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Potato and Green Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto* Recipe

November 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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*Adapted from Micahel Natkin’s Herbivoracious. Read our review here

We promised Michael that we would share some of our low-sodium secrets (and indicate exactly where we had made modifications to his original recipe) – essentially, show step-by-step how we converted his recipe into a low sodium one.

As such, we’ve listed Michael’s original ingredients and steps below. Strikethrough font indicates the ingredients/steps we’ve omitted; ingredients/steps we’ve added or changed are noted by an asterisk (*), in some cases we’ve included additional notes (below).

Thanks Michael for graciously allowing us to re-print and modify your delicious recipe.

Happy Meatless Monday everyone!

“This potato salad will really grab attention on a buffet table.  The arugula pesto is a bright emerald green that holds its color much better than basil-based pesto.  You should still make the sauce as close to serving time as possible because the fresh flavors begin to dissipate, emphasizing the bitter aspect of the arugula. The mint adds a subtle bright note that makes all the difference.”  – Michael Natkin

Low Sodium Potato and Green Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto Recipe

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE VEGETABLES

1 pound small, waxy potatoes, such as red-skinned (* approx.. 6 medium sized potatoes)

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (* – see note 1)
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and halved (*approx. 2 cups)

 

FOR THE ARUGULA PESTO

2 ounces baby arugula (about 3 cups loosely packed leaves)

¼ cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 or 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped (use a larger amount if you are a garlic lover)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 ounce Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup) (* – see note 2)


TO COMPLETE THE SALAD

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup toasted walnut pieces (optional)

Recipe Modification Notes:

(1)    We omitted the salt from the boiling water (potatoes) and substituted it with fresh lemon juice.  The fresh lemon juice, in addition to being nearly sodium free, helps to keep the potato skins tight during cooking.

(2)    Arugula pesto – we omitted the ¼ teaspoon kosher salt entirely, and we held back on integrating the 1 oz Grana Padano/Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese, and instead chose to sprinkle it on top (sparingly), afterwards.   This allowed us to control the flavor and the amount of sodium. Depending upon how “low sodium” we’re targeting – cheese can be a hidden source of sodium.  The USDA nutrient database lists the average Parmesan cheese @ 454 mg/sodium per 1 oz.  (individual brands’ sodium content can significantly vary from the normative value, so can sometimes be a tricky food and one to keep an eye out for.)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. For the vegetables:  Places the potatoes in a large pot of cold water with the salt *with the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer.  When the potatoes are fork-tender,10 to 15 minutes (depending on size) transfer them to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Add the green beans to the water and boil for 1 2/1 minutes.  Transfer the green beans to a separate bowl.  Rinse both vegetables in cold water until cool; drain well.  Cut the potatoes in half if they are much larger than bite-size.  Set aside.
  2. For the arugula pesto:  Combine the arugula, mint, olive oil, and garlic, salt, and cheese in a mini food processor.  Process until the mixture forms a fairly smooth paste with some texture left.  Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender, or a regular blender if you make a double batch.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  3. To complete the salad:  Toss the potatoes and green beans with the arugula pesto, several grinds of black pepper, and the walnut pieces, if using.  Taste, *sprinkle the cheese on sparingly, and add more salt *pepper if needed, and serve.

 

 

Disclosure(s) – re: FTC compliance purposes: OXO provided the salad spinner. I am demo-ing their blogger outreach program and received the salad spinner as part of our participation in their program (we have to disclose this, despite the fact that I already purchased/owned an OXO salad spinner before we started with the blogger outreach program).  Additionally, Michael Natkin generously provided us (and all of the other attendees at the book launch party) with a copy of his book for review purposes.

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Potato and Celery Root Latkes

October 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Holiday eating to me translates into “sometimes, but not every day, comfort foods”.   So yes – our low sodium latkes are fried (its’ a rarity on our blog so I’m not going to feel too guilty). I used these tasty little morsels as a base for our October Unprocessed, gluten free eggs benedict.

You can find our gluten free mock hollandaise recipe on Andrew’s site, or you can read more about celery root on our site .

Without further ado, here’s the recipe: (sorry, I don’t know why the plug in wasn’t working)
Ingredients

4 cups Russet (or Yukon gold) potatoes, shredded (large sized shreds)

1 cup celery root, shredded (large sized shreds)

1 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

1 /2 cup rice flour

1 teaspoon white pepper, ground

1 egg, beaten*

1/3 cup water

Cooking oil (for frying)

*depending upon how much moisture you wring out of the potato/celery root, you may need or want to add an additional egg to the mixture.  The consistency of these will vary depending upon the water content.  If your mix is too runny, add more rice flour (incrementally).

Directions

1.  Remove excess water from shredded potato and celery root by placing them between two layers of cloth (cheesecloth, strong paper towel, or clean tea towels), roll (like a cinnamon bun) and then wring out excess moisture. Place the (less moist) potato and celery root shreds into a medium sized mixing bowl.  Add chopped chives.  Mix evenly.

2.  In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flower and white pepper together, ensuring even distribution of the pepper/flour. Stir in the water, 1 egg, and chives (i.e., no large clumps).  (The consistency that you’re looking for is a cross between a thicker-type pancake mix meets hash brown patties.) Combine with the potato, celery root shreds (and chives) and mix evenly.

3.  Form into small “patties”, roughly 2-3” across (and no thicker than ¾” – 1” high. I use a small measuring cup, pack the latke mixture into it; dumping the cup’s contents directly into the heated skillet.)

4.  In a medium or large sized skillet, add adequate cooking oil (the kind that has a high smoke point) until the bottom of the skillet is covered (approximately ¼” high).  Bring the temperature of the skillet/oil to high/moderately high.

5.  I always test the oil temperature prior to frying latkes (test should sizzle and brown quickly, use a tiny amount of the latke recipe or a 1” cube of bread).  Keep in mind that heating your oil to the correct temperature will make a difference in the final product – and is the difference between biting into a soggy mess one versus a perfect latke (meaning, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside). Keep additional (unheated) cooking oil on hand, as making latkes process tends to use a fair amount of oil.

6.  Also keep in mind that the oil loses temperature as you cook through successive batches of latkes, so it is important to  ensure that you keep checking the oil temperature and volume (in the pan) to make sure that the oil temperature is correct before you start the next batch of latkes.

7.  Drop the latke batter into the hot oil, and reduce heat to moderate.  Cook until the underside has turned golden brown.  Turn the latkes over, and cook the other side until evenly cooked.  Transfer to cooling rack/warming oven to until ready to serve.  (Add more oil and bring to temperature as required).

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Greek Salad With Marinated Tofu “Feta”

August 20, 2012 By 4 Comments
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Today’s low sodium vegan Greek Salad recipe recipe was inspired by our friend Nancy Eisman.

Nancy writes a vegetarian blog which can be found @ Adventures with Nancy Rose.   By day, she supports the marketing efforts at Melissa’s / World Variety Produce Inc.   A couple of months ago, when we asked Nancy if she would lend us a hand with our Greek Food Festival, she immediately volunteered her Big Fat Greek Salad Recipe (which ingeniously uses tofu as a feta replacement).  We’ve since made a few tweaks to make her version of vegetarian Greek Salad “low sodium”, and we hope you will enjoy.

In Nancy’s own words:

Over the past several years, I have noticed that more and more people within my circle of friends have adopted dishes typically found in a Mediterranean-based diet. Collectively, we aim to embrace a tasty and healthier lifestyle. Greek food, in particular, is so delicious and is right up my vegetarian diet alley — especially with the Greek foods’ emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, healthy grains, and olive oil. Greek food standards like tzatziki, stuffed grape leaves (try bulger, dried apricots, and pine nuts), spanakopita, and moussaka (meatless and you won’t miss the meat, I promise) are already vegetarian or easily tweaked.

While the classic Greek Salad also fits my vegetarian profile, it doesn’t quite fit my vegan aspirations and it definitely doesn’t fit low-sodium requirements due to the high salt content of feta cheese and kalamata olives. So in my [original] recipe, I’ve taken extra firm tofu, cut it into cubes, and let it swim in a Greek-flavored marinade to replace the feta. Because I love kalamatas so much, and they are not as easy to replace, I recommend just cutting back on these (think of them less of an ingredient and more as a garnish). I hope you enjoy this lower-sodium, vegan version of Greek Salad.

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Greek Salad With Marinated Tofu “Feta” (Low Sodium)

Yield: Serves 2

Greek Salad With Marinated Tofu “Feta” (Low Sodium)

Ingredients

    Tofu Marinade & Salad Dressing
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
  • 1 teaspoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 brick of extra firm tofu (7.5 oz), sliced into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • Salad
  • 4 cups chopped romaine or mixed greens
  • 3 Roma tomatoes
  • ½ eggplant, cut into ½ inch thick slices
  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 Persian cucumbers, thickly sliced, cut in half
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Instructions

    Marinade
  1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Toss-in the tofu cubes, cover and refrigerate for 4+ hours. We marinated ours for 2 days and they were delectable.
  2. Remove from the refrigerator about a half-hour before preparation to soften the olive oil.
    3. Grilled Tomatoes & Eggplant
  3. Spray or brush cooking oil onto both sides of the eggplant slices.
  4. Place eggplant and whole tomatoes on heated grill (medium-high heat) and cover.
  5. Cook for 3 minutes. Flip eggplant slices and roll tomatoes ¼ turn. Cook for 3 more minutes and remove eggplant.
  6. Complete two more 3-minute rotations of the tomatoes. Remove and let cool.
  7. Slice eggplant into ½ inch cubes; peel skins from the tomatoes and slice ½ inch thick.
    8. Assemble
  8. Place the salad ingredients, tomato and eggplant into a large bowl. Add the tofu cubes, all of the marinade, lemon zest and red wine vinegar. Toss and enjoy.
http://lowsodiumblog.com/2012/08/greek-salad-with-marinated-tofu-feta/

 

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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!
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Stuffed Eggplant Braised in Olive Oil, Onion, Garlic and Tomatoes (Imam bayildi) Recipe

July 29, 2012 By 1 Comment
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Imam bayildi is a traditional Mediterranean dish, most notably served in Turkey.  With the advent of global food migration, it can also be found in Greece — but in Greece, the stuffed eggplant dish is often served warm (as opposed to being served at room temperature in Turkey).  This is one of my favorite “comfort food” dishes (and its vegetarian).

You can find our guest post and low sodium recipe over on Sue’s blog, Please Don’t Pass the Salt :)

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Asparagus – An Enchanting Low Sodium Ingredient

June 15, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Asparagus is a tremendously versatile vegetable. Whether smothered in our nearly guilt free  velvety mock hollandaise, pureed in soup, or sliced in a simple salad, the possibilities are deliciously endless. But there’s more to it than the end product. Here, we look at nutritional facts, how it grows, three varieties, how to choose and store it.

Asparagus Nutritional Facts
• 5mg of sodium and 310mg of potassium per cup (180g).
• 88.2mg of phosphorus and 5.3 grams of protein per cup (180g).
• Each spear contains only 4 calories, plus, asparagus is a good source of folic acid, fiber and vitamins.

Growing Asparagus
One of the more enchanting things about asparagus is the way it grows. A crown planted about a foot deep sends spears up for harvest. In the cooler early spring, it may take 4-5 days between harvests. As the days and nights get warmer, a spear can grow as fast as 10 inches per day. If the spears aren’t picked, they become woody and grow out into ferns – hence, asparagus fern.

Asparagus Colors: Green, White & Purple
The most common type of asparagus is the green variety. However, white asparagus is very popular in Europe, where it’s known as “the royal vegetable.” Though less bitter and more tender, it’s the same botanical variety as green. So how does it grow white? By “blanching” – manually covering the spears with a mound of dirt. This deprives the plant of sunlight, preventing photosynthesis and the production of chlorophyll, producing white spears. I can only imagine what a pain-staking job this is. But, the added labor explains why white asparagus is more expensive.

Purple asparagus, or Violetto d’Albenga, was originally developed in Albenga Italy. With higher sugar content and less fiber than green, purple asparagus makes a great accent in salads and is my personal favorite. The purple color is retained during brief cooking, but keep in mind that if you cook it too long, it will turn green

Selecting, Preparing & Storing Asparagus
Spears are best when straight, firm, vibrant green and the tips tightly closed. Dull green and/or limp looking spears are aged. Thicker spears may have a fibrous layer of skin at the base. Rather than cutting the section off, the skin can be peeled for more tenderness and quicker cooking. White asparagus tends to have fibrous skin, so it’s most delectable when gently peeled prior to cooking. Peel from just below the head, down to the stem.

Asparagus is best used within two to three days of purchase. With a higher respiration rate than many vegetables, it can lose water content and wilt more quickly. For proper storage, clip about a ¼-inch off the bottoms and place in an upright container, stems submersed in one to two inches of water. Or, wrap the stems in a moist paper towel and store in a plastic bag.

When you’re ready to indulge, try steamed asparagus with our fabulous and nearly guilt free low-sodium, no egg yolk (and olive oil based) velvety mock hollandaise sauce .

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Laughing about Low Sodium Vegetable Gardening

May 8, 2012 By 3 Comments
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Our cart after the first two minutes

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

For many of us, early May is an opportune time to plant our summer garden. We headed out to our local gardening center to pick out our seedlings, and while there, we stumbled upon an interesting, and somewhat humorous, family gardening dynamic.  Meet the planner and the gardener (the “doer”).

When it comes to gardening in our family, I am the planner. The planner basically tags along throughout the whole gardening process. We “invite” ourselves to be included in the seedling selection. Once at the nursery, we are inspired by all of the choice.  The little seedlings call our name and say, “Take me home. I’ll blossom, smell great, create oxygen, help you lighten your carbon footprint, and at the end of the season, I’ll deliver a cornucopia of vegetables that you can eat”.   It’s so easy to get tempted and grab twenty or thirty new plants — all the while, envisioning the most local source-to-table meals throughout the summer.  You can usually spot the planners from a distance: we grab seedlings off the shelves and can pack the cart full in less than 5 minutes flat.  Occasionally throughout the growing season, we might help plant, water, and weed (mostly on fair weather days) – primarily, we are the ones with “the vision”.

In stark contrast, the “gardener” follows a somewhat different approach. At the seedling selection, the gardeners silently stand by.  They watch, partly in shock and partly in horror, at how quickly the planners fill the cart. They calculate how much time, effort, and plot size all of the seedlings are going to need throughout the growing season.  The calculation process takes up much of their initial focus, as new plants are added to the cart every minute, changing the previously calculated requirements. Typically, the first time that gardeners provide collaborative input is after they’ve realized that the planners have overloaded the plant wagon.

Jeff is the gardener: he plants, waters, weeds, and watches our garden with near hawk-like precision. He makes sure that the timers are always working, and replaces parts on the drip or sprinkler system when things break down.  When we get bug infestations, he figures out the least invasive way how to deal with them – solutions like sprinkling ladybugs (they eat aphids) in the garden at late night so that they don’t fly away. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that without the gardener, there would be no actual garden.

The irony about gardening is that it’s supposed to be about getting in touch with our roots and nature; it’s supposed to represent collaboration.  In the early pioneering settlement days, farmers and neighbors alike would help each other out during the planting and harvesting seasons.  One would think that gardening would be a serene experience, getting back to nature and all, but our recent trip to the gardening center revealed a lot more about families than we had expected. Instead, we witnessed a lot of animated exchanges going on around us: couples, parents, and children, voicing their differences in gardening approaches and plant selections – a philosophical duel between the planners and the gardeners. Its’ a subtle family dynamic, but if you have an opportunity, take a step back and observe for a minute or two.  We did.  The funniest things in life are when you see yourself in other people – people that you don’t even know. Laugh and the world laughs with you.  Pick the plants and be prepared to pitch in. And most importantly, try not to let gardening become a source of contention (apparently, gardening can cause many disagreements, just Google it).

In the spirit of sharing, here’s a list of what’s in our vegetable garden (don’t worry, Jeff didn’t plant them all by himself and we had some left over from prior years) :

  • Basil
  • Chile pepper plants (mix of ancho poblano and jalapeno peppers)
  • Chives
  • Epazote
  • Eggplant
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Galangal
  • Grapes (Cabernet)
  • Grapefruit (still in development)
  • Lavender (edible variety)
  • Lemongrass
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Lime
  • Mint (chocolate, Moroccan, peppermint)
  • Oregano
  • Radicchio
  • Rosemary (we have what my mom has nicknamed the $3000 rosemary plant, due to its maturity/size)
  • Sage
  • Squash/zucchini
  • Strawberries
  • Thyme
  • Tomatoes (Roma, heirloom, etc.)
  • Yuzu

Happy Planting!

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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.

 

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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.

Print
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/

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Okra – Low Sodium Ingredient

March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Ever wonder about okra? Learn about this intriguing low-sodium fruit.

I first took notice of okra in an Indian dish. The star-like shape of its slices winked at me through the mélange of vegetables. It looks neat, tastes great, and for some reason, I get a healthy feeling when I eat it. To quell my okra cravings, I normally sauté it with onions, tomatoes and seasonings that jump out at me in the moment.

Not until our trip to Louisiana did I really get familiar with the “lady’s finger,” or “gumbo,” as okra is also known as. What really piqued my interest was seeing a giant okra pod. Measuring over six inches, the pod pictured forced me to do a double-take in amazement, and learn more.

Photo taken at Vermilionville, an Acadian and Creole  living history museum in Lafayette, LA.

West Africa is the fruit’s origin, though some believe it is from South Asia. Regardless, okra arrived in the Gulf States of the U.S. in the 1700s and quickly began influencing regional cooking. In fact, Louisiana’s premiere soup, seafood gumbo, gets its name from okra, one of its key ingredients.

Okra plants are related to cotton, cocoa and hibiscus. While the leaves are edible, the prize is the seed pod. We love that the sodium content is a mere 10mg per cup (160g), with 216mg of potassium. We also appreciate that okra is cultivated in many regions of the world, lending to a variety of ethnic flavors and styles of preparation to choose from.

What makes okra desirable to some and less so to others is the gluey character it develops when cooked. This soluble fiber serves as a thickening agent for soups like gumbo. For other types of dishes, a few methods can help avoid the gluey texture: keeping the pods whole, a quick stir-fry, or cooking with an acidic ingredient like lemon juice or vinegar.

Some examples of the global reach of okra include Mediterranean stews, Haitian rice dishes and Brazilian chicken with okra (Frango com quiabo). Asian variations include crispy Japanese tempura, Vietnamese Canh chua, a sour soup indigenous to the Mekong Delta region, or chopped and sautéed with aromatic Indian spices. The possibilities are virtually endless for this intriguing low-sodium ingredient.

Hungry? Try our sumptuous Louisiana gumbo recipe.

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