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5 Easy & Tasty Low-Sodium Recipes For Mother’s Day

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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If you happen to find yourself scrambling for a little low-sodium recipe inspiration for Mother’s Day, we have a handful of easy, super tasty ideas for you:

Bellini’s (non-alcoholic) make a brilliant and tasty refreshment for any Mother’s Day brunch.

Pain perdu – French toast is a soul-soothing and simple breakfast to make. Dress it up with fresh fruit to create a colorful platter.

Orange-Vanilla, Cranberry and Pecan Granola (or Granola Bars). Homemade granola is not only great for breakfast, it’s a lasting gift: mom can snack on it all week. And, it’s easier to make than you might think.

Break out the waffle iron for apple-cinnamon waffles. A delicate crunchy exterior leads to a soft, comforting pillow of goodness inside. Our recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and simply scrumptious.

Israeli Couscous with Roasted Vegetables - chewy, light and healthy, make your mom couscous “pearls” for brunch.

What are you making for Mother’s Day? Share below.

Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Come, join the fun! Enter to win one of 25 fun prizes in our “Birthday Giveaway”!

 

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Super Bowl Party Appetizers —Low Sodium & Tasty

January 31, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Three healthy, hearty, tasty appetizers and a drink for your Game Day party.

In mid-January we start feeling the excitement brewing over America’s winter party day – Super Bowl Sunday!  An American day of decadence, just thinking of game day conjures up images of guttural high-fives, male bonding, and a smorgasbord of salty, fatty finger foods and dips. In fact, the last time I looked at the Super Bowl web site, it was peppered with advertisements for hot wings and heartburn drugs…no kidding.

Many fans anticipate eating naughty, and all bets are off for health-conscious snacking. But, we’ve created three fun low-sodium appetizers that the guys and girls will gobble up: turkey-cinnamon meatballs with sweet & spicy mango sauce, toasted mixed nuts with a quick cinnamon brown sugar variation, and our Mango Salsa. Pair these up with a Bellini and enjoy the festivities.

 

Turkey Cinnamon Meatballs with Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce

Infused with cinnamon and finely minced onion, our flavorful lean turkey meatballs are delightfully complimented by the sweet heat of our simple mango dipping sauce.

 

Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – with Optional Cinnamon and Brown Sugar Coating 

Five minutes to pan toast crispy rich nuts. Toss them in cinnamon and brown sugar for a sweet treat.

 

Mango Salsa

Mango salsa pairs well with tortilla chips and adds a fresh, delicious flavor to chicken or fish.

 

Bellini’s

Make a deliciously cheerful refreshment  for the whole family — non-alcoholic or a variation with sparkling wine.

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Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – “Naked” or with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar

January 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Toasting nuts is quick and easy. Five minutes is all it takes to transform raw nuts into crisp, warm, irresistible morsels. When toasted, pecans develop a buttery, smoky flavor. Walnuts develop deeper sweetness and a rich, nutty flavor.

We like to keep bags of raw nuts in the pantry for impromptu toasting and healthy snacking. And, they’re simply fantastic for entertaining and cleansing the palette between sweet and savory food bites. These toasted nuts are also delightful in salads and desserts, or sprinkled with seasonings. We’ve included an option for a sweet treat: cinnamon and brown sugar coated nuts. There’s plenty of opportunity to get creative.

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Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – “Naked” or with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar (low sodium)

Toasted Pecans & Walnuts – “Naked” or with Cinnamon & Brown Sugar (low sodium)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pecan halves
  • 1 cup walnut halves
  •  :
  • Optional for Cinnamon Brown Sugar Toasted Nuts
  • Olive oil spray (or other oil spray)
  • 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Directions For Toasting "Naked"
  2. Place nuts in nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat;
  3. Stir frequently for 3-5 minutes until pecans deepen in color and a nutty scent develops (keep an eye on them to prevent burning);
  4. Transfer immediately to serving bowl (nuts will continue to cook and could burn if left in the hot pan).
  5.  
  6. For Cinnamon Brown Sugar Toasted Nuts
  7. Follow steps above
  8. In the bowl, spray nuts with oil, lightly coating;
  9. Add cinnamon, brown sugar and mix until nuts are coated around;
  10. Let cool and serve.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/01/toasted-pecans-walnuts-naked-or-with-cinnamon-brown-sugar/

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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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