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These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Let there be snark.

No Justins, No Peace

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

It’s a new day. Light all those Biden polls of young people on fire and throw away the ashes.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

If you’re looking for someone who’s young and athletic, go watch a fucking movie.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Come on, man.

We still have time to mess this up!

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

We won’t go back.

Republicans would impeach Biden if he bit into a whole Kit Kat rather than breaking the sections apart.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

This blog will pay for itself.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

You are here: Home / Food & Recipes / Cooking / Friday Recipe Exchange: A Dash Less Salt

Friday Recipe Exchange: A Dash Less Salt

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tamara less salt cranberry chicken

From our Food Goddess, TaMara:

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had requests to pull together some of my recipes that go easy on the salt. I found quite a few and this week lemon made the biggest appearance, but tonight’s featured recipes bring in a whole host of other flavors that make it easier to go lighter on the salt.

Reducing salt with out losing flavor can be managed with several steps. First of all, try to use fresh foods whenever possible. If you begin to read labels you’ll see many packaged foods contain extra fat, salt & sugar that you wouldn’t add if you prepared it fresh. And good, fresh ingredients bring their own flavors to a dish.

When you need to buy something, such as canned tomatoes or frozen vegetables, go with the no-salt version whenever possible. Then you can be in control of the sodium.

Adding flavors that enhance a dish is the key to cutting back on salt. Wine vinegars (especially on potatoes and meats), lemon juice (great for fish, vegetables and chicken), lime juice, and different spice mixes, including peppers, garlic, basil, rosemary, celery seeds, dill, toasted sesame seeds and citrus zest – go wild, try something new, you might surprise yourself – can transform a dish. You can also buy prepackaged spice mixes to shake on, just make sure to read the label looking for sodium content.

With all that in mind, I went searching through my recipes to find ones that used a dash less salt.

I started the week with Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Chicken and Spinach, recipe here.

This week’s dinner menu (pictured at top) is Cranberry Chicken and Lemon Cheese Cauliflower, click here for menu, recipes and shopping list.

JeffreyW makes a flavorful Shrimp, Ham and Kale in Garlic Lemon Sauce, recipe here.

And finally, click here for Grilled Lemon Salmon with Corn Pepper Relish.

For the pet lovers, lots of pictures of Bixby in the next Bixby Diaries installment here.

How about you, what do you use to spice up a dish? What’s on the menu this weekend?

Tonight I’m featuring a few recipes that bring in some sweet and spicy flavors. These beans and rice are a nice change-up from the standard Wash Day Beans and Rice I usually make.

Caribbean Jerk Beans & Rice

2 cups water
1 cup rice
1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ green pepper, sliced
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 lb lean boneless pork, cubed in large pieces
14 oz can diced tomatoes
salt to taste (this is a good recipe to substitute white wine vinegar for salt)
pepper to taste
¼ to ½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 to 2 tsp Caribbean jerk spice (you can buy it or make your own, recipe below)
½ cup fresh chopped cilantro (Italian parsley works well in this recipe if you aren’t a fan of cilantro)
14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or substitute dry beans, soaked and cooked)
saucepan & skillet

Add water & rice to saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Heat oil in skillet, add pork and brown on all sides for 5 minutes, add onion, celery, pepper & garlic, sauté for additional 5 minutes. Add tomatoes & spices. Let simmer 15 minutes, add cilantro, black beans and simmer additional 5 minutes, until beans are heated through. Add cooked rice & mix thoroughly.

Caribbean Jerk Seasoning

2 tablespoons dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons crushed dry thyme leaves
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blend together and store tightly covered (I keep old spice jars around for mixtures like this).

Orange-Mango Coleslaw

8 cups shredded green cabbage
1-1/2 large mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced
½ medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine cabbage, mangoes, bell peppers, green onions and cilantro in large bowl; stir gently to mix. Add Orange-Mango Dressing; toss gently to coat. Serve, or store in refrigerator up to 1 day.

Orange-Mango Dressing

½ mango, peeled, pitted and cubed
6 ounces plain nonfat yogurt
¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate (not diluted with water)
3 tablespoons limejuice
½ to 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and rough chopped
2 tsp minced fresh ginger (substitute 1/2 tsp ground ginger if desired)

Place mango in food processor; process until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; process until smooth.

That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend – TaMara

Reader Interactions

37Comments

  1. 1.

    schrodinger's cat

    What do I use to spice up a dish? Depends on the dish. I have box full of whole and ground masalas or spices.

    Cayenne
    Turmeric
    Cumin Seeds
    Black Mustard seeds

    Cinnamon sticks
    Cloves
    Nutmeg
    Cardamom

    Spice mixes:

    Garam masala
    Cumin and Coriander ground (1:2)

    Plus I always have fresh ginger, garlic,cilantro and green chilies

  2. 2.

    Poopyman

    @schrodinger’s cat: I knew you were going to comment here, because Indian was what popped into my head when I think of low-salt recipes.

    Having said that, it wouldn’t surprise me if garam masala had a shit-ton of salt in it. It just seems to taste that way to me.

    ETA: Of course, I waited until AFTER commenting to actually go and look up the ingredients and, surprise! No salt.

  4. 4.

    Poopyman

    Also too, I work in a Federal facility where Sodexo takes industrial-grade orange-mango and further adulterates and abuses it to the point that I no longer find it appealing. Is there any cure for this?

    (Yeah, ” Stop eating in Sodexo cafeterias” is right up there on my to-do list. I’m working on that one.)

  5. 5.

    raven

    We got our kitchen back, not entirely but we do have the range, sink and counters. We’ve gone nearly two months cooking on the grill and microwave with the fridge in the hall. I look forward to getting back into cooking.

  7. 7.

    Betty Cracker

    Our range went tits up today, and its replacement won’t arrive until next Thursday! The cooktop still works, but no oven. So no fresh-baked bread.

    Tonight we made shrimp pasta — not a whole lot of salt, but plenty of flavor with garlic, white wine, red pepper flakes, parsley, olive oil and butter. Nom!

  8. 8.

    Betty Cracker

    Also, we’re watching the most godawful horror movie on Amazon: The Mist. A 2nd grader wrote the dialog, apparently.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    The last time I had an appointment with my cardiologist, the nurse asked me (apropos, seemingly, of nothing): “Do you sprinkle?”

    I thought she was asking about my urination habits.

    Turns out, she was asking whether I salt my food before tasting it.

  15. 15.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Glidwrith: I have to ask my mom for the exact proportions. She usually sends me a batch of her homemade stuff.

    Usually has cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and black peppers. The store brought stuff has cumin added because the cardamom and cinnamon are typically more expensive.

  19. 19.

    PurpleGirl

    Raven: Congratulations on getting most of the kitchen back. Now, indulge yourself cooking. It looks good.

  20. 20.

    Yatsuno

    @schrodinger’s cat: You know the drill. Every Indian family has their own way of making garam masala, only theirs is correct, and every other way just doesn’t taste right. It’s like Italians with marinara: there is only one right way, Nonna’s way, and all others are shite.

    And not to toot my own horn, but my Cilantro-Lime Hummus is quite a nice low salt option. As in you can control the salt in it and it will be delicious no matter what!

  21. 21.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Yatsuno: Actually garam masala is more of North Indian thing, Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe is pretty good too. Garam masala doesn’t need to bloom in the cooking oil like
    cayenne and turmeric. You usually add it when you are almost done cooking.

    That said my mother’s garam masala is the best.

  22. 22.

    Sandia Blanca

    Other secret ingredients when you’re cutting out salt:

    1. Liquid Smoke–add to greens, meatloaf, roast pork, or beans to give a nice depth of flavor.

    2. Tabasco Sauce–very low in sodium, also great in greens and soups.

    3. Costco salt-free seasoning mix is a great all-purpose way to liven up oven-roasted potatoes, grilled meats, veggies, etc.

    4. Caramelized onions–before I make gravy, I like to cook a small amount of diced onions in the butter or fat that will become part of the roux. This adds complexity to the flavor. Use some low-sodium Better Than Bouillon for the broth, add a bit of savory or thyme, and you’ll end up with a nice gravy with very little salt.

  23. 23.

    jibeaux

    I have tons of sage and oregano right now. They have taken over a raised bed. Should I dry them, freeze them, what do you think? I really wanted a ton of basil, I know what to do with that.

  25. 25.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    @efgoldman:

    “Effective concealment conceals the fact of concealment.” (Kingsley Amis, The Anti-Death League) Plus I was given the night off.

  34. 34.

    satby

    Thread’s so dead, but Tamara, thanks for these recipes! I’m going to be looking for halal or kosher meats to try some of these with. Cooking is going to be an adventure for the next 10 months!

  35. 35.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    Since I quit being a drunk Abusing alcohol in 5/2014, my blood pressure has gone from 140/85 to 110/60. I have to pile on salt to keep it that high.

  37. 37.

    tesslibrarian

    Thank you for these. A close friend, a recent widower, has had a myriad of heart troubles this summer, and due to the issues of congestive heart failure, has been told to lay off the salt as much as possible.

    I’ve been trying to figure out what to cook for him–I don’t overly salt my food, but I also don’t think about it a lot, either. The salmon and corn pepper relish looks perfect. Thank you!

Comments are closed.