500 Low Sodium Recipes (23 page)

½ cup (115 g) sour cream

¼ cup (60 ml) white wine

3 tablespoons (24 g) all-purpose flour

In a skillet, brown the meat in the oil. Add the onion and cook until softened. Transfer to slow cooker. Combine garlic powder, water, mushrooms, bouillon, and spices. Pour over meat mixture. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours. Turn heat to high. Stir together sour cream, wine, and flour. Add to slow cooker. Cook until sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
184 g water; 338 calories (61% from fat, 30% from protein, 9% from carb); 25 g protein; 22 g total fat; 8 g saturated fat; 9 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 7 g carb; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 38 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
103 mg sodium
; 632 mg potassium; 168 IU vitamin A; 3 mg vitamin C; 76 mg cholesterol

This was one of those difficult-to-name recipes. Somehow, I just seemed to picture a group of peasants in a Mary Shelley novel sitting down to steaming bowls after storming the castle by torchlight. It turned out surprisingly well, though … everyone was impressed with something I had just thrown in the slow cooker before going off to work.

1 ½ pounds (680 g) pork loin

4 turnips, chopped

1 ½ cups (195 g) carrot, sliced

½ head cabbage, coarsely chopped

2 cups (475 ml) low sodium beef broth

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

1 tablespoon (10 g) minced onion

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon (0.4 g) dried parsley

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ cup (60 ml) white wine

Place pork in bottom of slow cooker. Cover with carrot and cabbage. Stir together remaining ingredients and pour over. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Remove pork, shred coarsely, and stir back into stew.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
389 g water; 150 calories (24% from fat, 24% from protein, 52% from carb); 9 g protein; 4 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 20 g carb; 6 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 120 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
169 mg sodium
; 896 mg potassium; 4109 IU vitamin A; 79 mg vitamin C; 15 mg cholesterol

It’s nice to have dinner finished when you get home once in a while. You can serve this over rice or noodles or just have it with a big slice of freshly baked bread (the delay bake option goes so well with the slow cooker).

1 pound (455 g) pork loin, cubed

1 onion

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

1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cups (475 ml) low sodium chicken broth

8 ounces (225 g) mushrooms, quartered

1 tablespoon (0.4 g) dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

¼ cup (15 g) fresh cilantro

¼ cup (28 g) all-purpose flour

Cube pork. Layer all ingredients except flour in the slow cooker, reserving half the chicken broth. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir the flour into the remaining chicken broth. Add to the cooker. Turn to high and cook an additional half hour or until slightly thickened.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
365 g water; 147 calories (24% from fat, 28% from protein, 48% from carb); 11 g protein; 4 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 19 g carb; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 68 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
77 mg sodium
; 789 mg potassium; 562 IU vitamin A; 53 mg vitamin C; 15 mg cholesterol

One of those meals that just takes too long to fix when you get home from work, transformed into an easy slow-cooker creation.

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced

2 pounds (910 g) pork loin roast

½ cup (115 g) brown sugar

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

Place potatoes in bottom of a slow cooker. Place pork on top. Combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle over pork and potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove pork and slice. Serve juices over pork and potatoes.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
144 g water; 256 calories (18% from fat, 40% from protein, 43% from carb); 25 g protein; 5 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 27 g carb; 2 g fiber; 18 g sugar; 48 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
84 mg sodium
; 645 mg potassium; 31 IU vitamin A; 11 mg vitamin C; 71 mg cholesterol

An easy way to make pork barbecue, even if not quite the traditional slow-smoked kind.

½ cup (120 ml) cider vinegar

¼ cup (40 g) chopped onion

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

3 pounds (1 1/4 kg) pork shoulder roast boneless, trimmed, tied

½ tablespoon liquid smoke

1 tablespoon (13 g) sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons (30 g) low sodium ketchup

In a large bowl, combine cider vinegar, chopped onion, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce. Add the pork roast, cover, and marinate in refrigerator for 6 to 10 hours. Turn occasionally to keep roast coated with marinade. Remove the pork from the marinade, scraping the onion back into the marinade. Lightly pat the roast dry with paper towels. Pour the marinade into a slow cooker and add the liquid smoke. Place a slow-cooker meat rack or ring of foil in the slow cooker. Combine the sugar, paprika, and pepper in a cup. Rub the pork roast with the sugar and spice mixture and place on the rack in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours, or until very tender. Transfer the pork to a cutting board; cover with foil to keep warm. Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Stir in the ketchup; pour into a bowl. Using 2 forks, pull the pork apart into shreds, or chop the pork into small pieces. Serve the pork on buns. Serve the sauce separately.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
145 g water; 268 calories (42% from fat, 51% from protein, 7% from carb); 33 g protein; 12 g total fat; 4 g saturated fat; 6 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 4 g carb; 0 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 27 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
137 mg sodium
; 634 mg potassium; 211 IU vitamin A; 4 mg vitamin C; 114 mg cholesterol

A chili variation. This one does not contain tomatoes and has pork instead of the more traditional beef. If you can’t find cannellini beans, which are an Italian white kidney bean, you can substitute any other white bean such as navy or great northern beans.

3 cups (300 g) cannellini beans, cooked according to package directions

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 ounces (115 g) chopped chiles

2 teaspoons (2 g) dried oregano

1 ½ teaspoons cumin

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups (450 g) cooked pork roast, diced

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer gently for about 1 hour.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
94 g water; 478 calories (15% from fat, 36% from protein, 50% from carb); 43 g protein; 8 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 3 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 60 g carb; 24 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 171 mg calcium; 9 mg iron;
75 mg sodium
; 1681 mg potassium; 289 IU vitamin A; 53 mg vitamin C; 60 mg cholesterol

I have to admit that my family doesn’t eat lamb very often. But a newsletter subscriber asked about lamb just about the time this recipe came through my inbox, so here it is. It has a Greek flavor.

3 ½ pounds (1 3/4 kg) lamb shoulder, well trimmed

4 teaspoons (4 g) dried oregano

1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated

¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

10 ounces (285 g) spinach, chopped

5 cups (250 g) cooked orzo or other small pasta

¼ cup (38 g) feta cheese

Trim fat from lamb. Place lamb in an electric slow cooker and sprinkle with oregano and lemon rind. Pour in lemon juice; top lamb with spinach. Cover with lid; cook on high heat for 1 hour. Reduce heat setting to low; cook 7 hours. Remove spinach and lamb from slow cooker, reserving cooking liquid; cool. Remove meat from bones; discard bones, fat, and gristle. Chop meat. Strain fat from liquid. Add lamb, spinach, orzo, and feta to strained drippings and stir to combine.

Yield:
8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
232 g water; 408 calories (27% from fat, 48% from protein, 25% from carb); 48 g protein; 12 g total fat; 5 g saturated fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 25 g carb; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 93 mg calcium; 5 mg iron;
213 mg sodium
; 813 mg potassium; 3379 IU vitamin A; 15 mg vitamin C; 133 mg cholesterol

My family and I probably should eat fish more than we do. It seems to be one of those things that I don’t think about when I’m planning dinner, but always enjoy when we do have it. Most of the recipes here are for cat fish, salmon, and tuna, which are the varieties of fish that we have most often. However, many of the recipes could just as easily use other fish if your favorites are different. Be careful with seafood—it has a lot of natural sodium and cholesterol. Rinsing in cold water will help to reduce the sodium below the listed level.

If you get them on sale, tuna steaks are one of the cheaper fish products you can buy. The key to cooking them is not to overcook them and dry them out. It’s all right for them to be medium or even medium rare. Soaking them in a simple marinade as this recipe does also helps to keep them moist and flavorful.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice

6 ounces (170 g) tuna steaks

½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Combine the olive oil and lemon juice. Marinate the steaks in the mixture at least a half hour, turning occasionally. Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper, turn over, and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Yield:
2 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
72 g water; 247 calories (65% from fat, 33% from protein, 3% from carb); 20 g protein; 18 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 11 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 2 g carb; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 10 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
34 mg sodium
; 240 mg potassium; 1861 IU vitamin A; 7 mg vitamin C; 32 mg cholesterol

Tuna steaks get tough if you cook them too long, so take them off the grill while they are still pink in the center to keep them juicy.

½ cup (120 ml) balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons (26 g) sugar

1 tablespoon (7 g) Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon peel

1 pound (455 g) tuna steaks

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except tuna and lemon juice and pour in a glass baking dish. Add tuna and marinate 15 minutes, turned frequently. Heat grill to high. Place fish on grill and grill until medium doneness, about 3 minutes per side. Place on serving plates and squeeze lemon juice over.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
110 g water; 227 calories (36% from fat, 47% from protein, 17% from carb); 27 g protein; 9 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat; 2 g polyunsaturated fat; 9 g carb; 1 g fiber; 8 g sugar; 25 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
45 mg sodium
; 339 mg potassium; 2529 IU vitamin A; 4 mg vitamin C; 43 mg cholesterol

Not particularly low in fat, but the batter has a nice flavor and sticks to the fish better than any other I’ve tried.

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (70 g) cornmeal

1 teaspoon New Bay Seasoning (see recipe, page 30)

1 cup beer

1 ½ pounds (680 g) catfish fillets, cut into serving-size pieces

Vegetable oil for frying

Stir together flour, cornmeal, and seasoning. Add beer and stir until completely moistened. Dip fish pieces in batter. Deep-fry at 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4) until fish is done, about 5 minutes.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
132 g water; 350 calories (35% from fat, 35% from protein, 30% from carb); 30 g protein; 13 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 6 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 25 g carb; 2 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 19 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
91 mg sodium
; 553 mg potassium; 122 IU vitamin A; 1 mg vitamin C; 80 mg cholesterol

These can also be “fried” in the oven to reduce the fat content. Spray with nonstick vegetable oil spray and bake until browned and crispy.

¼ cup (60 ml) evaporated milk

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (35 g) cornmeal

1 teaspoon paprika

1 ½ pounds (680 g) catfish fillets

Vegetable oil for frying

Combine milk and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, and paprika. Dip fish in milk mixture and roll in flour mixture. Place about ½ inch (1 ¼ cm) of oil in a heavy skillet. Fry fish in hot fat for 4 minutes. Turn carefully and fry for 4 to 6 minutes longer or until fish is brown and flakes easily when tested with a fork.