Thanksgiving 2011

We celebrated Thanksgiving about a week early with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law. This year I made the entire Thanksgiving feast. I also roasted my very first turkey. Everything turned out quite delicious. If I do say so myself. Although, all the yums I heard around the table also verified the deliciousness. 

The Menu
Turkey
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes (real of course)
Stove Top Stuffing (It is just plain yummy)
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Casserole
Whole Berry Cranberry sauce
Grands Biscuits
Knaebe's Apple Pie

Corn Casserole is my husband's grandmother's recipe. I'm not a huge fan, but I understand there are just some foods that just "make" it a holiday. My "makes it a holiday" food is oyster stuffing. I opted not to make it this year. I haven't quite mastered it yet, so I decided not to mess with it. I think it was the first Thanksgiving I haven't had it. 

All in all it was a great Thanksgiving spread. The cooking went smoothly. I was actually ahead of schedule. 

Here's some pictures of the food. (I didn't get a good one of the whole turkey.)

This is the apple pie from Knaebe's Apple Farm. It was as delicious as it looks. I have another in the freezer for a future time. Next year, I am buying them out of pie.

 The amazing gravy. I think the fat separator gadget I bought really helped. 

The only whole bird shot. I was so busy making the above gravy. 

The spread.

The bird all carved up.


On actual Thanksgiving Josh and I had a beef roast. Yeah, I know, weird. But it was just the two of us. 

The Menu 
Eye of Round Roast
Mary Kay's Mac n Cheese (She graciously brought some by)
Green Bean Casserole (made with no sodium cream of chicken)
Brownies

The feast.

My plate. Yum!


We hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends.

~Stefani =)

Slow Cooker Chili

We found this recipe on Low Sodium Cooking. This chili is extremely hearty. It uses stew meat instead of ground beef. You will not miss the salt in this recipe. 

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Onions, Chopped

2 teaspoons of Garlic, Minced

2 tablespoons of Chili Powder
*
1 tablespoon of Ground Cumin

1/8 teaspoon of Black Pepper

1 1/2 lb of Beef Stew Meat, Cubed

2 cans of No Salt Added Tomatoes

1 can of No Salt Added Black Beans
 (optional)
8 ounces of Frozen or No Salt Added Canned Corn (optional)

*If you can get some ground Chipotle from a spice shop, then I recommend cutting the Chili Powder amount in half and adding 1 tablespoon of Chipotle.
 
Heat oil in a large skillet. 
Add onions and garlic and cook 4-5 minutes, until onions are softened. 
Add spices and beef. 
Cook and stir 6-8 minutes, until beef is browned on all sides. 
Place beef mixture in slow cooker. 
Stir in tomatoes and beans if desired. 
Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

The ingredients.

I am lazy and chop my onion and garlic in the food processor.

Cube the stew meat.

The oil, onion, and garlic.

Adding the beef to the pan.

Adding the ground Cumin.

Adding the Chili Powder.

Adding the Black Pepper.

This, my friends, is essential for slow cooking. It is a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner. It makes clean up so easy. I believe my friend, Amy, introduced me to this amazing product.

Put this delicousness into.....

 this.

Add the diced tomatoes.

Stir it all together and wait 8 to 10 hours.

Pour on top of egg noodles (or rice or elbow macaroni). Top with cheddar cheese. 

This recipe is crazy simple and can be personalized in so many ways. Like green peppers? Add them. Want it more spice? Add more chili powder.

~Stefani =)

Vindaloo

We came across this recipe when we were trying to figure out what to do with some leftover pork. We recently tried it with chicken. It worked well. This is a great recipe for a quick dinner. Just put the meat in to marinate in the morning or night before and the meal will take about 15 minutes to prepare in the evening. 

Curry Paste Ingredients
2 teaspoons of Ground Coriander
2 teaspoons of Ground Cumin
2 teaspoons for Ground Mustard
2 teaspoons of Ground Cloves
1 teaspoon of Turmeric
2 inch piece of Ginger Peeled and Grated
3/4 cup of White Vinegar OR 1 cup of Vegetable Oil

Main Dish Ingredients
Curry Paste
1 tablespoon of Minced Garlic (or Grated Garlic)
1 1/2 cup of Chopped Onion
1 pound of the Meat of Your Choice Cut into 1/2 inch Cubes (Pork or Chicken)
4 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 can of Diced Tomatoes, Drained
4 cups of white or brown rice
Salt and Pepper to taste


In a non-reactive bowl or glass dish combine the Curry Paste, garlic, and half of the onion.
Add the cubed meat (pork or chicken).
Coat the meat thoroughly with the Curry Paste and leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Once the meat is finished marinating, heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat.
Add the remaining onion and saute.
Saute for 5 minutes
Drain the pork, reserving the marinade.
Turn up the heat and add the meat a few cubes at a time.
Toss until the meat is brown on all sides.

Saute for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and reserve marinade  

Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. 

Serve over hot rice.

The ingredients, minus the meat of your choice.

 Saute the onions in the vegetable oil.

 Taking the meat out of the marinade.

Adding the meat a few cubes at a time. 

 Add the tomatoes.

 Mixing the onion, meat, and tomatoes.

The finished product. Feel free to top with cheese.



~Stefani =)

Taco Lasagna

We found this recipe on Low Sodium Cooking. It has become a favorite and a go to in low sodium cooking for us.  They call is Taco Casserole, but we found that Taco Lasagna is a better description. We have changed the recipe to suit our tastes. You may find the original recipe here.

1 pound of Ground Beef

1 Onion, Chopped

1 clove of Garlic, Minced or grated

1 tablespoon of Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon of Oregano

1/2 teaspoon of Cumin

1 can of No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes

8 oz can of No Salt Added Tomato Sauce (or No Salt Added Tomato Paste if in a pinch)

1 can No Salt Added Black Beans

12 Corn Tortillas

3/4 cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded (or as much cheese as you would like)

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the ground beef, onion, and garlic until the beef is done. 

Drain off excess fat. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes and spices. 

Simmer mixture for 2 minutes. 

Place a layer of 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. 

Place a layer of the beef mixture over top. 

Then 4 more tortillas. 

Then the beans. 

The final 4 tortillas and the rest of the beef mixture. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven until cheese has melted.  


We like to add cheese to all the layers. We just REALLY like cheese.

The ingredients. The "Accent" in the red and white shaker is MSG. Yes, it is basically sodium, but it give it an extra something with less sodium than salt.

The beef, onions, and garlic in the skillet.

The meat with all the seasonings. Instead of a full tablespoon of Chili Powder we used half Chili Powder and half Chipotle Powder.  When I was in town I went to Goeke Produce and stocked up on fresh spices.

The meat with the tomatoes added.

Spraying the pain. (Awesome photography by my husband.)

The first layer of corn tortillas.

The first layer of the meat mixture with extra cheese.

Second layer of tortillas and the beans. The spot with no beans is mine.

The last layer of tortillas with the meat and cheese.

The finished product!

We have found that Mexican and Italian are the easiest make low sodium. With all the other flavors going on you don't miss the salt.

~Stefani =)

Parmesan Dressing

We found this recipe on the back of Pompeian brand Roasted Garlic Infused Red Wine Vinegar. We did tweak it a little to make it low sodium (like leave out the salt it calls for). I will admit that I will sprinkle a little kosher salt on my salad when I use this dressing. Joshua, however, refrains from this temptation. Here is the recipe we use...

1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO for Rachael Ray fans)

1/2 cup of Pompeian Roasted Garlic Infused Red Wine Vinegar

1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 cloves of Garlic (minced or grated)

1/2 cup of White Wine (optional)

Combine all ingredients and shake well. Best to refrigerate after use. 

I recommend a higher quality extra virgin olive oil. It really does make a difference.

The EVOO and Red Wine Vinegar hating each other. 

A trick I learned from watching Rachael Ray: use a micro-plane grater to "mince" your garlic. So much easier than getting out a cutting board and chopping. 

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I used the same micro-plane grater as the garlic. 

The finished product!

This dressing is perfect for salads. It is very light and not overpowering. I have also used it as a base for a low sodium pasta salad.

~Stefani =)

Marinara Sauce

I saw this recipe on the show "Kitchen Boss". I swapped the regular tomatoes for no salt added tomatoes and added onion. The sauce tastes like you are a gourmet Italian chef and is super easy. It makes a large batch, so if you are a small family you can divided the sauce into smaller portions and freeze. When you need to use it, put the sauce in a small crock pot or covered pot on the stove and simmer. 


This recipe has about 37 mg of sodium per 1/2 Cup serving. Prego Marinara Italian Sauce in a jar has 480mg per 1/2 cup serving. Which is practically a meal's worth of sodium for a person on a low sodium diet.

2 28oz No Salt Added Crushed Tomatoes
2 14.5oz No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic (diced or crushed) (also more if you are fan of garlic)
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 Cup of Fresh Basil Leaves, torn into small pieces
4 teaspoons of sugar (1 teaspoon per can of tomatoes)
Mrs. Dash Tomato Garlic Basil to taste

I have been known to add no taste fiber powder to the sauce. (Such as Benfiber)

In a 3-4 qt. pot, heat the oil, garlic, and onion together. When garlic becomes pale gold and fragrant add the tomatoes.  Stir well to combine and bring sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer sauce, 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened. Remove from heat, check for seasoning and stir in the torn basil leaves

The onions and garlic with some of the tomatoes on top.

 Once all the tomatoes are in the pot.

Adding sugar, the secret ingredient. The "Kitchen Boss" recommends a teaspoon per can of tomatoes used. The green stuff is Tomato Basil Garlic Mrs Dash.

My husband says this sauce is "gourmet" and better than anything out of a jar. 

~Stefani =)

.

Low Sodium Swaps

Here are some easy low sodium swaps for your favorite ingredients. A little lesson of "eat this not that".

Corn Tortillas for Flour Tortillas 

-Many corn tortillas have zero sodium, but double check the nutrition information to make sure it has zero.

-You'll go from 300mg per shell (the large ones) to 0mg per shell. (the corn tortillas are considerably smaller, but you can have as many as you want!)

No Salt Added Canned Goods for Traditional Can Goods

-Pretty much every vegetable has a no salt added twin

Mrs. Dash for Packaged Meat Marinades

-We have used almost all the Mrs. Dash flavors for a marinade. Just add your favorite oil and a little vinegar (any kind you like)

You'll go from about 380mg per 1 tsp to 0mg per 1 tsp. This is one area where I truly did not miss the sodium.

Panko Bread Crumbs for Regular Bread Crumbs

You'll go from 350mg of sodium per 1/4 cup to 20mg of sodium per 1/4 cup.

No Sodium Baking Powder for Regular Baking Powder

-I have read you need to use double the amount of No Sodium vs. the Regular version.

You'll go from 60 mg of sodium per 1/8tsp to 0mg of sodium per 1/8tsp.

Natural Peanut Butter for Regular Peanut Butter

You'll go from about 150mg of sodium per 2TBSP to about 10mg of sodium per 2TBSP. I have seen peanut butter with 0mg of sodium, but this brand was on sale.

No Sodium Chicken Bouillon Granules for Regular Chicken Bouillon Granules

You'll go from about 1,100mg of sodium per 1tsp to 0mg of sodium per 1tsp.

We would NOT recommend the salt substitutes. They are just plain gross. 


~Stefani =)