1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
3 tablespoons Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced (optional) Black pepper to taste
In a heavy saucepan or stewing pot, heat the oil over low heat. Add the onions, then the garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the onions are lightly browned. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes and stir once. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the fresh basil and parsley, if using. (Note: if using dried basil, add it at this time.) Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring from time to time.
Add the fresh basil and parsley. Cover and simmer 10 minutes more, stirring once or twice. Remove the bay leaf. Let the sauce cool 25 minutes, then pour into containers. May be refrigerated for up to two weeks, or frozen. Makes 4 cups.
BONUS TIP: If you’re using fresh tomatoes, the easiest way to peel them is this way: Make an X with a paring knife at the blossom end of each tomato. Core from the other end. Place the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 to 40 seconds. Remove them from the water and place in ice-cold water until they are cold to the touch. Pull the skin off each tomato.
291 Fragrant fresh basil also forms the base of pesto, a versatile Italian sauce that is traditionally made with cheese. You can reduce pesto’s sodium content significantly by cutting down on the cheese when you make it. In the following recipe, Holly Sollars uses herbed oil and a tablespoon of lemon juice to make up for the missing cheese in traditional pesto. The result is a reduced-sodium pesto that is still quite flavorful. One Salt Shaker.
BASIL PESTO
1⅓ ounces fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1⅓ cup Spectrum Mediterranean Oil or other garlic herbed oil (or plain extra-virgin olive oil)
1⅓ cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate for at least a few hours for best flavor. Makes about 1 cup.
292 Combine small amounts of pungent condiments with salt-free ingredients to create tangy low-sodium sauces. That’s what Deliciously Simple author Harriet Roth does with mustard in the following recipe. One Salt Shaker.
ONION-MUSTARD SAUCE
1 large onion, thinly sliced and browned in 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
1¼ cups salt-free chicken broth, defatted
Combine the browned onion with the mustard and pepper and stir to blend. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, taste, and adjust the seasonings. Makes 2¼ cups.
293 Make Instant Horseradish Sauce, which is another pungent example of a low-sodium sauté. It tastes great on cooked meat, fish, or vegetables. Here’s the ultra-simple recipe I use. One Salt Shaker.
INSTANT HORSERADISH SAUCE
1 cup nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon powdered horseradish (see Note)
Stir together and serve. Makes 1 cup.
NOTE: You can find powdered horseradish in fine gourmet shops.
294 Go Greek and cool as a cucumber. Sometimes a sauce that is refreshing and cooling is more appropriate than a pungent or spicy hot sauce. Greek Tzatziki Sauce is one such topper. It often is used to create a taste contrast for heavily spiced beef, lamb, or chicken shish kebabs, but it also is a pleasant sauce on plain poached fish, too. This recipe is from my book Get the Sugar Out. One Salt Shaker.
GREEK TZATZIKI SAUCE
1⅓ cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced, or 1 scallion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh dill weed or 1½teaspoons dried dill weed, or 1 tablespoon fresh mint or 1½ teaspoons dried mint
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, cover, and chill for a few hours. Makes about 1 cup.
295 Don’t be fooled into thinking a few tablespoons of a high-sodium sauce like barbecue sauce couldn’t hurt you. Commercial barbecue sauces contain exactly the kinds of sodium you should avoid, and some brands contain as much as 260 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. That may not sound like a lot, but if you use three tablespoons of sauce on your chicken, you receive 780 milligrams of sodium—just from three spoonfuls of liquid! That many milligrams is almost the amount you would receive from eating half a days worth of food on a low-salt diet. Make no mistake about it: all commercial barbecue sauces should be avoided.
296 If you really enjoy barbecue sauce, don’t give it up; just make your own. It’s actually quite easy to do. And by making your own barbecue sauce, you can season it exactly to your taste and avoid the unhealthy refined salt and sugar found in commercial brands. Here’s one basic recipe I like. One to Two Salt Shakers.
ZESTY BARBECUE SAUCE
1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 small onion, minced
2 to 3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon low-sodium Worcestershire sauce (see tip 227)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
A dash or two of ground cayenne (optional)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses, or apple juice concentrate
Real Salt (see tip 55) or Trocomare spicy herbal salt to taste (optional) (see tip 59)
Combine all the ingredients except the salt in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the mixture boils. Cover, reduce the heat, and allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add Real Salt or spicy herbal salt to taste, if desired. Cool and refrigerate the sauce for future use. (Note: Both tomatoes and molasses can burn if heated too long. For best results when using this sauce, bake or grill plain chicken pieces and brush the sauce on the chicken during the last 5 minutes of cooking. A dab of extra sauce can be added after cooking if desired.) Makes about 1⅓ cups.
297 Want something more simple? Is opening up a bottle and spreading the sauce on more your style than cooking a barbecue sauce from scratch? If so, here’s good news: Robbie’s Barbecue Sauce, available in either mild or hot, is a convenient sauce that has no salt added, no MSG, and no preservatives. It contains only 15 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. Mr. Spices Honey BBQ Sauce, which also contains no salt, MSG, and preservatives, is sodium-free. One Salt Shaker.
This recipe was adapted from a traditional Greek recipe handed down to Melissa from her mother, Helen Smith.
This recipe was adapted from a recipe for Roasted Corn on the Cob that appeared in Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford.
Get the Salt Out of Sandwiches and Snacks
Grain-based casual foods—such as pizza, nachos, and cheese crisps—are the second fastest-growing group of foods consumed in the United States, behind only snack foods such as pretzels, popcorn, and crackers. According to a 1994 U.S. Department of Agriculture survey, Americas consumption of “grain-mixture” foods has increased 100 percent in the last twenty years, and its intake of snack foods has risen 200 percent. Its no coincidence that as our intake of processed carbohydrates like these has increased, Americans have gotten fatter. As I explained in the Bonus Tip to tip 249, too many carbohydrates, especially too many refined carbohydrates, can cause the pancreas to secrete excess insulin, and insulin is a fat storage hormone par excellence. But the refined salt content is as troublesome as the processed state of all the carbohydrates Americans eat. A typical serving of pizza (¼ pie) easily can have 1,000 milligrams of sodium, and the sodium content of a sandwich—even what seems like a healthy sandwich with deli turkey slices on whole grain bread—sometimes can rival that amount. Add in a handful of pretzels for a snack, and with just those three foods alone, you often can exceed the maximum daily recommended amounts for sodium.
Make no mist
ake about it: typical varieties of casual foods, sandwiches, and snacks are laced with refined salt. If your diet is based on these foods, you’re probably unknowingly consuming at least double the amount of sodium you should be. To change this unhealthy pattern, study this chapter well and get back to basics: eat three natural, square meals a day; munch on crunchy, fresh vegetables for snacks; and allow yourself fun foods like pizza as long as you prepare them in salt-smart ways.
The tips in this chapter will remind you just how important it is to eat healthful, satisfying, low-sodium snacks. Refer to this chapter often to reinforce the idea that salt does not need to come as part of the package just because a food is eaten by hand instead of with a fork and knife.
CASUAL FOODS
298 To make quick and convenient pizza at home, use the lowest-sodium, most wholesome ready-to-use ingredients possible. Mozzarella cheese, the traditional topping of choice, is one ingredient that meets these criteria; fortunately, it is one of the lowest-sodium cheeses available. Other ingredients to look for are Eden Pizza Sauce and any of the delicious, whole grain sourdough crusts made by French Meadow Bakery. You can find these helpful products in most natural food stores. One to Two Salt Shakers.
299 Put plenty of flavorful, sliced vegetables on pizza instead of pepperoni, ham, or Canadian bacon. This is a simple way to increase the potassium content and dramatically reduce the salt and sodium content of pizza. Tasty and colorful vegetables that can be used to top pizzas include: diced onions; tomato slices; green, yellow, and red pepper rings; chopped spinach leaves; and sliced mushrooms. If you like canned artichoke hearts or sliced black olives on pizza, be sure to rinse them well with water before using. One Salt Shaker.
300 Try pizza Hawaiian-style: add unsweetened pineapple pieces to your pizza for a refreshing change of pace. One Salt Shaker.
301 Use the herbs fennel and sage to create sausage flavor on pizza without the salt. That’s the creative idea nutritionist Melissa Diane Smith had when she came up with this recipe for a healthy Turkey Sausage Pizza. Three Salt Shakers.
TURKEY SAUSAGE PIZZA
TOPPING INGREDIENTS
¼ pound lean ground turkey, crumbled into sausage-size bits (Shelton’s brand preferred)
¼ teaspoon each ground fennel seed and rubbed sage
¼ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ small to medium onion, chopped
½ medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thin
1 garlic clove, minced
PIZZA INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup Eden Pizza Sauce or the lowest-sodium pizza sauce you can find
1 French Meadow Bakery whole grain pizza crust (see tip 298)
½ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese (organic variety preferred)
Herbs such as dried oregano, fresh basil, fresh parsley, and more ground fennel and rubbed sage for garnish and extra flavor (optional)
To make the pizza topping: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the turkey crumbles for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the ground fennel and rubbed sage and continue cooking for about 2 minutes more, until the turkey bits are thoroughly browned. Scoop out the crumbled meat with a slotted spoon and place it onto a plate line with 2 sheets of paper towel. Lightly pat any unnecessary oil off the top of the meat with another paper towel, then set aside and allow the meat to cool. Clean out the skillet (drain away any excess grease). Heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Sauté for a minute, then add the sliced zucchini and minced garlic and lightly sauté for 1 more minute. Turn the heat off and combine the cooked turkey crumbles with the sautéed vegetable mixture.
To assemble and cook the pizza: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the crust, leaving at least a 1/2-inch rim around the crust that is unsauced. Spoon the vegetable-sausage mixture on top of the sauce. Top each pizza with ½ cup shredded cheese, then sprinkle lightly with the suggested herbs or herbs of your choice to give the pizza extra color and flavor. Place the pizza directly on the center rack in the oven and bake about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is light brown. Serves 4.
302 Make a cheeseless pizza. It’s a lot tastier than it sounds. Many of my lactose-intolerant or allergic clients who have had to eliminate cheese from their diets have told me that cheeseless pizza chock-full of flavorful vegetables and herbs often is as good as or sometimes better than the traditional kind. If you don’t believe me, try following these instructions by Melissa Diane Smith for a cheeseless variation of her Turkey Sausage Pizza. Two Salt Shakers.
CHEESELESS TURKEY SAUSAGE PIZZA
TOPPING INGREDIENTS [see tip 301]
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons Eden Pizza Sauce
1 French Meadow Bakery spelt [a wheatlike grain] pizza crust
¼ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
¼ teaspoon additional ground fennel and rubbed sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Follow the topping instructions as directed in the recipe above, but assemble the pizza slightly differently: Spoon 3 tablespoons of pizza sauce evenly on the pizza, leaving at least a ½-inch rim around the crust that is unsauced. Then mix the ½ cup of pizza sauce into the vegetable-sausage mixture and spoon the combined mixture evenly on top of the lightly sauced pizza crust. Sprinkle the recommended amounts of oregano, fennel, sage, fresh parsley, and fresh basil on top and place the pizza directly on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes. Serves 4.
303 Use salt-free seasoning packets when you make foods like tacos or fajitas. (The Spice Hunter is one brand to look for.) If you aren’t able to find a salt-free mix, season meat or poultry to taste with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt-free chili powder. One Salt Shaker.
304 Make nachos and other similar snack foods with natural cheese instead of processed cheese products. Natural cheese is salty, but it is lower in sodium than processed cheese. That means you should skip artificial cheeses such as Cheez Whiz and Velveeta and always opt for the “real stuff.” Here’s a recipe for homemade nachos that uses natural Monterey Jack. It comes from Salt: The Brand Name Guide to Sodium Content by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They are a great improvement over the salty nachos offered at movie theaters, amusement parks, and ball games. Two Salt Shakers.
NACHOS
3 fresh corn tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges
¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh green chiles, stems and seeds removed, or 1 canned whole green chile, rinsed and chopped
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Lay the cut tortillas on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and slightly browned. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Spread the cheese evenly over the tortillas, then spread the chiles over the cheese. Bake 3 to 4 minutes more, or until the cheese melts. Serves 2.
305 Hold the cheese on Mexican food to lower the sodium content further. Mexican favorites such as tostadas, enchiladas, and even tacos usually have such flavorful seasonings that they can be enjoyed without cheese. Here’s a recipe for simple, cheeseless Bean Burros that have plenty of flavor. It’s another low-salt idea from Holly Sollars. Two Salt Shakers.
BEAN BURROS
2 cups Refried Beans [see tip 263]
4 whole wheat tortillas (see Note, below)
Shredded green leaf lettuce, or half-shredded iceberg lettuce and half-shredded green leaf lettuce, for topping
Salsa [see tip 339], brother low-sodium salsa to taste (optional)
Heat the whole wheat tortillas in a 325-degree oven for a few minutes until warm. Divide the warm Refried Beans into 4 portions. Spoon each portion onto the center of each individual tortilla and wrap. Garnish the tops of the burros with shredded lettuce and salsa, if desired. Serves 4.
NOTE: The sodium content of whole wheat tortillas can vary considerably, dep
ending on the brand. Garden of Eatin’ is the lowest-sodium brand I know of; it contains 170 milligrams per tortilla.
306 Replace whole wheat tortillas in Mexican food with corn tortillas to cut the sodium even more. Whole wheat tortillas frequently average about 200 milligrams of sodium each, whereas corn tortillas usually are sodium-free and always have plenty of flavor. One Salt Shaker.
BONUS TIP: For a change of pace and color, try using blue corn tortillas. They, too, are sodium-free. Garden of Eatin is one good brand you can find in health food stores.
SANDWICH FIXINGS
307 High quality whole grain bread is delicious, but it can make your sandwich unusually high in hidden salt unless you choose bread carefully. One common whole grain bread I recently saw in a health food store contained 380 milligrams of sodium per slice! If you use two slices of a bread like that along with a couple of slices of deli meat, the sodium content of your sandwich can escalate to well over 1,000 milligrams. The bread that usually makes it into the sandwiches I prepare at home are any of the many varieties from French Meadow Bakery. Its spelt sourdough, which contains 55 milligrams of sodium per slice, is a personal favorite of mine. One to Two Salt Shakers (depending on the variety).
BONUS TIP: If you aren’t yet familiar with spelt, you should be. Its a grain that is a close cousin of wheat and is loved as a gourmet food in many parts of Europe. Like wheat, spelt does contain gluten, but it seems to be more easily digestible and better tolerated than wheat (even by some who are allergic to wheat). Many of my clients who have given up white bread but are not yet used to the taste of whole wheat bread prefer the pleasant, almost nutty taste of spelt bread.
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