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Zabaglione – Make A Decadent Dessert Using Three Ingredients!

December 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Simply sublime when eaten fresh, Zabaglione is decadence made with only three ingredients!

Try a spoonful, or four. Warm Zabaglione magically melts in your mouth and becomes sheer happiness.  Its taste far surpasses whipped cream.  Light and airy, its texture lies somewhere between a whipped sauce and a frothy custard.  Served atop berries, or simply placed in a cup garnished with crushed amoretti biscuits and a sprig of mint, it is unpretentious and classic. Many find themselves going the traditional route – dipping Italian cookies or biscotti into a cupful of Zabaglione, bite after bite, the happiness becomes addicting.

One of the first things we learned after switching to a low sodium diet is that ordering low sodium desserts can be a challenge when dining out.  It’s a good thing for low-sodium, gluten or dairy free eaters* that most restaurants keep these three staple ingredients on hand: eggs, sugar, and wine!  (Although, you might have to plead your low sodium case with the owner to order Zabaglione off-menu.)

Depending upon the origin of the restaurant, chef, owners, or where your taste buds happen to land in Western Europe – you might need to become multi-lingual to order up a cup of happiness; it’s been known to travel incognito using the following names: Zabaglione, Zabaione (Italy) or Sabayon (France).

Wine – yes, the wine you use will affect the end taste. 

My cardinal wine cooking rule is to always cook with wine that is good enough to drink with a good meal; cooking with unpleasant tasting wine will definitely ruin the flavor of your zabaglione.

Marsala and moscato wine are popular choices.  Personally, we like using an Italian vin santo wine.  The tradeoff is that vin santo’s availability and cost relative to marsala wine may not present a compelling set of circumstances enough to buy a bottle simply to make zabaglione; the upside is that vin santo (much like marsala) is a sweet wine which keeps relatively well under refrigeration. So fear not, you don’t have to rush and feel you have to drink the whole bottle of vin santo in one evening.  Sparkling wines can also add a flare to your Zabaglione: Moscato D’Asti, and prosecco tend to be the most frequently used.

Zabaglione Food Pairing Suggestions

*Note: Yes, Zabaglione is one of our “special occasion” desserts because the recipe uses wine.  If you’re curious and want to know more about cooking with alcohol, read our blog post here .  We recognize that alcohol isn’t meant for everyone’s diet – so we’re sorry if alcohol is on your prohibited foods list and we’ve inadvertently taunted you. Also, this dairy-free Zabaglione recipe is also a good dessert consideration for gluten or lactose free eaters – our zabaglione recipe doesn’t use dairy; heavy cream can often help prolong the shelf life of zabaglione, but also affects the flavor and texture. You’ll want to be extra careful when choosing the wine (allergens).

Zabaglione Recipe

Zabaglione Ingredients

4 egg yolks (**we use raw, pasteurized eggs for this recipe)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vin santo or marsala wine ** (see above for other options)

Directions

Use a double boiler / bain-marie; bring the water to a boil. (To construct a makeshift double boiler – fill a pot with 1 – 2 inches of water; bring to a boil.  Select another rounded pot or [copper or heat tolerant glass] bowl that can sit comfortably on top of the pot, the rounded bowl becomes important because otherwise the ingredients will stick to the edges, overcook or burn.  Do not select a bowl that sits low enough to touch the boiling water – you’ll scald the zabaglione this way.  Essentially, you’re using steam from the bottom pot to heat the liquid in the top pot).

Combine and whisk all ingredients together (i.e., top part of the double boiler/a> or rounded copper or heat tolerant glass bowl).  Once you combine all of the ingredients, it is essential that you continue to whisk (to ensure that the zabaglione stays uniform); sugar and egg yolks don’t play well when left alone.

Keep whisking; literally your arm might feel like it’s going to fall off if you’re not using an electric mixer.  I actually stand on a kitchen stool, because I find that it makes whisking a little easier over a bain-marie (plus, I’m old school – I like to use a traditional whisk instead of our electric mixer for spontaneous desserts).

As the heat increases the overall temperature of the zabaglione, the texture will change. Bring it up to 145-150F and keep whisking.  The heating process may seem like a long time because you’re busy whisking away, but it actually doesn’t take too long (usually less than 5 minutes).  The completion test is the ribbon – the point when you can lift the whisk away from the zabaglione, and for a few scant seconds, it makes a ribbon-like pattern before becoming uniform again. Be sure to watch the temperature, because there’s a fine line where the zabaglione might get too hot, start to curdle and scorch.  Quickly bring the temperature down, continue to whisk for about a minute, and remove from heat.

Serve warm.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Homemade Horto-merothikopita Pie Recipe (Greek-style green & herb pie)

August 10, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Today’s recipe is inspired by our personal friend George Menzelos (who happens to be the founder/owner of Arianna Trading Company, he’s a supplier of amazing tasting organic Greek olive oil). Coincidentally, George also [inadvertently] personally inspired us to create a low sodium olive oil pastry crust recipe. We’ve taken George’s original greens and herbs pie recipe and converted it into a low sodium version (our version is pictured above).

Here is George’s story behind his homemade horto-merothikopita pie
[horta = greens] + [merothika = herbs] +[pita = pie] =  ["greens-herbs-pie"]

Welcome to Greece!  My greens and herbs pie is not a traditional Greek dish in so much as it’s a creation by a Greek/American foodie who’s a health nut. Having traveled around the different regions of Greece, I have seen many variations on spanakopita, they use the greens and herbs they have in season and what is available not just spinach. Greens of all kinds are a huge part of the traditional Greek diet and have been attributed to their good health and longevity. Unfortunately with globalization and especially since it’s entering into the EU there has also come fast food into the Greek people’s diet. You now see the same cardiovascular diseases and obesity happening among Greeks particularly in the young people.

As part of what I’ve studied about adding alkaline based foods into my diet, I regularly prepare a raw greens & herbs pesto. This pesto is a puree of many types of greens and herbs with lemon juice, olive oil and walnuts that I whip up in a food processor. I try and make this a part of my weekly routine and it keeps refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. This pesto oxidizes so I keep a layer of olive oil covering the top. I use this pesto as a spread for sandwiches and wraps, raw on cooked pasta, as a dip or just eat it straight up from a spoon, yum.

This greens pie is actually the byproduct of making my pesto. I can buy up more variety of greens for use in both. Because it’s been baked the greens and herb pie will last much longer and it also freezes beautifully. This is a great way to get a concentrated amount of vitamins and minerals into your diet that’s simple and tastes great. Note that I do like to buy and use the whole bags of organic pre washed greens for the most part and use the upper stems with the leaves of a whole bunch of herbs to cut down on prep time. After preparing the base of the greens mixture I separate the mix into the raw and baking parts adding in the remaining ingredients, often saving and baking the pie the following day. It’s a great way to get in a healthy portion of greens and herbs into your diet. This pie is a perfect side dish to grilled fish or meats and it makes a great breakfast or lunch.

Our low sodium version of George’s horto-merothikopita pie recipe

Makes 1  – 12″  pie

Ingredients

1 or 2 unbaked low sodium pie crusts (depending if you want to make a covered pie or an uncovered one — we made ours “uncovered”).

Step A

1/2 cup chopped scallions

16 oz of spinach, kale, arugula mix (we used 6 oz kale, 6 oz spinach, and 4 oz arugula)

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup fresh dill

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

Step B

1 cup low sodium ricotta (or goat) cheese

3/4 cup packed green onion/scallions

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic

Optional:  top with whipped mascarpone cheese (as seen).

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F
  2. In a food processor, chop all ingredients listed in step A (scallions, spinach, kale, arugula, mint, dill and cilantro). Remove and place in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
  3. In a food processor, whip together the ingredients listed in step b (ricotta, green onion, eggs, olive oil, and garlic).
  4. Fold together and place in unbaked pie shell
  5. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.  (Place foil loosely over the top for the first 20 minutes) . Enjoy!
Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: , , , , ,

Looking for Some Low Sodium Summer Sizzle? Here’s some our favorite Grilling/BBQ Recipes

June 14, 2012 By 2 Comments
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If you’re in need a of a little extra low-sodium summer mojo, read on!

We’ve compiled a list of five of our favorite low-sodium summertime barbecue/grilling recipes. Mix up your summer grill with chicken, fish, or oysters – and compliment it with a remoulade (a tasty alternative to coleslaw) or fresh fruit salsa. We think our recipes make for a perfect summer picnic or party.  We’ve “stealthfully” tested out our recipes on our friends and neighbors, not telling them it was “low sodium”, and received comments like ” wow, this is RAD”.

Get your BBQ on!

Chicken

Cajun Chicken – Sizzling hot!  The same spices for blackened chicken can be used for grilling on the fire (instead of a cast iron pan). Mixed in advance,  our Cajun spices pack up nicely for car camping as well.  We typically serve this with a mango salsa (recipe below).

BBQ Beer Can Chicken Recipe.  Literally, this is one of our most favorite recipes. We had our neighbors over this past weekend and we barbecued separate chickens for each family.  Self-service could not not be easier – we “plated” each roasted chicken on a large carving board (the left-overs were taken home by each family) – making clean up a breeze!

Salmon

Cedar Plank Salmon with Pluot Glaze.  Grilling on a cedar plank (one time use) is another fun and easy thing to do  - that adds a lot of flavor complexity.  If it’s your first time grilling with cedar planks, you’ll want to keep in mind that the wood at the lumber yard usually is sprayed with chemicals, making it unusable for cooking.  Be sure to use wood planks that are specifically marked “for culinary use”.

This simple baked salmon recipe can be adapted for the cedar plank (instructions on how to use a cedar plank are part of the pluot recipe above)

Oysters

Freshly grilled oysters are our favorite!  Grilling oysters is a quick and easy!  We whipped up a simple ginger-citrus dipping sauce that’s pairs well with oysters.

Remoulade

Céleri Rémoulade (celeriac / celery root remoulade) makes a nice and refreshing alternative to coleslaw.

Salsas

Tantalizing Mango Salsa!  Along with our favorite fruit based salsa recipe, there’s also a link to  ”How to Pick and Cut the Best Mangoes”

Grilled Pineapple Salsa. Grilling helps to bring out and highlight the sweet flavor notes, giving us more flavor.

Filed Under: Blog, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With:

Tomatillos

May 3, 2012 By
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Chinese lanterns or edible fruit?

On our self-guided tour of the Fairview Gardens farm in Goleta California, we hiked past the squash and toward the figs when we encountered tomatillo plants. Seeing the mysterious balloons on the plant inspired the photo, and an explanation.

In the past, I had shied away from these husked morsels because I didn’t quite know what to do with them…I admit it, I feared them. Then I was introduced to tomatillos in a tamale cooking class, and I’ve been using them ever since. Sometimes it just takes an introduction to demystify an ingredient and open up a new avenue of cooking. Hopefully this post does just that.

Meet the Tomatillo (“Little Tomato” in Spanish)

Often referred to as a Mexican green tomato, the tomatillo is actually a cousin of the tomato in the nightshade family. It suits a low-sodium diet, with 0mg of sodium per half-cup serving. The intriguing part of the tomatillo is its paper-like green/brown husk, which gives it the look of a Chinese lantern. When peeled away, the fruit inside is revealed…and go figure, it looks like a light green tomato.

Although the fruit ripens to a yellow or purplish color, it is best used when green and firm. Like many crops these days, they can be available year-round, even though their primary season is from May through October.

Flavor and Uses

Tomatillos are a non-sweet fruit with a tart and earthy flavour. They are typically used in salsas, salads, and sauces. Some familiar dishes include chile verde (a delicious green chile stew) and green enchilada sauce.

Preparing Tomatillos

Tomatillos can be sliced and eaten raw, or cooked to soften and sweeten the flesh. Simply remove the husks, wash (they are slightly sticky under the husks), then slice, chop or cook according to your recipe.

Roasting Tomatillos

We prefer roasting tomatillos as a way of adding a smokier flavor to our dishes.  On the barbeque over medium heat, roast in a grill basket or directly on the grates, turning gently with tongs until blistered and soft around.  They can also be roasted under a broiler, on a stovetop comal or in a fry pan in a similar fashion.

Note: while cooking enhances the flavor and softens its skin, the cooked fruit tends to rupture and cave in. This makes for a not-so-pretty presentation. However, they’re great blended into sauces…try our deliciously low sodium chile verde recipe.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Cooking & Food Tips, Low Sodium Ingredients Tagged With: , , , , ,

Chile Verde Recipe – Green Chile Stew

May 3, 2012 By
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A Southwestern favorite with chicken and pork tenderloin. Great in a bowl or make chile verde burritos.

We’ve searched for the best chile verde in the West. Our search revealed no standard recipe for this bean-free green chili: different chefs, regions and families use different combinations of chiles and tomatillos.  The one common thread is that each and every chef (whether it’s an upscale restaurant or a home chef) takes pride in making their own “proprietary” version of chile verde.

In Southern California, mild green chiles are typically used. If you’re drawn towards the hotter realm, try New Mexico green chiles; or put your own stamp on it by using your favorites. We use mild Anaheim and medium Poblano’s, along with tomatillos in this recipe.

Notes and Substitutions:

    • Meat option: the most common meat used to make this delicious dish is pork shoulder, but we lower the fat and sodium by using a combination of chicken breast and pork tenderloin. The pork can be substituted with all chicken if desired.
    • Vegetarian option: replace meat with eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, mushrooms, hominy or other firm vegetables.
    • Serving suggestions: serve in a bowl with tortillas or bread, or make burritos with low-sodium refried beans.

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Chile Verde Recipe – Green Chile Stew

Yield: Serve 4

Chile Verde Recipe – Green Chile Stew

Ingredients

  • 6 large green chiles (4 Anaheim and 2 Poblano are used in this recipe)
  • 28 oz tomatillos (roughly 20 count)
  • 1 1/4 lbs pork tenderloin, sliced into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 1/4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon grape seed oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped for garnish
  • Fat-free sour cream (optional)

Instructions

    Prepare Chiles and Tomatillos
  1. Roast, peel and de-seed the chiles (Instructions); and
  2. Roast the tomatillos.
  3. Puree prepared chiles and tomatillos in a food processor.
    4. Prepare the Chile Verde
  4. Add oil to Dutch oven and saute onion over medium heat until translucent; stir in garlic for roughly 1 minute.
  5. Transfer onion/garlic mixture to a bowl.
  6. Brown the meat – add cubed meat to the hot Dutch oven; stir occasionally until seared on all sides (about 8 minutes).
  7. Add chile/tomatillo puree, bay leaf and oregano to the Dutch oven; add the onion and garlic back in.
  8. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
  9. Remove bay leaf and enjoy.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/05/chile-verde-recipe-green-chile-stew/

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Curry Oyster Stew (diary free), Thai Inspired.

April 18, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Travel to Southeast Asia with our curry oyster stew.  Hints of lemongrass and vanilla will stir your sense of pleasure (on your DIY vacation).

Non Dairy Curry Oyster Stew

Occasionally with food blogging, as with life, things don’t go as planned. Despite our best efforts to plan, life can go awry. We get busy.  We get hungry. We eat the samples that we earmark for recipe creation…

Last year, (when blogging about a road trip up to Northern California) by the time I had reached home to Los Angeles, I had eaten the oysters that I had (in my mind) designated to use for my Grilled Oyster Recipe & Citrus-Ginger Dipping Sauce Recipe . Thankfully, having bought the oysters and paid for the road trip entirely out of my own pocket, I actually didn’t feel too bad about having eaten my recipe testing ingredients – they were pretty tasty.  My loss was someone else’s gain. And sometimes, we just have to laugh at ourselves.

Enter Whole Foods. We live directly down the street from Whole Foods – literally and geographically, they are situated at our first traffic light.  The Whole Foods folks are great “go to” resources;  their arms held wide open, ready and willing to help out a damsel in distress.  It was in this pinch that we first came across Carlsbad Aquafarms and Luna oysters – it was completely by accident.  We have been eating Carlsbad Aquafarms’ Luna oysters ever since.

Now when we go to Whole Foods, or to the Santa Monica or Hollywood Farmer’s markets and we see the Carlsbad Aquafarm’s booth, we get excited, and we buy more oysters.  Call it an aphrodisiac, call it umami, call it a love affair with a tasty low sodium ingredient – whatever you want to call it, oysters satisfy our craving.

We created this recipe as our way of saying “thank you” to Carlsbad Aquafarm, Inc. for giving us a personal tour!  You can read more about our tour here  (they’re not open to the public).

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Curry Oyster Stew Recipe (low sodium, dairy free)

Curry Oyster Stew Recipe (low sodium, dairy free)

Ingredients

  • 2 Potatoes, washed, peeled, and cubed
  • 1/6 cup Celery Root/celeriac, shredded (roughly 1/3 cup lightly packed)
  • 1 1/3 cup (roughly 2) Leek, chopped
  • 2" Lemongrass stalk. cleaned and finely grated. Click here for directions on how to clean lemongrass
  • 3 Tablespoons Grape Seed Oil*
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cumin, ground
  • 1/2 teaspoon Pasilla chile, ground
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Curry powder
  • 2 dozen shucked and cleaned fresh Luna oysters***
  • 1/2 teaspoon (fresh) Ginger, finely grated**
  • 2 Tablespoons Potato Starch
  • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 cups low-sodium Chicken Stock
  • 2 cups low-sodium Vanilla Rice Milk
  • *note: chicken broth can be used as a substitute when sauteing
  • ** If you use a shelf stable ginger, this may contain citric acid, which may cause the stew to curdle slightly. We suggest using freshly finely grated ginger.
  • Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro, diced tomato, chopped green onion/scallion

Instructions

  1. On medium-high heat, saute cubed potatoes, celery root, chopped leek, finely grated lemon grass stalk in grape seed oil (or extra chicken broth) until the leek becomes tender. Turn down the heat (to medium).
  2. Add cumin, chile, curry, ginger, potato starch and olive oil to the vegetable mix. Stir out the "spice lumps", taking care not to burn the spices.
  3. Add the oysters, chicken stock, and vanilla rice milk. Increase heat, and bring to gentle boil. Once the stew has thickened, remove from heat, garnish and serve.

Notes

***Oysters: if you can't locate Luna oysters, you can use roughly 2, 16 oz cans of packaged, "fresh" oysters.

http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/04/curry-oyster-stew-recipe/

 

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: ,

Pecan Crusted Cajun Oysters

April 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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How can you possibly go wrong with a spicy and delicious  pecan “breading”?

Mix the spices with “breading”, gently roll the oysters, and pan saute.  It’s really that easy!

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Cajun Pecan Breaded Oyster Recipe (Low Sodium)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 2 dozen oysters

Cajun Pecan Breaded Oyster Recipe (Low Sodium)

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup pecan pieces
  • 1/2 cup [white] flour
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure unsalted mild red chili powder
  • Pinch of cayenne * (optional depending on your heat tolerance)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 dozen oysters - shucked and drained
  • Cooking oil (amount used will depend upon the size of your pan).

Instructions

  1. To make the breading, place the pecans into the food processor. Grind the pecan pieces into a fine [dry] powder. Add the flour and spices, and mix together to create a dry mix and place in a [breading] tray.
  2. Gently roll each [shucked, cleaned, and drained] oyster in the breading. (Oysters are somewhat delicate).
  3. Heat the oil in the pan (use enough oil to cover the entire bottom of the pan).
  4. Place the breaded oyster into the heated oil/pan. Saute on each side of the oyster for approximately 1 to 2 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown. (Note: overcrowding oysters in the pan will make it difficult to saute them properly without affecting the integrity of the breading).
  5. Remove from pan and serve immediately.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/04/pecan-crusted-cajun-oysters-recipe/

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Celery Root (Celeriac and Radicchio) Remoulade Recipe

April 6, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Traditional céleri rémoulade makes a wonderful stand-alone side salad or a delicious condiment, but if you’re not French or haven’t eaten céleri rémoulade before, you’re probably not the only person scratching your head thinking to yourself, “Uhh…celery, rey-moo-what?  I can’t even pronounce it, let alone eat it.” (uncomfortable pause) “uh..rey-moo-what?”  

Céleri rémoulade: it’s a staple salad or side dish to many, many French meals.  I try to think of céleri rémoulade this way: it looks like coleslaw, it’s much more flavorful (think concentrated celery-parsley mix), and it’s texture is more delicate because it’s made with baby celery root and not cabbage (as with coleslaw).

Inspired by an appreciation for celery root (or celeriac) – we got down to work converting a classic French favorite (ties in with the French Acadians and our current Cajun food theme). Our simple masterpiece is tossed in an olive oil version of “Dijon-aise”, a dash of little lemon juice, white wine (or champagne) vinegar, and viola, céleri rémoulade!

To further reduce the sodium content (and to add an element of color), we’ve added a twist to an otherwise ubiquitous, classic French salad by using radicchio as a complimentary vegetable.  Additionally, we’ve lightened the calorie and sodium load by substituting olive oil (for mayonnaise). In doing so, some might call our “new recipe” a mélange rather than a remoulade; others might think we’ve just committed a crime by veering away from traditional French food.

My céleri rémoulade recipe tips are:

  • Choose your celery root wisely, grasshopper!  (Read our blog post here on celery root selection tips ). Choosing the right celery root affects the taste, texture, and ease in which you will be working with (and not fighting against) this root vegetable. Inadvertently reaching for the wrong celery root may result in an undesirable texture and flavor of the finished product.
  • This dish is best eaten FRESH (same day).   We’ve noted that having made modifications to this recipe (to make it more healthy) shortens its’ overall lifespan just a little.
  • You don’t have to make a ton of céleri rémoulade — often we’ll make just enough (not the full recipe) to use “on demand”; when we scale the size (downwards).  Mix the dressing in a separate container, ad hoc: start with an olive oil base, and then add in each ingredient one at time (moving down the list in sequential order).  Taste as you go along  (in case you have to adjust the flavor balance).  It’s easy to do this when there are only seven or eight ingredients. Even if you end up with more liquid than you want, you don’t have to add it all to the shredded mix.  Add the dressing slowly in small increments, gently tossing the salad mix – until you’ve reached the desired texture.  (It’s okay to discard extra dressing, but it’s not so great if you’ve inadvertently over saturated your small batch of remoulade.)

Bon appétit!

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Celery Root Remoulade Recipe (Céleri Rémoulade/Celeriac - low sodium)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 8 - 10 cups

Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Celery Root Remoulade Recipe (Céleri Rémoulade/Celeriac - low sodium)

Ingredients

  • 2 small celeriac (celery root "bulbs", in aggregate, roughly 1 lb)
  • 1/2 small head radicchio, uncooked (it's also good grilled, but you should grill it before slicing it)
  • 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil based (low sodium) mayonnaise (note: mayo can be substituted for crème fraiche or an egg yolk).
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons (sodium free) grainy or Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar** *(we used Champagne vinegar, it's what we had on hand)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • Dash of finely grated white pepper

Instructions

  1. Wash, peel and shred the celery root (a box grater works wonders if you don't have a food grinder/food processor). Thinly slice the radicchio into ribbons (i.e., cut into a fine chiffonade).
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk olive oil, mayonnaise, mustard, white wine vinegar, pepper, and lemon juice.
  3. Toss together, and refrigerate before serving. The salad should keep for a couple of days in the fridge (remember, there's mayo in this).
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/04/celery-root-celeriac-radicchio-remoulade-recipe-celeri/

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

Craving Cajun? Taste our Louisiana Gumbo with Fish and Okra

March 8, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Make a gumbo that’s healthy and flavorful – Yes, it can be done.

When I think of Louisiana, I think of jambalaya, crawfish, blackened anything, and gumbo – Louisiana’s most revered soup. Acadian families in Cajun country cook gumbo with recipes that typically include one of three thickeners: roux, okra or file’ (ground sassafras leaves). These ingredients and “holy trinity” (diced onion, green peppers and celery together), are distinctive characteristics of gumbo.

Most gumbo dishes include seafood, chicken and/or sausage, but they can also be vegetarian. We’ve created a recipe with Pacific cod and low-sodium vegetable stock, easily adaptable to a vegan-friendly meal. If you’re not a fish person, replace the fish with chicken for a delicious chicken gumbo. Either way, the end result is a nutritious, delicious, low-sodium and low-fat gumbo meal.

Traditionally, cooking gumbo starts by creating a roux, then adding vegetables, and so on. However, the roux (thickening agent of flour and fat/liquid – we used broth) can easily be burned this way. It’s also difficult to gauge the thickening effect of the okra, especially for those of us who don’t have an experienced gumbo aficionado in the kitchen to guide us.

So when embarking on this gumbo project, I consulted with Johanna, who’s quite experienced with roux and French cooking. She advised me to break the tradition and add the flour/roux later in the process. And so I did, with great results. Our gumbo had a flavorful broth with a tad of heat and hearty yet succulent pieces of cod and okra. We scooped it over rice and couldn’t stop going back for more.

Adding the flour near the end of cooking allows you to thicken the soup to your desired consistency. If you prefer a gluten-free gumbo or find that it’s a perfect consistency for you without it, simply skip Step 4 and don’t add the roux.

This recipe is fairly simple to make. I’d suggest combining the spices, chopping and assembling all of the ingredients in advance to efficiently follow the cooking steps. Preparing the vegetables and measuring out the spices takes about 4o minutes. Cooking time is about 1 hour, a half-hour of which requires only occasional stirring.

Serving suggestions: serve over rice and/or with French bread.

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Gumbo with Fish and Okra

Yield: Serves 6

Gumbo with Fish and Okra

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Tablespoon Paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure unsalted mild red chili powder
  • Pinch of cayenne * (optional depending on your heat tolerance)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cups diced onions
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • 1 cup diced green bell pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • ¾ pound okra, sliced into ½-inch pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 quarts low-sodium vegetable stock (or low-sodium chicken stock)
  • 1 16 oz can of stewed tomatoes, drained
  • 1/8 teaspoon lime juice
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 ½ pounds of Pacific Cod or other firm whitefish, sliced into 1-2 inch cubes
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • ½ cup green onions, sliced

Instructions

  1. In a Dutch oven or similar pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, celery, green pepper, garlic and sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  2. Stir in the dry spices. Add Okra, basil, thyme and bay leaves. Stir frequently for 4-5 minutes until onions are translucent.
  3. Add vegetable stock, stewed tomatoes and lime juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Make the roux for thickening (optional). Using a separate saucepan over medium heat: (a) Scoop 2 ladles of your gumbo broth into the saucepan; (b) whisk in 1 Tablespoon of flour until blended in; (c) transfer the roux back into the gumbo and stir for 2-3 minutes; (d) if a thicker soup is desired, repeat the process. If thinner, add broth or water.
  5. Add cubed fish, green onion and parsley to gumbo and cook 5 minutes or until fish is white and flaky. Serve and enjoy.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/03/cajun-gumbo-fish-okra/

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Turkey-Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Simple to make and DASH (low salt) diet friendly, our hearty turkey meatballs are infused with cinnamon and finely minced onion. Grab a toothpick and dip one into our sweet and zippy mango sauce and experience a filling, colorful bouquet of flavors. These meatballs make a tasty low-fat appetizer, perfect for parties and entertaining.

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Turkey-Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce (low sodium)

Turkey-Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • Spicy Mango Sauce
  • 1 Mango or 1/2 lb pre-cut mango slices. (Fresh, ripe mango preferred. Learn how to pick, ripen & prepare.)
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2-4 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • Dash cayenne pepper to taste
  •  
  • Turkey Meatballs
  • 1 lb  ground turkey breast (lean)
  • ½ cup red onion, finely minced
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
  • 2 Tablespoons cooking oil (we recommend grape seed or canola oils)

Instructions

  1. Sweet & Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce
  2. Peel, de-seed and slice mango;
  3. Place sliced mango, orange juice, rice vinegar in a blender and puree;
  4. Add brown sugar to taste and blend (the riper the mango, the less sugar needed);
  5. Sprinkle cayenne to taste and blend ( we used 1/8 teaspoon and it was quite hot);
  6. Refrigerate in a bowl until serving time.
  7.  
  8. Turkey Meatballs
  9. In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, minced onion, and cinnamon. Mix well and roll into 1-inch balls;
  10. In a non-stick pan, heat the cooking oil over medium heat. Sauté the turkey balls, turning until cooked through (the center should not be “pink”).  This takes approximately 8 minutes, but the time depends upon the heat of your stove, size of your pan, etc.;
  11. Serve with mango dipping sauce.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/01/turkey-meatball-appetizer-sweet-spicy-mango-sauce-recipe/

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Recipes, Low Sodium Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,
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