500 Low Sodium Recipes (20 page)

When you start looking, it’s amazing how many recipes you find where you say, “Why haven’t we made that again lately?” This was a great-tasting, easy-to-make recipe from way back at the beginning of my low sodium days.

2 tablespoons (16 g) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 ½ pounds (680 g) round steak

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil

3 onions, sliced

2 potatoes, cut into ½-inch (1 ¼-cm) cubes

¾ cup (175 ml) water

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vinegar

2 teaspoons (10 ml) low sodium beef bouillon

1 small cabbage

Combine flour and pepper. Coat meat with mixture. In a skillet, brown meat in oil on all sides. Transfer to crockery cooker and add onions and potatoes. Add water, vinegar, and bouillon to skillet. Stir, scraping up browned bits from bottom. Pour over beef and onions in cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over hot cooked cabbage wedges.

Yield:
5 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
470 g water; 522 calories (29% from fat, 38% from protein, 34% from carb); 49 g protein; 17 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 6 g monounsaturated fat; 4 g polyunsaturated fat; 44 g carb; 8 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 127 mg calcium; 7 mg iron;
125 mg sodium
; 1654 mg potassium; 246 IU vitamin A; 126 mg vitamin C; 131 mg cholesterol

This is a simple fall pot roast, featuring root vegetables and not containing a lot of added ingredients. Cooking it in a covered roasting pan will ensure that the meat is very tender.

2 pounds (910 g) beef bottom round roast

4 potatoes, quartered

4 turnips, peeled and cut into quarters

2 cups (260 g) carrots, sliced

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 cup (110 g) parsnips, peeled and sliced

2 cups (475 ml) low sodium beef broth

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

Place all ingredients in a large roasting pan. Cover and roast at 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4) until vegetables are done and meat is tender, about 2 hours.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
429 g water; 520 calories (34% from fat, 30% from protein, 36% from carb); 39 g protein; 20 g total fat; 8 g saturated fat; 8 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 46 g carb; 7 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 93 mg calcium; 5 mg iron;
193 mg sodium
; 1338 mg potassium; 3935 IU vitamin A; 45 mg vitamin C; 113 mg cholesterol

Don’t let the name and the rutabaga throw you off. This is great comfort food, perfect for winter or those last cold rainy days of early spring. All your need is a little fresh bread to make it a complete meal.

5 tablespoons (40 g) all-purpose flour, divided

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds (910 g) beef stew meat, cubed

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil

2 onions, sliced

1 cup (235 ml) water

1 cup (235 ml) apple juice

2 rutabagas, cubed

2 cups (260 g) carrots, sliced

½ teaspoon marjoram

½ teaspoon dried thyme

⅓
cup (80 ml) water

6 small potatoes, cooked and mashed

In a plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons (16 g) of the flour and the pepper. Add meat and shake to coat. Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Brown the meat on all sides. Add onions, water, and apple juice. Cover and simmer until meat is nearly tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Add rutabagas, carrots, and spices. Cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes or until meat and veggies are tender. Blend the remaining 3 tablespoons (24 g) flour into the water and add to the mixture. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Spoon mashed potatoes around the edge to serve.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
454 g water; 576 calories (36% from fat, 28% from protein, 36% from carb); 40 g protein; 23 g total fat; 8 g saturated fat; 9 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 52 g carb; 8 g fiber; 18 g sugar; 141 mg calcium; 7 mg iron;
141 mg sodium
; 1671 mg potassium; 3863 IU vitamin A; 77 mg vitamin C; 113 mg cholesterol

A great beef and noodles dish, so easy to prepare in your slow cooker. The beef gets very tender from the long cooking process.

4 slices low sodium bacon

2 pounds (910 g) beef stew meat

1 cup (130 g) carrots, cut into chunks

1 onion, sliced

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon marjoram

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup (235 ml) low sodium beef broth

½ cup (120 ml) burgundy wine

1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce

3 cups (210 g) mushrooms, sliced

16 ounces (455 g) egg noodles, uncooked

2 tablespoons (8 g) fresh parsley, optional

Cook bacon until crisp; drain and crumble. Place beef, bacon, carrots, and onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Whisk together the flour, marjoram, garlic powder, and pepper with the broth, wine, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low and cook for 5 to 6 hours. Add mushrooms to slow cooker. Cook on high for 30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. While mushrooms are cooking, prepare noodles according to package directions. Serve beef over noodles garnished with parsley, if desired.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
195 g water; 476 calories (43% from fat, 35% from protein, 22% from carb); 40 g protein; 22 g total fat; 8 g saturated fat; 9 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 25 g carb; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 32 mg calcium; 5 mg iron;
140 mg sodium
; 563 mg potassium; 2023 IU vitamin A; 7 mg vitamin C; 137 mg cholesterol

A quick and easy way to have shredded beef barbecue sandwiches for dinner. Put this in the slow cooker and some rolls in the bread machine and when you get home, dinner will be almost done.

1 large onion

2 pounds (910 g) beef chuck

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

1 cup (250 g) Barbecue Sauce (see recipe, page 42)

Slice onion and place in bottom of slow cooker. Place beef on top. Drizzle liquid smoke over. Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours. Remove meat and onion; drain and shred. Add sauce and mix well.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
93 g water; 406 calories (62% from fat, 32% from protein, 6% from carb); 32 g protein; 28 g total fat; 11 g saturated fat; 12 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 6 g carb; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 21 mg calcium; 4 mg iron;
118 mg sodium
; 355 mg potassium; 7 IU vitamin A; 3 mg vitamin C; 112 mg cholesterol

Another recipe to serve over pasta or rice. This one cooks all day in the slow cooker, so dinner is ready in no time when you get home.

1 pound (455 g) beef round steak, cubed

2 cups (475 ml) low sodium tomatoes

2 tablespoons (25 ml) red wine

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 onion, coarsely chopped

4 ounces (115 g) mushrooms, sliced

6 ounces (170 g) low sodium tomato paste

Place meat in bottom of slow cooker. Stir together remaining ingredients except tomato paste. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Turn to high. Stir in tomato paste and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
158 g water; 196 calories (17% from fat, 55% from protein, 28% from carb); 27 g protein; 4 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 14 g carb; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 34 mg calcium; 4 mg iron;
77 mg sodium
; 863 mg potassium; 817 IU vitamin A; 19 mg vitamin C; 60 mg cholesterol

This was sent in by newsletter reader LeJean. It makes a nice meal-in-a-pot sort of dinner. I made a meatless variation of it for lunch that was every bit as good.

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon (10 g) garlic, minced

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

2 cups (200 g) black-eyed peas, cooked and drained

1 ½ teaspoons Cajun Seasoning (see recipe, page 34)

½ cup (70 g) cornmeal

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons (14 g) sodium-free baking powder

1 egg

½ cup (120 ml) skim milk

In a large cast iron or ovenproof skillet, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. Add undrained tomatoes, black-eyed peas, and seasoning. Stir well. Combine cornmeal, flour, and baking powder. Stir together the egg and milk. Add to cornmeal mixture and stir until just moistened. Top ground beef mixture with cornbread batter and cook in 425°F (220°C, gas mark 7) oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cornbread is golden brown.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
305 g water; 598 calories (32% from fat, 29% from protein, 39% from carb); 43 g protein; 21 g total fat; 8 g saturated fat; 9 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 58 g carb; 9 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 291 mg calcium; 7 mg iron;
140 mg sodium
; 1496 mg potassium; 392 IU vitamin A; 22 mg vitamin C; 154 mg cholesterol

This is a Greek-style stew adapted for the slow cooker. The spices give it the characteristic Mediterranean flavor. The eggplant will be very soft.

2 eggplants

2 pounds (910 g) stew beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) chunks

2 medium onions, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 cup (235 ml) low sodium beef broth

8 ounces (230 g) no-salt-added tomato sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar

¾ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛
teaspoon ground allspice

⅛
teaspoon ground cloves

¼ cup (15 g) minced parsley

Wash the eggplant, peel, and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes. In a large skillet, brown the beef, onions, garlic, and eggplant in olive oil until dark golden brown; drain. Place in slow cooker. Combine the beef broth with the tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves and stir it into the meat. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours. If serving with pasta, prepare pasta, pour onto a large serving platter, and cover with meat, eggplant, and sauce. Sprinkle minced parsley over top.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
247 g water; 467 calories (57% from fat, 31% from protein, 11% from carb); 37 g protein; 30 g total fat; 10 g saturated fat; 15 g monounsaturated fat; 2 g polyunsaturated fat; 13 g carb; 5 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 48 mg calcium; 4 mg iron;
75 mg sodium
; 728 mg potassium; 289 IU vitamin A; 11 mg vitamin C; 93 mg cholesterol

This is one of those meal-in-a-skillet dinners. In my opinion, this one is just as easy and a lot better tasting than the boxed versions on the supermarket shelves.

1 pound (455 g) ground beef

4 ounces (115 g) mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon (8 g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (120 ml) low sodium beef broth

2 tablespoons (32 g) no-salt-added tomato paste

1 cup (230 g) sour cream

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the mushrooms and onion. When the meat is cooked, sprinkle the flour over top and stir to mix in. Add the broth and cook until thickened, scraping any sticking bits from the bottom. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream. Serve over hot cooked noodles.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
178 g water; 375 calories (63% from fat, 27% from protein, 10% from carb); 25 g protein; 26 g total fat; 13 g saturated fat; 10 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 10 g carb; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 86 mg calcium; 3 mg iron;
112 mg sodium
; 592 mg potassium; 498 IU vitamin A; 5 mg vitamin C; 94 mg cholesterol

The kind of slow-cooker meal that greets you with a wonderful aroma with you return home from work. Stick a loaf of bread in the bread machine on timed bake and you have an instant dinner.

2 pounds (910 g) round steak, cubed

6 medium potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch (2-cm) pieces

1 cup (160 g) frozen pearl onions

¼ cup (28 g) all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon caraway seed

2 cups (475 ml) low sodium beef broth

1 cup (130 g) no-salt-added frozen peas

½ cup (115 g) sour cream

Toss the beef, potatoes, onions, flour, and spices in the slow cooker. Pour the beef broth over top. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Stir in the peas and sour cream. Cover and cook on low about 15 minutes longer, until peas are tender.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
523 g water; 674 calories (22% from fat, 35% from protein, 43% from carb); 59 g protein; 16 g total fat; 7 g saturated fat; 6 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 71 g carb; 9 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 90 mg calcium; 9 mg iron;
162 mg sodium
; 2344 mg potassium; 1318 IU vitamin A; 78 mg vitamin C; 154 mg cholesterol