Easy Low Sodium Recipes - Best Low Sodium Recipes

Question: I need a few low sodium recipes?

(Posted by: shannon f on 2009-03-16 07:41:46)

Hubby just got diagnosed with hypertension so we have to change the way we eat are there any good websites with recipes I know of Mrs Dash but want a variety I have 3 kids so I need stuff they will eat also

Posted by: Murray on 2009-03-20, 02:26:27

This is not answering your question, but I too am on a low-sodium diet and wanted to share with you what I have learned. After hearing that I had to restrict my sodium intake to 2,000 mg of sodium per day, I did quite a bit of research. I did a web search on low sodium foods. Most of it didn't surprise me but some of them did. For the first month, I kept a diary of everything I put in my mouth to see how I rated at the end of the day (hubby's job). Let's face it. Low sodium recipes are boring and often tasteless. I was never one to eat a lot of salt, and herbs and spices will help; however, nothing takes the place of salt. One really great thing that I learned was what herbs and spices I use to be afraid of that now I just love. Check out apinchof.com and herbs-spices.info to get some good information. See if cutting the salt you currently use in cooking in half. Hubby won't complain because he has no choice but your kids will. Meat, pounltry, and fish are naturally low in sodium so if you don't add too much while cooking, you should be fine. Fresh fruit and veggies are a gimmee. Discovered yellow and orange peppers are so good, I eat them raw. Bit pricey if you don't have a good reasonable market around you. Experiment. You'd be surprise at what you and your family might like that you haven't even tried. Kiss processed food goodbye. It's not even an option. Healthy Choice dinners are not too bad, however. READ THE INGREDIENTS AND SODIUM PERCENTAGE ON EVERYTHING. Make sure you take into consideration the serving size. Not sure if sea salt is better than regular salt but you do need less of it. Find the foods that you normally make and see if you can incorporate a low-sodium substitution to dress them up. For example, olive oil has no sodium where butter (unless unsalted) has a fair amount. Rice and pasta have no sodium and help fill you up. A really bad culprit is salad dressing. Most have a ton. Even though they may say "lite " or "low sodium ", it may not necessarily be true. Compare that product to the regular brand and see the difference. When making stews or soups, most chefs will agree to salt only toward the end of cooking cycle and by taste only. My rule of thumb was using ingredients I already liked and dressing them up with herbs and spices with just enough salt to make it palatable. You'd be surprised at what you and hopefully your family can get use to when absolutely necessary. Not to get all physo-analyzing on you but have your husband talk to your kids about the importance of improving (not changing) your diet is to his health. You may find less complaining that way. Also, just as a bonus, there are a lot of sweets recipes out there that are low in sodium. They just don't advertise as being "low sodium ". One site I use a lot is allrecipes.com, and myrecipes.com. (I'm pretty sure these are the correct sites - so many I can't recall them all.) Most recipe sites show the nutritional facts so you can see the sodium content before you even start. Good luck and hope I gave you at least a little bit of info that you didn't know already. Just want to reiterate, do not look for recipes listed as low sodium. They usually aren't worth the trouble. Use good common sense.

Posted by: Been There~Done That! on 2009-03-16, 07:47:16

WHAT YOU NEED ARE A FEW GOOD COOKBOOKS OR SITES THAT OFFER VARIETY AND YOU CAN RESOURCE WHEN NEEDED. HERE ARE SOME THAT ARE VERY GOOD AND EASY TO FOLLOW: eatingwell.com/ recipes/ collections/ healthy_low_sodium_recipes.html mayoclinic.com/ health/ low-sodium-recipes/ RE00101 (THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE) BOOKMARK THESE OR OUT THEM IN A SPECIAL FOLDER FOR FUTURE USE.

Posted by: ~Susakins Makoozakins~ on 2009-03-16, 08:08:36

Holiday Chicken Salad -- INGREDIENTS 4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat 1 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon paprika 1 1/ 2 cups dried cranberries 1 cup chopped celery 2 green onions, chopped 1/ 2 cup minced green bell pepper 1 cup chopped pecans 1 teaspoon seasoning salt ground black pepper to taste DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Fast and Friendly Meatballs -- INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey 1 egg, beaten 1/ 3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with the olive oil, and place it in the oven while preheating. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, egg, and bread crumbs using your hands. Using an ice cream scoop if possible, form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs. Place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Press down to flatten the bottom just slightly. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn them over, and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, or until somewhat crispy on the outside. Serve with pasta and sauce or however you'd like. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Easy Roasted Pork -- INGREDIENTS 2/ 3 cup packed light brown sugar 1/ 4 cup cinnamon applesauce 1 1/ 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 pounds boneless pork loin roast DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly flour an oven bag. In a small bowl, blend brown sugar, applesauce, and ginger. Place pork roast in the prepared oven bag. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the roast. Seal bag, and cut several small slits in the top. Cook the roast 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Cheddar Chicken -- INGREDIENTS 1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal 3/ 4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/ 4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/ 2 cup butter, melted 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix the cornflake crumbs, Parmesan cheese and Cheddar cheese. Dip the chicken breasts in the melted butter, and roll them in the cornflake crumb mixture. Place chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Simply the Easiest Beef Brisket -- INGREDIENTS 1 (3 pound) beef brisket, trimmed of fat 1 medium onion, thinly sliced salt and pepper to taste 1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer 1 (12 ounce) bottle tomato-based chili sauce 3/ 4 cup packed brown sugar DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Season the brisket on all sides with salt and pepper, and place in a glass baking dish. Cover with a layer of sliced onions. In a medium bowl, mix together the beer, chili sauce, and brown sugar. Pour over the roast. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 3 hours in the preheated oven. Remove the aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let the brisket rest and cool slightly before slicing and returning to the dish. Reheat in the oven with the sauce spooned over the sliced meat.

Posted by: Mountian_Baby on 2009-03-16, 09:56:21

The chedder chicken above is loaded with sodium. Cheese and cereal both have quite a bit of sodium. And depending on the chicken you buy it may be loaded with sodium as well. The biggest thing that is going to help you is to read EVERY nutrition lable you come across. And as I'm sure your dietitian told you, avoid pre processed foods. You can sub fake salt of the real salt in recipes or just take it out. Be careful of fake salts as they are just potassium and the right potassium level in your body is very important. Even things like chicken have a lot of sodium. That is why I say read EVERY label. For instance Tyson boneless chicken breasts can be your best option for chicken. But be careful becuase the saodium content ranges from 40mg per 4 oz serving to 180 per serving with no difference in the packaging to note wich is wich. But on to some recipes, and tips. Homemade ranch dressing: ¾ tsp dried chives ¾ tsp dried parsley ½ tsp dill weed ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp onion powder ¼ tsp salt substitute or lite salt ½ tsp black pepper 1 cup mayo 1 cup butter milk Mix well and store in an air tight container in the fridge. **** Low Sodium Sweet and Sour Sauce: 2 tbsp corn starch ½ cup sugar ¼ cup mandarin orange juice or pineapple juice 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce ¼ cup water 2 tbsp No-salt ketchup (Heinz) 1 tbsp dry mustard ½ cup vinegar Combine all ingredients together in a small sauce pan; simmer until thickened to desired consistency. *** Flavored Low Sodium Chips: I like chips but a lot of the low sodium or no salt chips taste like they are missing something…..like salt and therefore a lot of the flavor. The Frito’s come closest to the “normal� taste. But flavors like lime and pepper, or b-b-q, chili lime etc… end up with more salt that even Salt and Vinegar chips. To flavor them at home use a flavor like one of the Kernel Seasons from above or mix up some Lime powder (Simply Lime found at Wal-Mart, Smiths etc…), granulated garlic, chili powder, pepper, salt free seasonings etc… What ever flavors you like. So start with a low sodium or sodium free chip then do the following. Set the oven to 350 degrees, empty the amount of chips you want on to a cookie sheet. Bake for about 5-10 min. This will heat up the oil in the chips; the seasonings will stick to the heated oil. Sprinkle with which ever seasoning mix or pre-bottled seasoning you want. Eat warm or let them cool. *** Sweet Potato Biscuits: 2 cups flour 3 tsp No salt added baking powder 1 tsp salt substitute 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon ¼ tsp cloves 4 tbsp cold no salt butter 2-3 tbsp no salt butter 3 tbsp shortening 2 cups warm mashed sweet potatoes-not hot ½ cup milk. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir and mix well. Cut in the cold butter and shortening until crumbly. Add potatoes, and milk. Knead 8-10 times roll to ½ inch thick. Cut out with biscuit cutters or a cup. Place in baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. ***** Baked Sweet Pork Chops: You can use any amount of pork chops for this recipe; use a kind of thcker sliced chop. Place chops in a baking dish and top each chop with 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar, 1 ½ tbsp no-salt added ketchup, 1 thick slice lemon, and one thick medium slice onion. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-45 min. Serve over rice. **** Chops with Apples and Peppers: 2 medium thickness bone out chops 2 large red apple 1 large red bell pepper 1 large yellow bell pepper Heat up a large skillet and add 2 tbsp no salt butter. Brown the chops on both sides, add the apples and let them start to brown a little bit. Reduce heat to medium low, add the bell peppers and cook until they are crisp tender. I also serve this over rice. ***** Broccoli and Cabbage Side: 1 onion cut in ½ then sliced about ¼ inch thick ½ head shredded cabbage 1 head broccoli florets (maybe about 1 cup) 1 tbsp no salt butter Heat butter in a skillet and add onions. Cook onions until they have just started to caramelize. Reduce heat to medium low add broccoli, and cook for about 3 min, add the cabbage and cook until the broccoli is just tender and the cabbage is cooked down and tender. *** Orzo Pasta and Squash: ½ box orzo pasta 1 medium sized yellow crooked neck squash chopped small 1 medium sized zucchini chopped small 1/ 3 cup parmesan cheese ½ tsp no salt added seasoning or Kriklad seasoned salt 1 tbsp no-salt butter Boil the orzo with plenty of extra water. Add the zucchini and crooked neck squash in the last 2 minutes. Boil until pasta is al dente and the veggies are cooked but still crunchy. Drain and pour into a serving bowl add remaining ingredients and mix well. ******This one is easily doubled and is great to take to a pot luck, or carry in dinner. ***** Cranberry Sauce/ Salsa: Use this instead of canned cranberry sauce for the holidays or even mix into some home-made pancakes and waffles. 4 cups frozen cranberries-thawed 1 orange peel and all (remove seeds if it has them) 1 whole apple cored 2/ 3 cup sugar. Cut the orange into 1/ 8 pieces, and cut the apple into small pieces. Pulse in the blender until it has started to break down. Add the sugar and cranberries and pulse until everything is mixed up but not to small. **** Tangy Watermelon Salad: 4 cups cubed seedless water melon 2 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp fresh lime juice 1 tbsp red wine vinegar ½ cup crumbled feta cheese ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley Mix oil, lime juice, vinegar, and parsley in a small bowl. Pour over watermelon and feta. Gently stir until evenly coated. Serve right away. **** Guacamole: You can do this one of 2 ways. You can use a pre-made pico de gallo. Or make your own chunky salsa, seed and finely chop 1-2 roma tomatoes, 1-2 cloves garlic, ½ onion, ½ -1 jalapeño (seeded), add 1-2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro. Mix well. 3-4 ripe avocados 1 lime ¼ tsp seasoned salt (from Costco) Granulated garlic to taste. Slightly mash the avocados, and add the home made salsa, or the pico. Mix slightly and add the juice from about ½ of the lime, granulated garlic, and seasoned salt. Mix and taste. Add more lime and garlic to taste. *** Spaghetti Sauce: Everyone does theirs different but here is the general way I do mine. Not exact as I just toss most everything in as I go and taste a lot and eye-ball it. 1 can NSA stewed diced tomatoes 1 can NSA tomato sauce 1 can tomato paste-sometimes 1 small onion chopped 1 good sized clove of garlic chopped Unsalted butter Low or no sodium chicken broth Italian seasoning Basil Oregano Parsley Dried Chives Pinch sugar Pepper Granulated Garlic Onion powder ¼ tsp or less celery salt Saute the onion and garlic until translucent and tender. Add the tomatoes and remaining ingredients. I like to simmer mine for at least 20-30 min. Use over pasta with or with out meat. In lasagna, chicken parmesan etc… You can also add a little more water and some chopped veggies and make a tomato veggie soup. **** Marinated Peppers and Onions: 4 medium red bell peppers 4 medium yellow bell peppers 4 tbsp olive oil 2 large red onions 4 cups red wine vinegar 4 cups water ¼ cup sugar 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tsp lite-salt Heat oven to 550 degrees (or set on broil) core the bell peppers and cut into narrow strips. Place peppers on two rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle 2 tbsp oil on each cookie sheet and toss to coat. Roast for 10 min, remove from oven and toss, return to oven to toast for another 5 min or until the peppers start to slightly char. Meanwhile put onions in large metal bowl. Put remaining ingredients in a large pot and boil. Pour over onions and let cool until onions start to wilt and liquid is room temp. Add the peppers, and if desired pour into clean canning jars. Make your own Spaghetti Sauce: I do this all to taste. Finely chop about ½ onion, and 1-2 cloves garlic. Sauté the onions and garlic in 1 tbsp butter until the onions starts to get tender. Add 1 can of no-salt added tomato sauce. Italian seasoning, dried or fresh parsley, dried oregano, dried or fresh basil, granulated garlic, onion powder, ½ cube low sodium chicken broth/ granules, or about 1 tsp no-salt bullion, pepper. Simmer on low and taste until you get what you want. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add some bone in chicken thighs and pour into a crock pot, or put a lid on it and simmer until the chicken in fall of the bone tender. **** Beef and Bean Crock-pot Soup: 2 pounds hamburger 1 lg onion 1 green bell pepper (optional) ¼ pound low sodium bacon chopped up kinda small 1 can (16 oz) butter beans 1 can (16 oz) kidney beans 1 can (16 oz) Pork and beans (or pinto beans) 1 can (16 oz) no salt added tomato sauce. ****Use the no salt added-Not reduced sodium (there is still a lot of salt in the reduced sodium versions) or you can even soak and cook your own from dried beans. ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup white sugar 2 tbsp molasses 2 tsp vinegar 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp dry mustard Brown the hamburger and bacon together. Drain, and add the onion and bell pepper. Pour into large crock pot and add all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and cook on low 3-4 hours. ** Also sometimes items like boxed rice are good and so easy in a pinch. Use the low sodium variety and then mix it with equal parts plain brown, white or wild rice. Still only eat 1 recommended portion from the package. This will still have a good flavor but at the same time drastically reduce your sodium intake of that product. ** Look on the package for reduced fat items. A lot of times the reduced fat also have reduced sodium. ******P.S. healthyheartmarket.com is a good site for finding low sodium food.

Posted by: Jen on 2009-03-16, 16:34:39

LOW SALT AND LOW FAT CHICKEN SOUP 1 tbsp. onion, chopped 4 celery stalks, diced 4 pkg. low salt chicken bouillon 4 cans Swanson's chicken broth 3 cans water 1 lb. bag carrots, sliced (1/ 2 in. slices) 2 lb. cooked chicken breast (no fat or skin) 2 tbsp. fresh parsley 1/ 8 tsp. pepper 1 tbsp. butter 1 c. frozen mixed vegetables Put butter and onion in 4 quart pot, saute until tender (5 minutes). Add water and chicken bouillon, bring to a boil. Add broth, chicken, celery, parsley, pepper and boil 1/ 2 hour. Add carrots and boil 20 minutes. Then add frozen vegetables and cook 20 minutes more on boil. Total cooking time 1 hour. Serves 6 OR SALT FREE, LOW CHOLESTEROL SUGAR COOKIES 1/ 2 c. granulated sugar 3/ 4 c. salt free corn oil 1/ 4 c. egg beaters 1 tsp. grated orange rind 1/ 4 tsp. orange juice 1 tbsp. low sodium baking powder 3 1/ 2 c. flour, all purpose Cream sugar and butter together until smooth. Add egg beaters, orange rind, orange juice, and mix well. Mix together low sodium baking powder and flour. Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Rub small amount of salt free butter on bottom of glass. Dip glass in granulated sugar. Flatten cookie dough ball slightly using flat end of glass. Bake at 300 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Yields 2 1/ 2 to 3 dozen. OR LOW SALT DIET CHICKEN 2 1/ 2 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces Grated rind of 1 lemon Juice of 1 lemon Thyme Garlic powder Oregano Black pepper Place chicken in a shallow baking pan, sprinkle with rind, lemon juice and seasonings. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, turn pieces and bake 30 minutes longer. OR ALL - PURPOSE LOW SALT SEASONING 2 tsp. onion powder 1/ 4 tsp. pepper 1/ 2 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. paprika 1/ 2 tsp. leaf thyme, crumbled 1/ 2 tsp. ground celery seed 2 tsp. leaf basil, crumbled 1/ 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes 1/ 2 tsp. ground marjoram Combine all ingredients in small jar with a tight lid. Shake well to mix OR LOW SALT - LOW FAT B.B.Q. SAUCE 1 (12 oz.) can no salt added tomato paste 1/ 2 c. dry white wine (to replace salt taste) 1 tbsp. dry mustard 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce Dash Tabasco (to taste) 1/ 4 c. brown sugar 1 tbsp. mild chili powder 2 tbsp. onions, chopped Juice of 1/ 2 lemon 1 1/ 2 c. water 2 tsp. Liquid Smoke Blend all ingredients well, simmer for 25 minutes. Be careful, it's a sloppy sauce and bubbles and splashes. Keeps up to 2 weeks in refrigerator. Great on chicken (no skin), fish or any meat. OR BEEF ENTREES (7 LOW FAT, LOW SALT, LOW COST MEALS) 3 or more full cut round steaks No-salt meat tenderizer, such s Adolph's Canola oil, liquid or spray Cut the steaks into approximately 3 x 5 inch portions. Cut pieces that are smaller into 3/ 4 inch cubes. Freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer to bags whatever will not be cooked right away. BARBEQUE or oven broil the larger portions after adding tenderizer. For SWISS STEAK, tenderize the larger portions, then pound flour into them with a mallet or side of a small bowl. Brown them in oil in a fry pan, add onions, seasonings and water to cover; simmer until tender. For BEEF STROGANOFF, the larger portions may be sliced into thin (1/ 8 inch) strips. Moisten with water, add tenderizer, stir together. After five minutes brown meat, add seasonings and water to cover; cook until tender. Thicken with flour mixed with some cold water. Add a sour cream substitute such as IMO and serve immediately over boiled rice. The 3/ 4 inch cubes are the right size for BEEF STEW. Moisten them, add tenderizer, let sit for five minutes. Brown them, add seasonings and simmer until tender. Add onions, celery, potatoes and carrots and cook 20 minutes more. Thicken with a flour and cold water mix. For STIR FRIES, the cubes may be cut in half, tenderized, browned, seasoned with soy sauce and served with stir fried vegetables such as onions, celery, bean sprouts, spinach, diced red bell peppers, and cabbage for an Oriental touch. For CHOP SUEY, halve the cubes, tenderize, brown, season and simmer them until tender. Add onions and bean sprouts, simmer. Add a mixture of soy sauce, cornstarch and cold water to the cooked mixture to thicken it. Serve over boiled rice or Chinese noodles. Finally, the cubes may be put through a meat grinder to make nearly fat free hamburgers for a fraction of the cost of the leanest (9% fat) available in the stores. hope they help!! JM