Fresh Salsa

Want a healthy game-day snack or appetizer? This Fresh Salsa is what you are looking for! When trying to eat healthy, fresh foods are a must. They have less sodium, less fat, and more nutrients. This doesn't mean that you have to give up any flavor, quite the opposite! Fresh foods provide more flavor and you can definitely taste the difference.

I made this salsa to give me a low-salt alternative to restaurant or jarred salsa. Try it the next time you have company or you are watching the big game!

Ingredients:
6 Plum tomatoes (4 cut into quarters and 2 diced)
3 TBLS chopped cilantro (save a little for garnishing)
1/4 white onion, diced
4 jalapeños, diced with seeds removed
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Kosher salt

Makes eight 1/4 cup servings with 60 mg of sodium per serving!

Directions:
First, take 4 of the tomatoes and cut into quarters. These will be the base of the salsa. Dice the remaining pieces based on how chunky you like your salsa. If you like it chunky, do a rough dice. If you like it smooth, dice it finely.

Next, dice the onion and jalapeños. Remember to take the seeds out of the jalapeños so it isn't too spicy.

In a processor, place the quartered tomatoes, onions, jalapeños and grind until smooth. Add the salt, chopped cilantro, sugar, and diced tomatoes. (If you are making this in the summer with fresh tomatoes, they will be sweeter and you shouldn't need sugar.) Process again for about 10-30 seconds until the salsa is the consistency that you want. I like mine with a nice liquid base and chunks of tomato and cilantro scattered within.

Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with a little cilantro.

 

Serve with your favorite chips! Refrigerate any leftovers, as this is even better the next day!

 

Turkey Tetrazzini

 

This is a perfect dish for left-over Turkey (or chicken). Traditional tetrazzini recipes use canned soups, lots of cheese, and regular chicken stock. This makes the sodium content add up. My recipe makes 8 heaping servings at 495 mg of sodium per serving. So, you can add this to your "Meals under 500 mg sodium" collection and feel good about eating it.

Ingredients:
6 cups water
8 oz (about 1/2 box) linguine
16 oz mushrooms sliced
1 large bell pepper, diced (I used yellow, here)
1 medium onion, diced
5 cups cooked Turkey, shredded (mine was 394 mg sodium per cup)
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
2 TBLS butter
2 TBLS AP flour
6 TBLS shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 slices white bread

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring the water to boil in a large pot. Pour in linguine and cook 11 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan melt the butter. Sauté bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms until tender.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute. Then add in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Add 4 TBLS Parmesan cheese, white pepper, and salt. Stir and simmer until the mixture reduces by half. Be sure to stir the mixture frequently to prevent sticking. It will thicken during this process, which is what you are going for. (If you stick your spoon in and it coats the back, it is ready!)

While this is simmering, tear up the bread slices and place them in a food processer. Add the remaining 2 TBLS of parmesan cheese. Pulse until it resembles bread crumbs.

Pour sauce into linguine. Add turkey and stir until all ingredients are combined. 

Pour into a greased baking dish and spread out evenly.

Cover with the breadcrumbs. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Then turn the top broiler on and broil for 1-2 minutes until the bread crumbs are nice and brown. Serve immediately!

NO-BEAN CHILI...FROM SCRATCH

It's finally a little colder outside, which means it's chili weather. Coming in at 450 mg of sodium per serving, this will warm your heart and soul!

When trying to make this low in salt, I eliminated the chili beans, store bought spice packet and processed tomatoes (used my own no-salt home-canned tomatoes).

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:
1 1/3 pound ground hamburger meat
1/4 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TBLS olive oil

Veggies:
1 bell pepper, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
1 TBLS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced

Chili Base:
2 Mason jars of home-canned no-salt tomatoes
6 Mason jars of water (fill up the jars after you use the tomatoes)
4 TBLS double concentrated tomato paste

Spices:
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp white pepper (if you don't have this, use regular black pepper)
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp cumin
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
**Mix together and set aside

Green onions for garnish!

Directions:

Heat 1 TBLS of olive oil in a pan. Add meat. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper to meat. Brown and drain.

Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. Add the bell pepper, onion, and garlic. I used a red onion for this recipe. I find that it is a little more peppery in flavor and has a nice "bite" to it. If you don't have a red onion, any onion will do. Sauté the mixture until all are tender.

Next, pour tomatoes, water, meat, and sautéed veggies into a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Add tomato paste and spices and stir for one minute. Turn down to simmer, stirring occasionally. Let the chili simmer for 30 minutes to one hour, then turn down to low. Keep on low until you serve. Garnish with green onions, if desired.

This makes approximately Eight 1 cup servings at 450 mg of sodium per serving. Enjoy!

Taco Soup

I thought I would share my Low-Sodium Taco Soup. When you limit salt, you have to increase the flavor profiles of your other ingredients. This is done easily by adding spice. Taco Soup is a perfect example of trading spice for salt. 

Ingredients:
1 1b. hamburger meat 
1 jar of home-canned no sodium tomatoes (I will show you how to do this in another post)
1 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 packets of low-sodium taco seasoning (found in the Mexican aisle)
2 TBSPs of Cumin--more if you like it!
2 TBSPs of tomato paste
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of black pepper
About 30 oz of water (just fill up the tomato can twice with water)
3 TBSPs olive oil
Green Chile split down the middle with seeds removed (optional)

Toppings:
sour cream--aim for 1 Tablespoon per person
sharp cheddar cheese--about 1/8 cup per person
Tortilla chips---about 7 per person
Green Onions

**The key to all of this is to make sure you pick the product with the least amount of sodium as possible. For example, I found a can of stewed tomatoes with 270 mg of sodium per 6 servings and one with 370 mg. I obviously went with the 270 mg can. Also, I shopped around to find a tomato paste tube with 65 mg of sodium per Tablespoon. You may find one lower. 

Also, the more you can do at home, the better. I had some tomatoes I canned that had no salt, whatsoever. By doing it myself, I skipped the salt. That helps tremendously, since I use these tomatoes for the base of several soups, spaghetti, and chili. 

Directions:
Pour the home-canned tomatoes and stewed tomatoes into a large stockpot. Once the can of tomatoes is empty, fill it up with water and pour it in to the pot. Repeat this step---you want to add two full cans of the water. Turn to Med-High and let it bubble. Once bubbling, add one and one half packets of taco seasoning, cumin, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. 

***To make it extra spicy, add a green chile to the stock pot when you add the tomatoes. It will simmer in the soup and ooze a great flavor. This is optional of course! It is also good without it. 

In a skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and turn on a Med-High heat. Sauté the bell pepper and onion until they are translucent and soft. Add them to the stock pot. 

Put the skillet back on the burner and add the final tablespoon of olive oil. Then add the hamburger meat and cook until the meat has browned. You can crumble the meat as much as you like during this stage. If you like chunky soups, don't break the meat up as much while you cook it. 

Drain the meat and add it to the pot. Next, drop in the tomato paste. Stir all of the ingredients until they are well combined. Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes until all of the flavors "marry."

To serve, ladle in bowls and top with Tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and green onions to taste. To keep this low-sodium you need to monitor your toppings carefully. The above amounts listed in ingredients help keep this low. If you go over this amount, adjust your sodium intake, accordingly. 

Makes 8 1/2 cup servings at just under 500 mg of sodium per serving.

Ranch-like Dip

This is a great substitute for your typical ranch dip that is loaded with salt. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Sour Cream

2 TBSP Mayo

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp kosher salt

Green onion tops for garnish

Makes Four 1/8 cup servings at 108 mg sodium per serving! 

Directions: Mix the first six ingredients together. Garnish with green onions. Chill until served. Enjoy!

SHORTCUTS FOR COUNTING SALT

Tired of counting every grain of salt you eat or drink? Tired of constantly doing the math in your head to figure out if you have enough room in your daily salt budget to eat one more helping of food?

Me too! Here is an easy shortcut.  I base this on an 1800 mg/day salt restriction. If yours is higher or lower, adjust accordingly.

Step 1:  Compile a recipe bank with complete meals under 500 mg of salt. For example, my pulled pork, yellow rice, and a sauted spinach is a meal under 500 mg of sodium.

Step 2: Add in some "freebie" items: vegetables, fruits, and other sides that you can prepare without sodium.

Step 3: You can eat 3 meals per day out of the above. This leaves about 300 mg of sodium per day left to play around with. Use this for drinks, snacks, desserts, etc.

Step 4: Don't forget to choose some fast-food meals to add to your arsenal. Although we try to avoid these places, sometimes they are inevitable. You need to know what you can eat at your local/favorite establishments for under 500 mg.

By doing it this way, you can simply choose what meals you want to eat and stop worrying about the counting. You know that if you eat 3 meals out of that recipe collection, you are at least under 500 mg per serving. This has saved me a lot of time. I will share these recipes with you along and along, so you can add them to your "bank".

Citrus Salad with Panera's "Tangerine Honey" Dressing

Citrus Salad with Panera Tangerine Honey Dressing

1  cup of your favorite lettuce (I use a Romaine, Iceberg, and Radicchio mix)
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
10-12 canned mandarin orange slices
1/4 cup of walnuts
2 TBSPs of Panera Tangerine Honey dressing

Makes: 1 serving, multiply as needed to serve your guests

Salt Count:  30 mg of sodium

Need a pick-me up salad for lunch? Want a unique salad to serve your guests and still stay in your sodium budget? Panera has created a "Tangerine Honey" dressing that is low-sodium. There is only 25 mg of sodium in 2 tablespoons. It has a great citrus flavor with just the right amount of sweetness.

 I paired it with cranberries, mandarin oranges, and walnuts.  Mandarin oranges are easiest found in cans. Usually, I try to avoid canned items, but these have about 5 mg of sodium for all 12. So, they aren't throwing off my salt count too much. The cranberries, nuts, and lettuce are free of salt.

This salad is easy to make, tastes delicious, and best of all---low in salt! Thanks Panera!

How to Follow a Low-Salt Diet

Ok, so you've been told you need to follow a low-salt diet. Now what? How do you do that?

Try to understand why you need to be on this diet. The American diet contains a lot of hidden salt. So, even if you don't ever pick up your salt shaker, you probably eat too much salt. Coming off of salt, may be harder than you think.


 Knowing why it is important helps you stick to it when the going gets tough. Usually a low-salt diet is prescribed to minimize effects on your heart or cardiovascular system....maybe you have CHF or High Blood Pressure. For information on how salt affects blood pressure click here.

First, find out what your daily salt limit is. This may vary depending on your health condition, but usually is between 1800 mg and 2000 mg of sodium per day.  This means everything you consume has to add up to less than the total amount for each day. So, if your breakfast consisted of 500 mg of salt and your lunch had 1100 mg of salt, this only leaves about 200 mg of salt for supper. Remember that drinks count too! This is very similar to calorie counting, so get ready to do some math!

The key to following a low-salt diet is learning to count every ingredient in your recipes or dishes. You may not think that cheese slices have salt, but they do. Spice mixes like "Lemon Pepper" also contain salt. So, be careful and count everything!

Learn your "free" ingredients. Some items are naturally free of salt. Fresh fruit, cream, unsalted butter, wine, fresh vegetables, most sour creams, single spices (not mixes), water, etc. Use these ingredients to bump up your recipes with flavor without adding salt.  I will discuss this more in detail on another post.

Know that "No Salt Added" does not mean "Salt-Free." It just means that no extra salt was added to the food.

Stay away from canned or frozen foods. These products have added salt to help preserve the food which extends the shelf life. If you have to buy these look for the "no salt added" items. If you use canned foods, rinse them first. This eliminates about 30% of the salt content.

Avoid fast food if you can. This is like combining canned food with frozen food and this means a lot of salt! You can go over your daily total with one combo meal!

There are more tips to come, but this is enough to get you started. Check out my other posts for some recipes.

Low-Sodium Pulled Pork

Makes 8 heaping servings with 270 mg sodium per serving

Ingredients:

·         5 lb. Boston Butt

·         4 tsp. Applewood flavored pork rub

            (Mine has 350 mg sodium per 2 tsp)

·         1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

·         2 TBSP Tomato Paste (mine has 65 mg per TBSP)

·         1 cup packed dark brown sugar

Directions:

Coat meat with the Applewood rub and place fat-side down in a slow-cooker. Placing the fat side down helps the fat to render and the meat not stick to the bottom of the cooker. I don’t really know why, but Apple flavor goes so well with pork. Hence the Applewood rub and the Apple Cider vinegar.

 

Then, using a whisk, mix the sauce component: Vinegar, Tomato Paste, and Brown Sugar. The vinegar with break down the sugar and paste in a matter of seconds. If you like it less tart, add more sugar. This sauce is a great base for your home-made BBQ. Plus, it only has 130 mg of sodium in the whole amount of sauce! So, it is really a great option over bottled sauces, which may have that much sodium in one serving!

 

Pour the sauce over the meat until coated. Place the lid on the slow-cooker and cook on low for about 6 hours.

 

When it is done, you can pull the pork apart with a fork….or your fingers. It is so tender and juicy!!!