500 Low Sodium Recipes (12 page)

¼ cup (28 g) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor bowl. Process until smooth. Heat in microwave until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Serve with homemade tortilla chips or low sodium French bread.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
35 g water; 85 calories (75% from fat, 16% from protein, 9% from carb); 3 g protein; 7 g total fat; 5 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 2 g carb; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 103 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
95 mg sodium
; 100 mg potassium; 2792 IU vitamin A; 1 mg vitamin C; 19 mg cholesterol

Just like you used to get at your favorite Mexican restaurant. I like these sprinkled with a little salt-free taco seasoning. You can also buy unsalted tortilla chips, of course, but once you’ve had these fresh and warm you won’t want those anymore.

1 corn tortilla

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4). Cut tortilla into 6 wedges. Place tortilla pieces on baking sheet. Spray with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Turn over and spray the other side. Bake until crispy and browned on the edges, about 10 minutes.

Yield:
1 serving

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
11 g water; 58 calories (10% from fat, 10% from protein, 80% from carb); 1 g protein; 1 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 12 g carb; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 45 mg calcium; 0 mg iron;
14 mg sodium
; 40 mg potassium; 0 IU vitamin A; 0 mg vitamin C; 0 mg cholesterol

Just like at your favorite Mexican restaurant, except this one you’re allowed to eat. If you use homemade beans, salsa, and guacamole the final nutritional counts should be about what is listed here. If you used commercial ones, it may be higher.

½ cup (112.5 g) Refried Beans (see recipe, page 372)

½ cup (112.5 g) Guacamole (see recipe, page 50)

¼ cup (60 g) sour cream

1 tomato, chopped

¼ cup (30 g) cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ cup (40 g) green onion, chopped

¼ cup (56 g) Dick’s Best Salsa (see recipe, page 49)

In a serving dish, layer the ingredients in the order shown.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
36 g water; 65 calories (59% from fat, 14% from protein, 26% from carb); 2 g protein; 4 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 4 g carb; 2 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 48 mg calcium; 0 mg iron;
36 mg sodium
; 129 mg potassium; 187 IU vitamin A; 4 mg vitamin C; 8 mg cholesterol

This is very close to the original version of the Chex snack mix. Use unsalted nuts, unsalted pretzels, and low sodium cereal. Chex cereal contains quite a bit of sodium, but you can readily find substitutes like mini shredded wheat and sodium-free versions of oat rings such as Cheerios. A number of good commercial seasoning mixes contain no salt, such as those from Mrs. Dash, Frontier, and Mr. Spice—or use some that you’ve made.

6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons salt-free seasoning mix

½ teaspoon onion powder

¾ teaspoon garlic powder

½ pound (225 g) pecans, unsalted

½ pound (225 g) dry-roasted peanuts, unsalted

8 ounces (225 g) pretzels, unsalted

3 cups (300 g) mini shredded wheat

3 cups (240 g) low sodium oat cereal

Melt butter. Add seasonings and stir. Combine nuts and pretzels in a large bowl. Pour sauce over and stir to coat. Stir in cereal and mix well. Bake at 275°F (140°C, gas mark 1) for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Yield:
24 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
2 g water; 218 calories (58% from fat, 9% from protein, 33% from carb); 5 g protein; 15 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 7 g monounsaturated fat; 4 g polyunsaturated fat; 19 g carb; 3 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 31 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
39 mg sodium
; 164 mg potassium; 158 IU vitamin A; 3 mg vitamin C; 8 mg cholesterol

These can be used as an appetizer or the beginning of a meal. You won’t even know they are low sodium.

20 chicken wings

2 eggs

2 tablespoons (28 ml) skim milk

1 ½ cups (165 g) Buttermilk Baking Mix (see recipe, page 84)

½ cup (60 g) sesame seeds

2 teaspoons (5 g) paprika

1 ½ teaspoons dry mustard

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C, gas mark 7). Separate chicken wings at joints; discard tips. Spray 2 rectangular 13 × 9-inch (33 × 23-cm) pans with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Beat eggs and milk with fork in bowl. Mix baking mix, sesame seeds, paprika, and mustard in second bowl. Soak chicken in egg mixture in first bowl and then coat with sesame seed mixture in second bowl. Arrange close together in pans. Drizzle butter over chicken. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes or until brown and crisp.

Yield:
10 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
30 g water; 87 calories (52% from fat, 45% from protein, 3% from carb); 10 g protein; 5 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 1 g carb; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 17 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
48 mg sodium
; 114 mg potassium; 381 IU vitamin A; 0 mg vitamin C; 28 mg cholesterol

A different kind of snack recipe, easy to prepare in a slow cooker.

12 ounces (340 g) dry-roasted peanuts, unsalted

12 ounces (340 g) dry-roasted cashews, unsalted

¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons (15 g) chili powder

Mix together the nuts, butter, and seasoning. Place in a slow cooker on low for about 2 hours. Remove the lid, turn the heat to high, and cook for about 10 more minutes.

Yield:
24 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
1 g water; 183 calories (72% from fat, 12% from protein, 16% from carb); 6 g protein; 16 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 8 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 8 g carb; 2 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 16 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
4 mg sodium
; 186 mg potassium; 244 IU vitamin A; 0 mg vitamin C; 5 mg cholesterol

I tried different combinations to get the taste I wanted. The only unsalted pretzels our local stores carried were the mini pretzel-shaped ones. They were too small to break up and didn’t absorb the flavor well. The breakthrough was finding the large hard pretzels in a honey wheat flavor with sesame seeds from Harry’s Premium Snacks at a gourmet food store. They are great-tasting alone and have only 25 mg of sodium, but they also make a great base for this recipe.

¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter

¼ cup (60 g) honey mustard

2 tablespoons (40 g) honey

½ teaspoon onion powder

Dash hot pepper sauce

5 cups unsalted hard pretzels, broken up

Melt butter in microwave. Stir in honey mustard, honey, and spices. Pour over pretzels and stir to coat evenly. Bake at 300°F (150°C, gas mark 2) for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool on waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

Yield:
10 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
7 g water; 55 calories (73% from fat, 1% from protein, 26% from carb); 0 g protein; 5 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 4 g carb; 0 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 3 mg calcium; 0 mg iron;
37 mg sodium
; 12 mg potassium; 234 IU vitamin A; 0 mg vitamin C; 12 mg cholesterol

It’s become almost impossible to find unsalted popcorn in the convenient microwave packs in your grocery store. Healthy Heart Market does carry a great, salt-free brand, but an alert newsletter reader also showed me how you can make your own microwave corn from the jars of plain popcorn. It’s easy, cheap, contains no preservatives and other chemicals, and tastes just as good as anything Orville Redenbacher has.

¾ cup popcorn

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

1 tablespoon (14 g) unsalted butter

Put the kernels in a small mixing dish like a coffee mug. Then pour the oil onto a tablespoon. Cover the spoon about halfway, then pour the oil back off the spoon. You only want what little oil will stick to the spoon. Then mix the oil-coated spoon into the kernels until they are wet looking. Pour your kernels into a brown paper lunch sack, fold the top over a couple times, lay flat inside your microwave, and shake to allow the kernels to spread over the area of the bag. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on your microwave. Use the same method as the microwave popcorn you buy at the store. Listen until the popping slows down to about 1 second between pops. Remove and pour into a larger mixing bowl. Caution: It will be hot. Melt the butter in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Slowly pour the butter over the popcorn and mix.

Yield:
3 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
2 g water; 108 calories (48% from fat, 7% from protein, 45% from carb); 2 g protein; 6 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 12 g carb; 2 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 3 mg calcium; 0 mg iron;
1 mg sodium
; 49 mg potassium; 123 IU vitamin A; 0 mg vitamin C; 10 mg cholesterol

These potato chips are very easy to make in the microwave. Also, they are healthier for you as they are not cooked in any oils. They can be made plain or with your choice of salt-free herbs and spice mixes. They need to be sliced fairly thin to get crisp, but not paper thin. The original recipe called for a covered microwave bacon rack, but I found that putting them between two plates worked great. You may need to spray the plates with a little nonstick spray before the first batch to keep them from sticking.

4 medium potatoes

Your choice of spices or herbs, optional

If potatoes are old, peel and slice thin,
¹
/
₁₆
inch (0.16 cm) in thickness, slicing across the potato. If the potatoes are new or have good skins, do not peel. Just scrub well, then slice them
¹
/
₁₆
inch (0.16 cm) in thickness, slicing across the potato. Sprinkle with your choice of spices or herbs or just leave them plain. If you have a microwave bacon tray, place the sliced potatoes flat on the tray in a single layer. Cover with a microwavable, round heavy plastic cover. Microwave on high (full power) for 7 to 8 minutes. Cooking time could vary slightly, depending on the wattage of your microwave. You do not have to turn the sliced potatoes over. If you do not have a bacon tray, place between two microwave-safe plates. Plates will be hot by the time potatoes are done. Continue to microwave the remainder of the sliced potatoes as above.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
67 g water; 67 calories (1% from fat, 10% from protein, 89% from carb); 2 g protein; 0 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 0 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 15 g carb; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 11 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
4 mg sodium
; 354 mg potassium; 1 IU vitamin A; 17 mg vitamin C; 0 mg cholesterol

This makes a very nice appetizer for entertaining. Like all seafood, crab has a lot of natural sodium and cholesterol, so go easy on it.

¼ cup (25 g) scallions, minced

2 teaspoons (10 g) unsalted butter

1 can (4 ounces, or 115 g) crabmeat, drained

2 tablespoons (8 g) fresh parsley, minced

1 tablespoon (15 g) horseradish

2 cloves garlic, pressed

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 ½ cups mushroom caps (24), stems removed

Combine scallions and butter in a 2-cup measure. Microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir in crab-meat, parsley, horseradish, garlic, and pepper sauce. Stir well. Place half the mushrooms, stemmed sides up, in a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate. Fill each mushroom cap with 1 teaspoon crab mixture. Microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes, turning plate once. Remove mushrooms to serving plate. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and filling. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. To garnish, sprinkle with ground red pepper. Each serving contains 4 mushrooms.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
49 g water; 43 calories (33% from fat, 48% from protein, 19% from carb); 5 g protein; 2 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 0 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 2 g carb; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 20 mg calcium; 0 mg iron;
83 mg sodium
; 198 mg potassium; 209 IU vitamin A; 5 mg vitamin C; 18 mg cholesterol

This recipe came along with my recipe software, which says it is from a 1982
Bon Appétit
magazine. The only change I made was to leave out the salt. This is the type of thing that’s really impressive for guests and is delightfully low in sodium compared to most appetizers.

4 ounces (115 g) brie, ripe and room temperature

½ cup (112 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

⅔
cup (73 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

⅛
teaspoon cayenne pepper

Paprika, to taste

Combine cheese and butter in food processor and mix until creamy. Add flour and pepper and mix, using on/off turns, until dough almost forms a ball. Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a loose cylinder 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll dough into a smooth cylinder about 1 ½ inches (4 cm) in diameter and 8 inches (20 cm) long. Rewrap dough in plastic and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C, gas mark 6). Slice cylinder into ¼-inch-thick (0.64-cm-thick) rounds. Arrange on a baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Bake until edges are nicely browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a rack. Sprinkle with paprika and serve.