500 Low Sodium Recipes (44 page)

If anyone out there gets the impression I like Asian food, they are right. In pre-diet days I used to say I could eat Chinese six nights a week.

1 pound (455 g) pork loin

4 tablespoons (60 ml) vegetable oil, divided

2 cups (140 g) cabbage, shredded

1 cup (120 g) carrots, shredded

1 onion, cut into strips

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

½ teaspoon Oriental Seasoning (see recipe, page 29)

Slice pork thinly, then shred the strips. Heat 2 tablespoons (28 g) of the oil in a wok or heavy skillet. Stir-fry the pork until cooked through. Remove from wok. Add the other two tablespoons of oil and stir-fry the vegetables until crisp, but tender. Return the pork to the wok. Add the seasoning and soy sauce substitute. Heat through. Serve over rice.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
163 g water; 394 calories (68% from fat, 24% from protein, 8% from carb); 24 g protein; 30 g total fat; 7 g saturated fat; 10 g monounsaturated fat; 10 g polyunsaturated fat; 8 g carb; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 39 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
77 mg sodium
; 668 mg potassium; 3903 IU vitamin A; 22 mg vitamin C; 68 mg cholesterol

A nice Japanese-style dish with a sweet-and-sour kind of flavor. Serve over plain rice.

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

¼ cup (60 ml) rice wine vinegar

¼ cup (50 g) sugar

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 pound (455 g) salmon fillets, cubed

1½ cups zucchini, sliced

1 onion, quartered

½ red bell pepper, cubed

8 ounces (225 g) mushrooms, sliced in half

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil

2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and spices. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Place salmon in 1 resealable plastic bag and vegetables in another. Divide sauce between the 2 bags. Seal and marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour, turning occasionally. Drain, reserving sauce. Heat oil in wok, add vegetables, and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add fish and stir-fry 1 more minute. Stir cornstarch into reserved marinade, add to wok, and cook and stir until thickened.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
223 g water; 346 calories (46% from fat, 26% from protein, 28% from carb); 23 g protein; 18 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 5 g monounsaturated fat; 8 g polyunsaturated fat; 25 g carb; 2 g fiber; 17 g sugar; 30 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
67 mg sodium
; 761 mg potassium; 727 IU vitamin A; 51 mg vitamin C; 58 mg cholesterol

This is an easy-to-make soup that can cook while you are running errands. It’s a little different flavor than most soups, which can be a welcome change if you are tired of the same old thing. (Or am I the only one who gets bored??)

2 cups (140 g) mushroom, sliced

1 ½ cups bok choy, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 cup (130 g) carrot, sliced

½ pound (225 g) boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces

1 cup (195 g) rice

4 cups (940 ml) low sodium chicken broth

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Place vegetables in bottom of slow cooker. Place chicken pieces on top. Sprinkle rice over top. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
280 g water; 133 calories (20% from fat, 39% from protein, 40% from carb); 13 g protein; 3 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 13 g carb; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 54 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
117 mg sodium
; 465 mg potassium; 3358 IU vitamin A; 12 mg vitamin C; 22 mg cholesterol

Here’s a really simple way to create a Chinese restaurant classic.

4 cups (940 ml) low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons (20 g) green onion, sliced

In a saucepan, stir the chicken broth into the cornstarch. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Slowly pour the egg into the broth, swirling the broth in a circular motion as you do. Remove from heat. Serve with green onion garnish.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
248 g water; 47 calories (28% from fat, 45% from protein, 27% from carb); 5 g protein; 1 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 3 g carb; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 29 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
116 mg sodium
; 232 mg potassium; 102 IU vitamin A; 2 mg vitamin C; 61 mg cholesterol

This soup that I used to love to get at Chinese restaurants turns out to be much easier to make than it looks.

2 ½ cups (570 ml) low sodium chicken broth

1 ounce (28 g) water chestnuts, cut into strips

1 ounce (28 g) bamboo shoots, cut into strips

2 ounces (55 g) pork, shredded

1 teaspoon low sodium beef bouillon

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 ounces (55 g) mushrooms, sliced

2 ounces (55 g) tofu, cut into strips

⅛
teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

1 ½ tablespoons (22 ml) red wine vinegar

In a wok or saucepan, combine the chicken broth, chestnuts, and bamboo shoots and bring to boil. In a bowl, combine the pork, bouillon, and cornstarch and stir to mix. Add mushrooms, tofu, pepper, soy sauce substitute, and vinegar to broth and cook for 2 minutes longer. Stir in pork mixture and simmer for 15 minutes.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
198 g water; 67 calories (32% from fat, 40% from protein, 28% from carb); 7 g protein; 2 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 5 g carb; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 21 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
83 mg sodium
; 335 mg potassium; 6 IU vitamin A; 2 mg vitamin C; 9 mg cholesterol

My love of Cajun food doesn’t actually go back that many years. About ten years ago I got three trips to New Orleans within a year for a project at work. We stayed in the French Quarter, had coffee from Café du Monde every morning, and ate some of the best food I ever had, whether it came from one of the famous restaurants or a little hole in the wall. I’ve been hooked every since. The good news is that Cajun food gets plenty of flavor from the other spices, so it doesn’t suffer at all from leaving out the salt.

Gumbo is the classic Cajun recipe and this is my all-time favorite recipe. It was contributed by newsletter subscriber Miriam and appeared originally in the newsletter in September 2001. Despite being low in sodium and fat it has an excellent flavor that brings back memories of little restaurants just off Bourbon Street.

1 chicken

2 tablespoons (20 g) garlic, minced

1 cup (120 g) red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup (160 g) onion, chopped

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

⅓
cup (37 g) all-purpose flour

2 cups (475 ml) no-salt-added tomatoes

1 package (10 ounces) frozen okra

1 pound (455 g) shrimp

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon (9 g) filé powder

Cook chicken with 5 cups (1175 ml) water and garlic until tender. Cut chicken into pieces. Skim fat off broth. Brown the bell pepper and onion in the olive oil. Add flour and brown … you are making a roux. Gradually stir in broth. Add tomatoes, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add chicken and okra. Simmer for a few minutes. Finally add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink, 3 or 4 minutes. Season with hot pepper sauce. Add gumbo file powder and stir until blended (has a tendency to lump).

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
215 g water; 341 calories (39% from fat, 46% from protein, 15% from carb); 39 g protein; 14 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 7 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 13 g carb; 2 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 99 mg calcium; 3 mg iron;
169 mg sodium
; 591 mg potassium; 643 IU vitamin A; 34 mg vitamin C; 164 mg cholesterol

I love a good jambalaya, and I have to admit stirring up quick and dirty jambalaya-ish dishes for many a Saturday lunch. This is a more “formal” version. I don’t usually go to the effort of including the shrimp shells in the stock since I often have peeled, frozen shrimp on hand. But I notice that Emeril suggests the same thing, so it must be the thing to do.

½ pound (225 g) shrimp, shelled, with shells reserved

2 chicken breasts

4 cups (940 ml) water

2 onions, chopped, divided

½ cup (50 g) celery, chopped, divided

3 tablespoons (30 g) garlic, minced, divided

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

½ pound (225 g) Andouille Sausage (see recipe, page 411)

½ cup (60 g) green bell peppers, coarsely chopped

¼ cup (40 g) green onion, chopped

2 cups (475 ml) no-salt-added tomatoes

2 tablespoons (28 ml) Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups (370 g) long grain rice

In a large saucepan of boiling water, cook the shrimp over high heat just until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Cool, peel, and devein the shrimp, reserving the shrimp and their shells separately. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken breasts, the reserved shrimp shells, the water, half the chopped onion, half the chopped celery, and one-third of the garlic. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, until the chicken juices run clear when pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the cooking liquid. In a sieve set over a large bowl, drain and reserve the cooking liquid, discarding the solids. You should have about 4 cups (1 L) of liquid; add water, if necessary. Remove and discard the chicken bones. Chop the breast meat coarsely and set it aside.

Heat the oil in a 5-quart (5-L) Dutch oven. Add the sausage, pepper, and green onion and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the reserved cooking liquid; the tomatoes with their juice; the remaining onion, celery, and garlic; Worcestershire
sauce; thyme; and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in the rice and return to the simmer. Cook over medium-low heat, tightly covered, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, about 25 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat, stir in the reserved shrimp and chicken, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer the jambalaya to a warmed serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
356 g water; 510 calories (32% from fat, 19% from protein, 49% from carb); 24 g protein; 18 g total fat; 6 g saturated fat; 9 g monounsaturated fat; 2 g polyunsaturated fat; 62 g carb; 3 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 96 mg calcium; 5 mg iron;
201 mg sodium
; 604 mg potassium; 324 IU vitamin A; 31 mg vitamin C; 99 mg cholesterol

As I said, I’m a big fan of jambalaya and similar rice dishes. This is a easy way to make it, simple in preparation. And there’s something very nice about coming home to a house that smells of Cajun cooking.

1 pound (455 g) chicken breast

½ pound (225 g) Andouille Sausage (see recipe, page 411)

½ cup (80 g) onion, chopped

½ cup (60 g) green bell pepper, chopped

4 cups (940 ml) no-salt-added tomatoes

1 cup (235 ml) low sodium chicken broth

½ cup (120 ml) white wine

2 teaspoons (2 g) dried oregano

2 teaspoons (0.2 g) dried parsley

2 teaspoons (5 g) Cajun Seasoning (see recipe, page 34)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ pound (225 g) shrimp

cups (330 g) cooked rice

Cut up chicken and crumble sausage. Chop onion and bell pepper. Put all in slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except shrimp and rice. Cook in slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours. Thirty minutes before eating, add cooked shrimp and cooked rice; allow to heat.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
349 g water; 431 calories (38% from fat, 39% from protein, 23% from carb); 40 g protein; 18 g total fat; 6 g saturated fat; 8 g monounsaturated fat; 2 g polyunsaturated fat; 24 g carb; 2 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 107 mg calcium; 4 mg iron;
235 mg sodium
; 797 mg potassium; 476 IU vitamin A; 29 mg vitamin C; 149 mg cholesterol