a couple of months ago I blogged about getting a retinal scan as part of my “mostly-annual” eye exam?  The good news was that my eyeglasses’ prescription really hadn’t changed that much…and because of this, I did what most people in my situation would do — I sat on the prescription….that was, until I flipped through this article on the top new start ups of 2011, and I literally stumbled upon Warby Parker.

Here’s the skinny:

Warby Parker controls their own supply chain, and they cut out the middle-people, where feasible. They design their own [totally hip] frames, and more importantly, I think the frames feel good in hand.  Not only was I able to buy glasses at a great price (@ time of writing, $95, includes frames and lenses; add + $30 for high index lenses), but incredibly — this value priced package has enough profit margin built into the equation that Warby Parker also supplies a pair of eyeglasses to someone in need.

How great is that?  A holiday gift for me, and a holiday gift for someone else who really needs the gift of sight….

To Order:

  • Warby Parker can send out a Home Try On kit of up to 5 frames to try (for 5 days, with free shipping both ways) — or better yet…
  • Because we live within a reasonably close proximity to one of Warby Parker’s “retail showroom partners” …and because I was so jazzed after reading the start-up article,  I bribed my husband to go to Confederacy LA, conveniently located “on the way” to [the bribe] dinner,  so that I could do some more blog research and try on frames.

I thought the showroom/retailer partnership concept is particularly useful; I’m quite certain that I never would have seen many of the frames that I had tried on online (because I have a tendency of clicking too fast), nor would I been compelled to order the most beautiful frames until I tried them on. 

  • In honor of the Grinch that Stole Christmas (and also because they look really great on), I ordered the Nedwin frames in green.  At home, I plugged in all of my information online, and poof!! The ordering process was super easy and I received my beautiful new glasses in no time flat.  Having lived with my new glasses for a full week now — I have to say I’m happier than the Grinch!!

PS – this blog post is wholly “un-sponsored”.  The only “kickback” is that for every pair of glasses that we buy, Warby Parker provides a pair to someone in need (integral to their business model as a B corporation).  Having said this, I’ve quite happily parted with my own money — and can’t wait to order from them again. Thanks Warby Parker & Confederacy LA!

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Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables Recipe

December 14, 2011 By 2 Comments
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Make a yummy Israeli couscous salad with a zingy dressing.

I always smile when I see Israeli couscous served on my plate. The little round balls pique my curiosity and invite me to grab a scoop before sampling anything else. They’re fun to eat and tasty. Perhaps this is why it’s a popular dish with Israeli kids…and adults alike, around the world.

While couscous seems like a grain, it’s actually a product of semolina (durum wheat), like pasta. The north African  couscous that we are most familiar with is made by rolling semolina, water and wheat flour into pellets and drying. Israeli couscous, on the other hand, is slightly different. The semolina pellets are made larger and they’re toasted, rather than dried. This creates pasta “pearls” with nutty flavor and chewy consistency.

Israeli couscous is simple to prepare: toast the pellets in a pan, add liquid and other ingredients if desired, and simmer down. Some great attributes are its ability to absorb the flavors of the broth, plus the pellets really hold their shape and texture when cooked. We also appreciate its respectable 0mg of sodium per 1/3 cup.

Easily combined with a myriad of spices, vegetables and meats, Israeli couscous is a handy ingredient to keep in the pantry. Here, we’ve created a vegetarian dish with roasted vegetables and a mustard-balsamic dressing that has no added salt, and happens to burst with mouthwatering flavor.

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Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables Recipe (low sodium)

Yield: Serves 4

Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables Recipe (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons no-salt stone ground mustard (or any salt-free mustard)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced or pressed
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 white squash or zucchini, quartered and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 10 sugar plum tomatoes (or 2 Roma tomatoes diced into ½ in pieces)
  • 1 red bell pepper diced into ½ inch pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 oz Israeli couscous (1 ½ cups)
  • 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to broil and make the dressing: combine first 3 ingredients and slowly whisk in ¼ cup olive oil.
  2. Place vegetables on foil-lined broiling pan. Brush with dressing and broil for 12-15 minutes until squash is soft. Let cool.
  3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add Israeli couscous and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
  4. Add broth and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered. Stir occasionally. When liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, remove from heat (about 10 minutes).
  5. Transfer to a large bowl and fold-in the basil, orange zest, remaining dressing and the roasted vegetables with juices.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2011/12/israeli-couscous-with-roasted-vegetables-recipe/

 

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Low Sodium Recipe Book/Gift Idea: Kick the Can!

December 12, 2011 By
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We think it’s important to help support our fellow food bloggers — especially because the low sodium blog-sphere is so small!  This last May, fellow food blogger Christy Ellingsworth won a Mom Central grant.  Over the past year, she’s been putting the funds to good use: she not only upgraded her blog, but used some of the funds to self-publish this introductory book on low sodium soups. So, we introduce to you (sound: drum roll..)

Kick the Can!  Homemade Low-Sodium Soups that ROCK.

Christy’s new book would make a great holiday gift, and can be purchased via  this link 

You can read about her book here

Congratulations Christy!

(PS, we don’t get anything in return for this “endorsement” — other than feeling like we’ve done some low-sodium good by spreading the news.. Happy Holidays!)

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Give a Great Gift: Homemade Orange-Vanilla, Cranberry and Pecan Granola (or Granola Bars).

December 9, 2011 By
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Granola/bars make for an inexpensive and thoughtful low sodium gift idea! Create a holiday extravaganza of flavors! Get creative and go crazy – it’s really easy!

A novice chef can easily master granola basics. Eat it loose by the handful when its’ still warm, cool it a little and give bundles of it away, or pack the mix into a pan and make tasty granola bars.  Top it off with (or mix in some) Greek yogurt, and Oh, Yum!!

Inspired by (left-over Thanksgiving) holiday ingredients, we concocted this recipe based on “a little of this, a little of that”.  Now after having made several batches, we’ve realized that granola can be made out of many different kitchen cupboard ingredients such as rolled oats, flax seed, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, cashews, raisins and dates… a little dried cinnamon, and a dash of honey,…really, whatever floats your boat.

Our recipe doesn’t use real “butter” and we’re able to control the amount of total sugar by our ingredient choices, so we tend to eat a lot more of it :)   The granola recipe below is vegetarian friendly (but the granola bars use egg because I couldn’t get them to stick together… so they’re not exactly “vegetarian”).

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Homemade Orange-Vanilla, Cranberry and Pecan Granola (or Bars). (low sodium)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Yield: Bars: 24 bars; or two 9x9 pans - or 6 cups of loose granola

Homemade Orange-Vanilla, Cranberry and Pecan Granola (or Bars). (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • Dry Ingredients
  • 2   1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)*
  • 1 1/2 cups dried unsweetened coconut flakes**
  • 1 cup pecan pieces, unsalted*
  • 1 cup (no sugar added) dried cranberries *
  •  :
  • Wet Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup applesauce**
  • 1/2 cup almond butter**
  • 1/8 cup maple sugar**
  • 2 Tablespoons vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
  • :
  • If you want to make granola bars - additional ingredients:
  • 2 eggs (wet ingredient)
  • 2 teaspoons sodium-free baking powder (dry ingredient)
  •  :
  • * Typically found in the bulk-bin section
  • ** The vendors that we buy are "low sodium" ingredients, they contain 5 mg sodium per FDA "serving size" (each vendor will note on their package, what their serving size is based upon - i.e., specific food classification in the FDA food classification table)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F
  2. Blend the dry ingredients together.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix all of the wet ingredients together.
  4. Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients together.
  5. See below for specific directions for loose or granola bars...
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2011/12/homemade-orange-vanilla-cranberry-and-pecan-granola-or-granola-bars-recipe/

For Loose Granola:

  • Loosely spread the mixture across 2 non-stick baking sheets.
  • Bake in the oven for approximately 10-15 minutes, until the mixture has turned golden brown and becomes crunchy.
  • Note: based upon the proximity of the baking sheet to the heating elements, we take the baking sheets out of the oven approximately mid-way through the process, quickly toss around (loosen the bottom pieces, so that the granola doesn’t burn), and return to the oven to complete the dehydration/baking process.

For Granola Bars:

  • Press into two 9×9 pans, or separately into muffin containers (makes approximately 24).
  • Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean/edges have turned golden brown/the sides no longer stick to the edge of the pan.

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Cooking with alcohol: how much alcohol is retained?

December 6, 2011 By
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Today’s post shares my newfound knowledge of cooking with alcohol.  I’ve always wondered,

exactly how much alcohol am I taking in?

The winter party season also kicks off “holiday heart syndrome” (irregular heartbeat caused from “stress, dehydration, and drinking”).  This is a frenetic quarter where hospitals see an increased influx of people riding the “red ambulance sleigh” directly into the emergency ward.  Letters to Santa are instead replaced by signing liability waivers of “in case we have to perform open heart surgery”, and what’s left in our stockings are new diagnoses commonly nicknamed “Merry Christmas coronary” or “Happy Hanukkah heart attack” (coronary artery disease).

Coincidentally, they say that the average person gains one pound (0.48 kg) during the holiday season, November through January — sadly, it’s that extra “one pound a year” that many of us don’t manage to take off.  Personally, I think a lot of my “holiday” weight gain is caused from sipping down a few too many “holiday cocktails” — but if I think about what I eat, alcohol also plays a great game of hide-and-seek in party food, hitching a caloric ride without much fanfare.  In particular, I’ve noticed that delicious wines, liqueurs, and spirits sneak their way into all sorts of savory dishes, sauces, and sweet desserts …   Amaretto ice cream or Grand Marnier Hot chocolate, anyone?

I now try to watch the amount of alcohol (and sodium) that I consume, especially having had my husband unknowingly cast in the role of “emergency ward pick-up” in a not-so-distant past.

Curious about the alcoholic content in cooked foods, we did a little digging into the scientifically measured values of alcohol retained during cooking.  This is what we found:

  • Alcohol (ethanol) does not “cook off” when sauces are brought to a boil: for the percentage of alcohol to be effectively reduced, foods containing alcohol must cook for several hours.

In April, 1992, a group of researchers published an article, “Alcohol Retention in Food Preparation”, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which cited the following:

    • alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat – 85% alcohol retained
    • alcohol flamed – 75% alcohol retained
    • no heat, stored overnight – 70% alcohol retained
    • baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture – 45% alcohol retained
    • baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture:

Cooking Time

% Alcohol retained after cooking

0.25

40

0.50

35

1.00

25

1.50

20

2.00

10

2.50

5

 

  • Additionally, (in separate study) in tested alcoholic beverages, the sodium, potassium, and phosphorous values did not appear to be significantly affected after cooking/baking over the above mentioned times.  The USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors (Release 6, Dec 2007, Page 12) noted that there were no changes in sodium, potassium, and phosphorous values: foods were measured over the following time increments: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 2.5 hours; and baked, unstirred for 25 minutes.

For me, “finding” these study results were eye opening; so much for bringing sauces to a boil.  At least this information has provided me with an increased awareness of alcohol’s retention in cooked foods…especially useful as we head into the holiday season…

Filed Under: Blog, Bytes to Digest, Cooking & Food "How To's" Tagged With:

Low Sodium Shortbread Cookie Recipe

December 1, 2011 By
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Dust off your baking pans and whip up a batch of thin, crisp, flaky, melt in-your-mouth shortbread cookies.  All it takes is four ingredients.  Sounds simple? It is.

I’ve been making this shortbread recipe since I was in grade school: if I could do it back then, you can do it now. My “heirloom recipe” ingredients were lifted directly from the back of a (legacy) Canada Corn Starch box — though my preparation methods are entirely different.  I “adapted” this shortbread preparation method inadvertently at the age of 11 — the day I “ran out of time” to soften the butter at room temperature.  Back then, our microwave didn’t really do much in the way of “softening” butter, so I used the “pie crust” method of cutting the cold butter into the flour mixture and a superior cookie was born.  My shortbread cookies are flaky, tasty, and crisp…and I’ve never looked back.

As it turns out — these cookie ingredients fall under the “very low sodium” category… though, with the main binding ingredient being butter, you may want to hold off eating the entire batch (by yourself) in one sitting!

Yield: Makes approximately 32 cookies.

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornstarch (125 mL)

1/2 cup icing sugar (125 mL)

1 cup all-purpose flour (250 mL)

3/4 cup unsalted butter (*cold/refrigerated) (175 mL)

(Optional: Icing, colored [cake decorating] “sanding” sugar)

*Note:  I do not recommend starting this recipe with softened butter or blending this mixture a lot with your hands: I think that too much kneading (via soft butter) changes the overall composition of the mix, making the cookies far more dense.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300F
  2. Sift together cornstarch, icing sugar, and all-purpose flour.  Blend (well) in a bowl.
  3. Separately, cut the butter into small “slabs”, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
  4. Cut the butter into the dry mixture: this can achieved by using two knives (cut the butter repeatedly into the flour), a fork, or a pastry blender.
  5. Cut the butter into the mixture until the mixture is evenly distributed.
  6. Gently knead the mixture into a ball.  At this point, the heat from your hands will start to melt the butter, and allow the components to stick together.  It doesn’t take a lot of kneading to make this dough ball.
  7. Roll out the dough (approximately 1/4″), cut with cookie cutters, and place on a baking sheet.
  8. Bake 300F oven:  approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
  9. Remove from heat, cool on wire rack.  Decorate as desired.
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