More Helpful Products

Why do I search out low sodium products? Because sometimes I need a break from making everything from scratch.. When you're on a low sodium diet, the quick fixes that others may turn to when pressed for time or energy, don't work for you. Take out pizza? Chinese to-go? Deli meats? Fast food? Frozen dinners? Canned soup? Nope! None of those time & energy savers are acceptable. So when I find a low sodium product that I can use, I grab it. 'Cause I never know when it'll come in handy.

Saffola Mayonnaise... There are some advantages to having store bought mayonnaise on hand. For one thing, it lasts a long time because of its professional canning process. And it's ready-made & convenient. Homemade mayonnaise is wonderful and is not difficult to make. It's great for when I'm going to use a cup or more at a time. But for quick swipes on sandwiches or brushing on chicken or fish before dredging in crumbs, I prefer to use an already prepared mayonnaise.

I've checked out the brands available online at low sodium web sites. Spectrum makes a 16 oz. eggless/vegan light canola mayonnaise that has only 65 mg. sodium per tablespoon. It's available at both Healthy Heart Market ($5.65) and Saltwatcher ($4.25). Saltwatcher also carries Spectrum Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise with only 30 mg. sodium per tablespoon ($6.99 for a 12 oz. jar -- pricey but low in sodium). Spectrum mayonnaise varieties are also sold in most health foods stores. The natural foods sections of my local grocery stores carry both the light and regular version. I'm not a fan of most low fat/low cholesterol products, and I'm not vegan, so the light version does not really appeal to me. The regular Spectrum mayo does not have a lower salt content.

Healthy Heart Market also carries Pacifica Culinaria Avocado Oil Mayonnaise. It has only 20 mg. of sodium per tablespoon, but it costs $10.50 for a 12 oz jar. That's a little too expensive for me. Saltwatcher carries La Costena Mayonnaise with Lime Juice. It has 65 mg. of sodium per tablespoon and costs just $2.75 for a 14 oz. jar.

Regarding grocery store mayonnaises, Best Foods/Hellmann's is pretty typical as far a sodium content goes -- 90 mg. per tablespoon. However I've found something that just about matches the more expensive Spectrum products and is available at ALL my local grocery stores. It's Saffola Mayonnaise with only 70 mg. sodium per tablespoon and coming in a 24 oz. jar. It's made by the same company that makes Saffola margarine and cooking oil. The company seems to be revamping its website & product line, so who knows how long the mayo will be available.

Smart Balance Unsalted 50/50 Butter Blend Sticks... I was updating my list of low sodium products the other day when I discovered that unsalted Saffola margarine was no longer available at my favorite local grocery store. So I studied the butter/margarine section to see if there was anything new to take its place. My eyes lit upon a new product from Smart Balance -- unsalted butter blend sticks -- 50% real butter & 50% Smart Balance Spread. It's supposed to be good for baking. Although I normally use regular unsalted butter, I bought some just for the heck of it.. One note, however: Apparently the unsalted variety is only available on the West Coast.

Dorot Cubes... These are wonderful teeny-tiny frozen cubes of crushed herbs. So far, I've only seen them at Trader Joe's, but they're great and super handy. I usually keep a couple of trays each of the crushed basil and the crushed garlic. The basil has about 10 mg. sodium per cube, while the garlic has about 20 mg. per cube. They are a product of Israel. When I'm in a hurry, it's so easy to pop a couple of the tiny Dorot cubes into whatever I'm cooking. Yes, I have fresh garlic on hand as well as frozen home grown basil leaves. But sometimes I don't feel like crushing garlic or chopping basil. I do have my lazy days!

Safeway Eating Right Frozen Dinners... OK, OK! I know frozen dinners are NOT good eating. But every once in a while I need help. I've looked at the Healthy Choice frozen dinners and ended up wondering where the "healthy" part was. The salt content is outrageous. But I'm always on the look out. You never know when some product might be low sodium.

A while ago, Safeway came out with an entire line of Eating Right products. For the most part they're low fat and some have added fiber. The problem with most so-called low fat/low cholesterol products is that in order to make them taste good, the salt & sugar content are increased. But I dutifully checked out the Eating Right frozen dinner options. Most of them have about 470 mg. sodium per meal. That's actually pretty good for a frozen dinner, but not good enough for someone on a low sodium diet. I did find two dinners that could honestly be considered low sodium: The Five Grain Chicken with Plum Sauce dinner has only 190 mg. sodium, and the Butternut Squash Ravioli dinner only has 330 mg. Not bad for frozen dinners. Both dinners have about 300 calories, so they're not exactly filling. They don't taste particularly special, but they're not horrific. They're only good for emergencies.

Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin... No, I don't use it for making jams or jellies. I mainly use it for salad dressings. For years I noticed that some recipes for homemade salad dressing mixes called for a bit of fruit pectin as a thickener. But I never paid much attention. Then a few weeks ago I read someone's hint about lowering the calorie content of bottled salad dressings by adding water. It didn't sound like a perfect solution to me. Yes, the calorie count would be lowered but the texture would be runny. I wondered about the Sure Jell thing. Could I lower the salt content of my husband's favorite salad dressing, Bob's Big Boy Blue Cheese, and still keep a good consistency? I decided to experiment.

I mixed two teaspoons of Sure Jell in 1/4 cup of water. I let it sit for a while and stirred until it was well combined. Then I stirred it into the jar of Bob's blue cheese dressing. I refrigerated it and tasted it about an hour later. The texture was just fine, not runny at all. And the taste was still very good.

Now I have a sure-fire way of reducing the sodium content of a salad topped with Bob's blue cheese. The first thing I do is dress the salad with a flavored olive oil, either garlic or rosemary. By pre-dressing the greens with an olive oil, the Bob’s Big Boy flavor goes a long way and I’m able to use less dressing. And since the dressing I'm using has had its sodium content reduced (thanks to Sure Jell), I'm better able to control the sodium content.

Smart Balance Smart 'N Healthy Microwave Popcorn... Most microwave popcorn is deadly. It's so salty that after just a few handfuls, my husband's feet swell up and fluid starts accumulating in his lungs. How do I know? Because a friend always brings some when he visits. A few times my husband joined him in snacking but no more. Even I can't eat the stuff. It's so salty that my mouth starts burning. Between the phony butter flavoring that congeals almost immediately and the humongous amounts of salt, I don't see how anyone can eat such a vile product.

But Smart Balance to the rescue again. Its Smart 'N Healthy microwave popcorn is pretty good: 1/3 of a bag is only 85 mg. sodium. And the good news is that I can find it at all my local grocery stores.

The Low Sodium Pantry: Vinegar

When you remove extra salt from your cooking, vinegar becomes a favorite friend. I always have at least five kinds on hand: Red wine, white wine, dark balsamic, white balsamic, and unseasoned rice vinegar.

The balsamic vinegars have a touch of sweetness, and the rice vinegar is very mild. Flavored vinegars are great too. I usually have some raspberry vinegar on hand along with Trader Joe’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar. Probably the most expected use for all these vinegars is in making salad dressings. That goes without saying.

Basic Vinaigrette

1/2 cup olive oil (Extra Virgin has a stronger flavor & will solidify when refrigerated)
3 tablespoons vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 teaspoons honey
1 clove crushed garlic
1-2 tablespoons water

Combine ingredients in jar & shake or whisk together in bowl.

By changing the vinegars and/or oils, adding different herbs, using different sweeteners, or substituting different ingredients for the mustard & water, you can come up with a variety of flavors. For example, changing out just a couple of tablespoons of plain olive oil with a flavored oil will add an entirely new dimension. Similarly, using a flavored vinegar or citrus juice for the acidic ingredient will do the same. Instead of honey for the sweetening, consider using brown sugar, maple syrup, or even jams/jellies. Pepper jelly adds a nice combination of sweet & spicy. And ketchup or even mayonnaise can be substituted for the mustard.

I make a delicious & easy Raspberry Vinaigrette by using raspberry vinegar and Torani Raspberry Syrup in place of the mustard, honey, & water in the basic vinaigrette recipe. Many variations are possible from such a simple & basic recipe.

When making classic American potato salad, I toss the drained, warm potatoes with some of the basic vinaigrette (I usually add a bit more vinegar). It flavors the potatoes nicely and adds moisture so I don’t end up overdoing the mayonnaise. The vinegar provides the zip that salt usually adds. I do the same thing when making old-fashioned American macaroni salad too. Oh, and I do NOT salt the cooking water for either the potatoes or macaroni.

I make quick dressing combos for both cooked and raw vegetables too. Usually equal parts vinegar & oil with a little added sweetener. I vary the oils and vinegars used and add whatever herbs or spices I think appropriate. Top the vegetable off with some toasted nuts or buttered breadcrumbs and you’ve got a “fancy” no-salt vegetable dish.

I also use vinegar in cooking. Whenever I make a braised dish (stew or pot roast), I always add 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar to the pot. Red wine vinegar with beef or lamb and white wine vinegar with chicken or pork. Again, the vinegar adds a zip that salt usually provides. A splash of vinegar ten minutes before finishing cooking can also brighten a braised dish.

I also add some red wine vinegar to any type of tomato sauce I’m cooking (lemon juice is also good with tomato sauces). Sometimes the unsalted tomato products not only taste flat but they taste overly sweet. Reasonable enough – salt is a foil to the natural sweetness in tomatoes. So I’ll add a dribble of vinegar to my spaghetti sauce and chili during cooking. Again, a splash ten minutes before finishing cooking can also brighten tomato sauce based dishes. A light splash of sherry vinegar right before serving can also add some sparkle to bean soups.

You can easily make a balsamic vinegar reduction. You’ll end up with a dark brown syrupy glaze that can be drizzled on fish, chicken, or vegetables to add a sweet-tart zing to any dish. If you’re artistic, swirls of balsamic vinegar glaze make a lovely edible plate decoration sure to impress guests. (Please note: I am NOT artistic as the accompanying picture will show.) I use the dark balsamic vinegar from Trader Joe’s and buy two bottles. Rather than making a little bit at a time, I use up an entire bottle. That way, I have a good supply of balsamic vinegar syrup always on hand.

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Pour the contents of one bottle of balsamic vinegar into a heavy bottomed non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel works well). Bring the contents to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer. (Because you’re dealing with vinegar and its fumes, be sure to turn on your kitchen exhaust fan. There’s no danger; it’s just that vinegar can be a strong odor.)

Continue simmering until the vinegar is reduced by about half. It should be slightly syrupy, similar to a glaze, and coat a spoon. Take the reduction off the heat when it is still just a bit thin. It will continue to thicken as it sits. Let the vinegar stand at room temperature until it is cool enough to pour into a plastic squeeze bottle (I use a picnic ketchup bottle). Store in the refrigerator.

Before using, be sure to set the bottle out until it comes to room temperature, or, if necessary, heat it a bit in the microwave or set it in a warm water bath (similar to what you do with crystallized honey.)

You can also make your own herb-infused vinegars. The Gardens Ablaze website gives complete directions and even suggestions for herbal combinations.

You can find wine vinegars and balsamic vinegar at most grocery stores, and rice vinegar is usually found in the Asian foods section of most grocery stores. Specialty food shops, Cost Plus World Market, Trader Joe’s, and even some natural foods stores also carry a good selection of vinegars, often including some flavored ones. I consider red & white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and plain rice vinegar as basic necessities. But I do love the flavored vinegars as well.

I made salt-free pickles! Yeah!

Freezer pickles, that is. I've posted before about a wonderful product I discovered several months ago, B & G Unsalted Kosher Dill Pickles. They're a great find when you're on a low sodium diet but have a craving for pickles. I've ordered them twice already, several jars at a time, from HeartWise Foods. The biggest problem has been that from time to time, the pickles are out of stock. I looked for other online vendors and found that they, too, had the items back-ordered. Bummer!

Anyhow, I'd noticed that our local farmer's markets were selling pickling cucumbers. And then I discovered an online recipe for salt-free dill pickles. I thought, why not give it a try? And that's what I did. First of all, I only bought about eight small pickling cukes. I wanted to experiment and see if a salt-free homemade pickle could even taste halfway decent. I didn't want to make a big batch of something inedible.

Secondly, I didn't want to go through the canning process. I wasn't sure about the safety of a salt-free version or someone's personal recipe. For safety's sake, I wanted a refrigerated pickle.

I faithfully followed the salt-free dill pickle recipe but was very disappointed. It called for a brine of three parts vinegar to one part water. In addition, the brine was flavored with onion, garlic, dill seeds, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and pickling spices. The idea itself worked. I had a jar of crisp, spicy flavored pickle spears. I just didn't like the flavor. The pickling spice in particular was overwhelming and the brine was one dimensional, just tart & sour.

I remembered that the B & G dills had a touch of sweetness and wondered if that's what was missing. I thought maybe subtracting the salt called for adding another taste characteristic. So I looked online for some other refrigerator pickle recipes. I figured I would just eliminate the salt. While looking, I stumbled upon several freezer pickle recipes. They sounded like the perfect answer to my canning dilemma. I could make several batches and not worry about the safety of canning because they'd be stored in the freezer.

I had just a couple of pickling cukes left over from my first attempt, so I ended up making a small batch. I combined ingredients and techniques from several recipes and came up with a pretty good final product. They're reminiscent of Clausen's refrigerated pickles. This time around, I made slices rather than spears. When I go to the farmer's market this week, I'll see if I can pick up some more cucumbers. I'd like to make enough homemade pickles to last until the next shipment of the B & G dills. I sure hope the cucumber season hasn't ended.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with these homemade salt-free pickles. In fact, I seem to be snitching a couple of "chips" every time I open the fridge. I haven't frozen them yet because I keep nibbling on them. I'll freeze my next batch if there are still pickling cucumbers available.

Salt-Free Dill Pickles

5 small pickling cucumbers
1/2 small onion, chopped or thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped or thinly sliced
1 cup white, distilled vinegar
1-4 tablespoons white sugar (depending on your desire for sweetness -- 1 tbsp. will be more like traditional dills while 4 tbsp. will be closer to bread & butter)
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (optional)

Pack cucumber spears or "chips" in a freezer container along with onion & garlic. Combine spices, vinegar, & water in a saucepan. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, & simmer for 1 minute. Take off heat. Once brine has cooled, fill container with vinegar solution leaving 1/2 - 1 inch of headspace. Secure top and shake or stir well to distribute spices. Place in refrigerator. Allow 2-3 days for pickles to absorb flavorings. Shake container or stir mixture every day to redistribute brine & spices. Freeze. Thaw pickles for approximately four hours before serving.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Have you ever looked in the fridge and realized you've got a bunch of stuff that MUST be cooked right away? Well, that's exactly what happened to me.

We seem to always have leftover brown rice hanging around. My husband is the "Rice Captain," so he's the one that takes care of it for me. Lately he's been mixing regular brown rice with some Lundberg Black Japonica rice. We have a rice cooker and usually end up fixing 3 cups of raw rice at a time. But it makes for a lot of leftovers. So that's the first thing I noticed.

Then I discovered a plastic bag full of green beans and a couple of jalapeno peppers from my local CSA in the crisper drawer. They needed to be cooked pronto. And hiding under all the tomatoes & fruit from the farmer's markets was one very ripe avocado. Oh, my pot of chives growing outside needed a haircut too.

OK, so I had my ingredients. I just had to somehow turn them all into a meal. The rice part was easy. Usually I just whip up a quick stir-fry. But ever since Lucy of Sweets, Savories, etc. posted about Italian rice balls I've been craving an old favorite -- rice patties. They've always been a special treat. Crispy on the outside, chewy (from the brown rice) & flavorful inside. Sometimes I'd make a Chinese sweet & sour sauce to go with them. And sometimes we'd just eat them plain.

My recipe is similar to Lucy's. The biggest difference is that she does a great job making perfectly rounded spheres. I'm not as talented; it's always patties for me. The thing that makes rice patties a nice low sodium dish is simply the fact that they're fried. Believe me, anything crispy tastes good even if it doesn't have any additional salt in it.

Rice Patties

2 cups leftover short grain brown rice (cooked in unsalted water)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. milk/cream
1 tsp. salt free herb/spice blend (The blend varies depending on my mood. This time, to keep with a Mexican theme, I used Penzeys Adobo blend)
1/4 cup finely chopped onions, scallions, or shallots (I used a couple of tablespoons of chopped chives)
1/4 cup finely shredded Swiss cheese (Swiss is naturally low in sodium)
Oil for frying

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Heat a 10-12 inch frying pan with about 1/4 cup oil over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, drop spoonfuls (about 1/4 cup) of rice mixture into oil. Fry until lightly browned on one side; then turn and fry until other side is also browned. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Like Lucy, I usually drain all my fried foods on a baking sheet that has been lined with paper towels and keep everything warm in a 250 degree oven.

I made guacamole with the avocado. Nothing complicated. Just peeled & seeded a ripe tomato from the farmer's market. Then finely chopped one of those jalapenos from the CSA. A crushed clove of garlic, some lime juice, mashed it all up, and I was done.

I steamed the green beans and marinated them in a simple balsamic vinaigrette, sprinkling on a couple of crumbles of goat cheese before serving (goat cheese is usually fresh & soft, so it is much lower in sodium content than harder cheeses).

I served everything up and called it dinner. Actually it was pretty good thanks to a lot of different tastes and textures. And my refrigerator is cleared out. Hmm, it may be time for me to go to the farmer's market again. And so the cycle continues...

Keeping Track

One thing about following a low sodium diet -- you become very familiar with the items carried by your local grocery stores. That's because you can spend literally hours examining the labels of everything stocked on the shelves. I think I've studied the jarred spaghetti sauces in all my local stores at least three or four times. Turning each jar around until I could read its sodium content. Then putting the jar back on the shelf and grabbing for another jar. Jotting information down in a small notebook. And then when I'm finally finished with one product, moving on to another.
The problem is that not all grocery stores carry the same items. So you've got to come up with a system that keeps track of which store carries which items. And you've got to note the sodium content in case you need to make comparisons.

I realize that I'm pretty fortunate living here in Northern California near Sacramento. I've got three local supermarkets I shop at regularly: Raley's/Bel Air (a Northern California chain); Safeway, & Sav-Mart. In addition, there's a Trader Joe's close by along with a Nugget Market (a smaller Sacramento area high-end chain similar to Whole Foods). And, of course, I'm a card carrying Costco member.

I found great low sodium products at so many different stores and from online sources that I knew I had to do something to keep track of them. So I gathered all my information and entered it into a Microsoft Word table. I could have put it in database form. Or just jotted everything down in a spiral notebook. The method I chose was not as important as just getting the information all together in one place so I could refer to it as needed.

I included the following information: the product description; the brand name; the serving size amount; the sodium content per serving size; where to purchase the product; and any special bits of information that would be helpful.
As I bring home new products, I add them to my list. About twice a year I review my information by printing out my list and taking it with me to the stores. I re-visit every item to see if there are changes. For instance, today I reviewed the products from Raley's/Bel Air and discovered that they no longer carry Saffola Unsalted Margerine. Instead they are carrying Smart Balance 50/50 Butter Blend Unsalted Sticks.

Keeping track of low sodium products is especially helpful when I am running low on something and need to get some more. If I can't exactly remember where I purchased it, my list helps me out. My list is very personalized. I only note the low sodium products that I have found tasty & useful. For example, although all my local grocery stores carry Mrs. Dash marinades, since I don't like them, I haven't recorded them.

Keeping track of favorite products helps make the challenge of low sodium cooking just a little bit easier.

More Low Sodium Products

First, from Trader Joe's. I realize that not everyone has a TJ near them. But if you're following a low sodium diet and can get to a store every once in a while, take advantage of their many low salt products.

Last time I was there I discovered three new canned food items: TJ Low Sodium Minestrone Soup and TJ Low Sodium Chicken & Mafalde Pasta Soup. Both these soups are ready-to-eat and have only 140 mg. sodium per 10.75 oz. can. Probably good for a quick snack or to round out a skimpy dinner. The third item I found was TJ Whole Peeled & No Salt Added Plum Tomatoes with Basil in 28 oz. cans. I'm going to use the tomatoes tomorrow when I make some spaghetti sauce.

In the natural foods sections of my local grocery store I rediscovered a couple of snack treats. True confession: I really like barbecued potato chips. But they're horribly salty and not exactly a healthy or wise food choice. But... every once in a while it would be nice to indulge. Well, I had forgotten about the folks at Terra. They make a nice assortment of unsalted potato chips. Today I went home with a bag of unsalted barbecue chips and a bag of unsalted lemon pepper chips. In the past I've also purchased their unsalted sweet potato chips many times. My husband is not that fond of the sweet potato chips, but I love them.

Here's my plan: I'm only going to serve the potato chips once. Then I'm going to run the remainder of them through my food processor for some fabulous flavored crumbs. I think the lemon pepper would be great with fish and the barbecue good with chicken. They're already oiled enough, so I won't have to worry about drizzling with butter. I'll combine them with a bit of breadcrumbs too.

Look in the natural foods or health foods section of your grocery store for regular unsalted potato chips; there are several brands available now. You might find the Terra brand flavored ones too. You can also look in your local natural foods store. Don't be afraid to ask either the grocery store or natural foods store to start carrying the salt free chips.

OK, this last item is mind boggling. I happened upon a package of Pinch of Salt Fritos. Another true confession: I actually do like the taste of Fritos. I just can't eat them because of the saltiness. And this has been my feeling about Fritos for years, long before my husband had to watch his sodium intake. Regular Fritos (and most other chips) are so overly salted that after a few munches, the inside of my mouth actually starts to burn. So when I saw the promise of lightly salted Fritos, I decided to give it a try. I knew it was a gamble and I might very well end up tossing the package in the trash. But I was pleasantly surprised when I started eating them and my mouth didn't start hurting. The salt content is cut more than in half. It's now 75 mg. sodium per a 1 oz. serving compared to 170 mg. per serving. That's quite a difference. And, I think they taste better now too. Of course, like the flavored potato chips, I won't be serving them more than once or twice. I think the Fritos would make good crumbs too.

The Low Sodium Pantry: Introduction

Your pantry is your most formidable weapon in the Low Sodium Battle. Just removing salt from favorite recipes is not enough. Let’s face facts: Salt makes food taste good. So if you’re going to lower the salt content in food, you’ve got to be prepared to use your imagination, to experiment, and to come up with tasty alternative seasonings.

There is nothing intrinsically evil about salt. Even the Lord recognized its importance when He told His followers, “You are the salt of the earth...” It has been used for thousands of years as a preservative and seasoning. Hams, sausages, cheeses, anchovies, pickles, sauerkraut – all these salted foods and more have been mankind’s way of preserving the earth’s bounty.

Perfectly seasoned food is NOT salty. However, the last fifty years or so has seen an explosion of packaged, processed, and prepared foods in the grocery stores and of fast food restaurants near our homes. We are accosted by overly salty food everywhere we turn, and many people are unable to overcome the salt shaker habit.

In my Greek family, we never had a salt shaker at the table. My mom was a good cook, and everything she made was well-seasoned. Lots of tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, & spices. I never encountered the salt shaker habit first hand until I was in college. I was with a bunch of friends at a local restaurant. One of the fellows ordered a typical American breakfast – eggs, hash browns, & sausage. I looked on in absolute horror as he sprinkled everything on his plate with a white layer salt. Then came the black/grey layer of ground pepper followed by a layer of bright red ketchup. He cut everything up and started to eat. I was aghast! Since then I’ve noticed people in Chinese restaurants salting chow mein and fried rice or in Italian restaurants salting spaghetti and lasagna. Salt on enchiladas and salsa; salt on a chef’s salad; salt on pizza; salt on already salt-laden French fries. It boggles the mind!

So, considering our national addiction to overly salted foods, it’s no wonder that staying on a low sodium diet is difficult for many. Serving grilled chicken sprinkled with Mrs. Dash every night is not enough incentive. That’s why having a well stocked pantry is so essential. It’s your arsenal in the Low Sodium Battle.

My goal is to cover what I consider essential pantry items for good tasting low sodium cooking. I will try to discuss how the items can be used and to include some brand names and shopping sources. Obviously, I can’t discuss everything in one post, so there will be several parts.

Sauerkraut Again

Four hot dogs with a couple spoonfuls each of sauerkraut does not use up an entire 32 ounce package of the stuff. Needless to say, I had quite a bit left over. So I decided to make pork chops smothered in sauerkraut.

I used the B & G Reduced Sodium Sauerkraut for our Labor Day picnic meal. Let me be perfectly frank, it is LESS sodium but certainly not NO sodium. The package claims that it is 25% less sodium than the regular stuff. Two tablespoons contain 135 mg sodium while the regular kraut has 180 mg. Now that's OK if you're eating one hot dog with just the 2 tablespoons of kraut as a topping. But it's not OK if you're going to have sauerkraut as a side dish.

So the first thing I did was rinse the sauerkraut well -- twice -- under cold running water. Then I drained it and placed it in a bowl. To that I added a grated medium-sized potato, a grated apple, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, and a finely chopped medium-sized onion that I had sauteed in butter until translucent. I mixed everything up in the bowl. The combination of the rinsing and all the additional vegetables cut the sodium content considerably. This is just another example of how to lower the sodium content of favorite foods by experimentation and imagination.

I started putting this meal together mid-morning for some reason, so I decided to use my crock pot instead of waiting to bake everything later in the afternoon. All I did was put four pork chops on the bottom of the slow cooker and cover them with the sauerkraut mixture. (I have to admit, I was feeling rather lazy, so I didn't brown the pork chops.)

I set the slow cooker on high for about an hour and then turned it down to low for an additional four hours. By dinner time, they were done. For an added flavor adventure, I could have sprinkled each serving with a bit of slightly crushed caraway seeds. (I wouldn't want to cook them with the chops because the flavor might become overwhelmingly powerful.) I served the sauerkraut smothered chops with some lovely beets from the farmer's market that I had dressed with equal parts blood orange flavored olive oil and Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar. All in all, a pretty easy and very tasty meal.