Chili Dogs

Chili Dogs Ready to Eat!

My husband and I have always loved chili dogs. Certainly not the healthiest things to eat, but they sure are tasty. Once we went low sodium, we pretty much gave up on them. But, as I’ve said before, “Alway Be Checking.” You just never know what you’re going to find.

The hardest part was finding hot dogs with low enough sodium content to use. That’s why I was so excited to discover Nature’s Rancher Uncured Pork & Beef hot dogs at Whole Foods. They’re only 250 mg sodium/link. That is really good for hot dogs! Once I had the hot dog problem taken care of, putting together lower sodium chili dogs was relatively easy.

(For a list of lower sodium hot dogs, click HERE)

I know finding ready-made low sodium hot dogs buns can be problematic. Some people really like King’s Hawaiian hot dog buns with only 130 mg sodium/bun, but they can be hard to find. Just remember, you don’t have to be tied to a traditional hot dog bun. I’ve used slices of homemade or store-bought low sodium bread for hot dogs. I just mist the bread lightly with water and microwave for about 5-8 seconds to soften it enough to wrap around a frankfurter. Other times, I’ve use low sodium homemade or store-bought flour tortillas. I’ve even used homemade hamburger buns, just cutting the hot dog lengthwise and flattening them a bit before putting into the bun. Of course, you can always make your own hot dog buns. Or you can make an open-face version using just half of a bun and eating it with a fork. And you can even forgo the buns altogether and top a hot dog with chili and all the fixings.

When it comes to the chili, I use my own hamburger/hot dog chili sauce topping. (Click HERE to read the recipe) I make up a pot full at a time. The chili sauce is all meat ‒ no beans, no chunky vegetables, no tomatoes ‒  and is made with all salt-free ingredients.

I’ve found that steaming or lightly simmering these lower sodium hot dogs produces the best texture. The links are kind of skinny, so broiling or grilling can dry them out. I’m not complaining, though. If the links were larger, they’d have more sodium.

Steaming - Almost Ready!

For me, the key to making really good chili dogs is to steam them a bit once they’re all put together. The hot frankfurter goes into a bun and is topped with NSA or low sodium mustard* (I always add a spoonful of low sodium sweet pickle relish* on mine), hot chili, a sprinkle of shredded cheese, and a handful of chopped onions. Then the whole thing is put into a shallow bowl or plate and microwaved for 8 - 12 seconds. When it comes out of the microwave, I cover it all with plastic wrap or a plastic microwave cover. (I’ll put a pot holder over the cover opening to keep the steam from escaping.) Alternately, you can wrap each individual chili dog in plastic wrap. But I find using a plate neater and easier. By the time I’m ready to serve up the hot dogs, they’ve been properly steamed.

Served with salt free french fries or potato chips, some NSA pickles, and you’ve got a great low sodium “fast food” treat.

*Low Sodium Chili Dog Condiments:

Westbrae No Salt Added Stoneground Mustard (Available at Amazon or Healthy Heart Market)

Boar’s Head Yellow Mustard (54% lower sodium – 25 mg sodium/tsp)

Whole Foods 365 Sweet Pickle Relish (65 mg sodium/ tbsp)

Hot Dog/Hamburger/French Fry Chili Sauce

Homemade Lower Sodium Chili Dogs

You know what I’m talking about! That tasty sauce used on chili dogs et al. Not a lot of meat but with plenty of super thick gravy. It’s not the kind of chili you serve up in a bowl and eat by itself. It’s made to be a topping – for hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, or nachos. Maybe even mixed with pasta for chili mac. Or how about spooned on top of a bed of polenta for a tamale inspired meal? Or taco-style salads? There’s always chili gravy on cornbread, spooned over a baked potato, or as an omelet filling. The possibilities are endless.

This sort of chili sauce is usually associated with fast food joints. And, if you’re on a low sodium diet, the sauce can be prohibitively salty. But there’s no reason why a low sodium version can’t be made at home. And then you can enjoy your own homemade fast-food type treats.

True confession time. I have always loved chili dogs and chili burgers. In fact, they run in my family. My uncle, Tom Koulax, started a famous Los Angeles area chain of restaurants that specializes in chili burgers and chili dogs. I grew up eating Original Tommy’s very tasty and very messy delights.

Nachos with Low Sodium Chili Sauce

 So, when it came to making a homemade version of chili sauce gravy, I looked for a clone of the Original Tommy’s recipe. I found a pretty good one from Todd Wilbur, the “Top Secret Recipes” guy.

The spices were fine, but I didn’t care for using full fat hamburger and incorporating the fat with 1½ cups of flour. I’m sure the end result is probably more like the real thing, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I tried lessening the fat content and flour amount by using Ultra Gel for part of the thickener. That worked fine, as did using all Ultra Gel when making it for gluten sensitive family members. But I wasn’t completely satisfied.

Thick & Tasty!

Then I remembered my mother telling me that her dad, my grandfather, used to thicken homemade chili and beans with crushed up crackers. I thought maybe that’d work with the chili sauce. But instead of crushing whole crackers, I decided to try matzo meal (finely crushed matzo crackers). I can get Manischewitz Matzo Meal at all my local grocery stores, and it’s got zero sodium. I used 1 tablespoon matzo meal for each cup of liquid, and iIt was perfect! I could cook the hamburger meat in the flavored liquid as long as necessary, until it was soft and tender. The matzo meal dissolved into the liquid, and with additional simmering, created a thick, spoonable sauce. I was done tinkering. Hello chili dogs, chili fries, and chili burgers!

(For a list of lower sodium hot dogs, click HERE.)

Hot Dog/Hamburger/French Fry Chili Sauce

Adapted from Todd Wilbur

http://andyhifi.50webs.com/tommys/originaltommysworldfamouschili.htm

(Printable Recipe)

1 lb lean ground beef

2-3 C NSA beef broth, water, or combination of both*

3 T NSA chili powder (I use Penzeys, the Spice House, or Gebhardt)

1-2 T white vinegar

2 tsp dried minced onion

1 tsp  sugar

1 tsp  paprika

½ tsp  garlic powder

2 tsp  ground cumin

2-3 T NSA matzo meal (1 T per cup of liquid)*

Brown meat in large heavy dutch oven. Crumble meat into very small bits. Do not leave any big chunks.

Add broth/water and seasonings; stir well. Simmer at least 30 minutes or more to tenderize and soften meat.

Add matzo meal and stir well. Simmer on low heat for at least 20 minutes until matzo meal has dissolved into sauce. Stir frequently. Add broth/water as needed to make a thick gravy. (Remember, hot dog/hamburger/french fry chili sauce is not supposed to be meaty.)

*Note: The more liquid you use, the closer you’ll get to the kind of chili sauce served at fast food joints. Their chili sauce gravy is never meaty or chunky.

Optional: If desired, after cooking, whizz mixture a bit with a stick blender for a smoother consistency.

For more of a Coney style sauce:

Use the larger amount of vinegar (2 T)

Add 2 T low sodium yellow mustard

Use 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce or 1 C NSA ketchup for part of liquid

Add ½ - 1 tsp celery seed

Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
with Fried Egg on Top

Biscuits and gravy – The all American country breakfast! Crispy biscuits, split to expose their flaky interiors, and then smothered in creamy gravy full of tasty sausage bits. What could be better?

Unfortunately for those on low-so diets, it’s usually a sodium disaster. From the sausage, to the gravy, to the biscuits – there’s no way of getting around it –  a biscuits and gravy breakfast can be prohibitively high in sodium.

But not if you make it yourself. In fact, it’s rather to easy to produce a low sodium version. It just takes a little more time and planning.

First, the sausage.  Everything depends on having flavorful sausage. Start with unseasoned ground pork, turkey, or chicken. But be sure to avoid brined or enhanced meat. Most grocery stores now carry plain, unseasoned ground pork. It’s usually very lean, so you’ll need to add some oil when you brown it. I’m lucky enough to have access to a butcher shop that sells old-fashioned ground pork in one pound packages. Also, my favorite supermarket will grind pork shoulder for me. That’s especially nice when there’s a sale. The downside is that I have to package it up in 1 pound portions myself.

Making Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Lately I’ve been using salt-free Spicely Organic Breakfast Sausage Seasoning. It’s a great product but not available everywhere. Before Spicely, I seasoned ground pork myself. I cobbled together about 2-3 breakfast sausage recipes to create a mixture I’m happy with.

Spicely Salt-Free Breakfast Sausage Seasoning

For the gravy, I use NSA chicken broth for most of the liquid and about ¼ cup cream to finish it off. I like the taste and texture better than using all milk. Another option is using half broth and half milk. I also like to add some finely chopped onion while the sausage is browning. I think it contributes a nice flavor. I leave the sausage chunks fairly large, but that’s just a personal preference. Most of the time, the sausage crumbles in cream gravy are quite small.

Finally, for the biscuits, I use Ann’s recipe from her blog Thibeault’s Table. I like her recipe because it uses milk rather than buttermilk, so I don’t have to worry about dealing with baking soda. I know I could use Ener-G sodium-free baking soda, but I’ve had inconsistent results with it. Not so with Featherweight sodium-free baking powder. It works perfectly for me and no doubling is required. I also use whole wheat pastry flour for half of the flour called for.

When I made biscuits and sausage gravy a few days ago, I shaped the biscuits like scones. I patted the dough into a 6 inch circle and then cut into 8 wedges. It was super easy and a whole lot easier than cutting out rounds of dough.

Put it all together – sausage, gravy, and biscuits – and you’ve got a great tasting breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And low sodium, to boot!

Frying Up Homemade Sausage Crumbles

Breakfast Sausage

(Printable Recipe)

• 1 lb ground pork, turkey, or chicken
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp dried sage, crushed
• ¼ dried tsp dried thyme, crushed
• ¼ tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• ⅛  - ¼ tsp coriander
• ⅛  - ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 - 2 tsp brown sugar
• ⅛  - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional or to taste)
• ⅛  - ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional or to taste)

Thoroughly combine seasonings with ground meat. (I wear vinyl gloves and mix by hand.) Refrigerate meat mixture at least ½ hour to give flavors an opportunity to meld. (Longer is even better.)

Brown meat in a skillet, breaking up chunks to desired size. (Add 1-2 tablespoons oil to skillet if using lean meat.)

Sausage Gravy

Serves 6-8

(Printable Recipe)

1 lb homemade low sodium breakfast sausage

½ onion, finely chopped (optional)

4 tbsp flour

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp dried thyme, crushed

⅛ tsp dried sage, crushed

2 - 2½ cups milk (or use part water, NSA chicken broth, or part cream)

In a 12-inch skillet, break up and brown sausage and onion, if using, over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain fat, if desired.

Sprinkle flour over sausage mixture. Stirring constantly, add pepper, thyme, and sage. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Whisk constantly and slowly add the liquid(s).

Keep whisking while mixture comes to a full boil. Turn heat down and simmer for about 10 minutes to meld flavors and until thickened. Add additional water or broth until you reach desired consistency. Stir and ladle over warm biscuits.

Biscuits Cut into Scone Shapes

Biscuits

Adapted from Thibeault’s Table

(Ann's blog post includes helpful pictures of how she forms biscuits for baking.)

(Printable Recipe)

2 cups of flour (I use half AP and half WW pastry)

1 Tablespoon of low sodium baking powder (I use Hain Featherweight)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup of milk or buttermilk

Note: If using buttermilk, add 1/2 teaspoon low sodium baking soda

Optional: Add a little sugar if you prefer slightly sweet rather than savory

Mix the flour with the baking powder. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. (An easy way to cut the butter into the flour is to use a box grater. The large side of the grater makes the perfect size pieces of butter.) Stir milk into flour mixture. Mix quickly with fork just until dough starts to come together. Tip out onto lightly floured surface. (will look shaggy)   Using hands, gently pat mixture to flatten. Fold dough like an envelope. Turn and fold again.  Do this at least three to four times.  The dough is now ready to pat out. This whole step should only take 30 to 45 seconds.   Do not over-handle.  (Folding forms layers which makes for a very flaky biscuit).

Pat out to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with biscuit cutters and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Using your thumb push a little dent into the middle of the biscuit. This helps the biscuit rise straight and prevents it from tipping over as it rises. Brush biscuits with a little milk or cream and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes at 450°F. For extra flavor and to keep the tops soft, dip the biscuits, top side down into melted butter after baking.

Note: Consider adding your favorite dried or fresh herbs or spices to the biscuit dough. Parsley, thyme, rosemary, chives, and freshly ground black pepper all contribute extra flavor.

Salmon Patties

Salmon Patties

A few weeks ago I made an old timey meal – salmon patties. Usually I make tuna patties, but this time I used Trader Joe's salt-free canned salmon and was pleasantly surprised. No bones or skin to deal with. Also, the canned salmon was a lot moister than canned tuna, an added bonus.

Trader Joe's NSA Salmon
Skinless, Boneless, & NSA
60 mg sodium / 2 oz

It all came together quickly and was super easy to prepare. I seasoned the salmon mixture with The Spice House’s salt-free Cajun blend along with a bit of onion and garlic. I also added one packet of True Lemon for an extra flavor punch and a couple of tablespoons of mayo for extra moisture. The end result was quite tasty even with all the low sodium ingredients.

Instead of frying the patties, I baked them. I didn’t coat them with crumbs, but that might add a nice crunch whether baked or fried. If desired, the patties could be dredged in flour before frying.

This is a dish my husband really likes. Now that I’ve got a good source for NSA canned salmon, I’ll make it more often. It can be served with homemade tartar sauce or your favorite dipping sauce. Or, if you want something fancier, I’ve served tuna patties with avgolemeno sauce (sort of a Greek hollandaise sauce). The lemony tang of avgolemeno pairs really well with fish. (Click HERE for the sauce recipe.)

The leftover patties are also delicious cold with a dip on the side. I think they’d be fine in a sandwich too. My only suggestion for a sandwich would be to flatten them out more.

The salmon cake recipe is from a former member of GardenWeb’s Cooking Forum. I've been using it for quite a while now, but mainly with low sodium canned tuna. I used salmon this time because I wanted to try out the TJ salt-free canned salmon.

Baked Salmon Patties with Homemade Tartar Sauce

Salmon Cakes w/ Dill Sauce

Adapted from Diana55

(Printable Recipe)

Salmon Cakes: (Makes 6 -8 patties)

2 6 oz-cans of salmon

2 eggs

¼ cup dry low sodium bread crumbs (I use homemade)

¼ cup NSA dry potato flakes

2 Tbs. - ¼ cup onion, finely chopped

1 - 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ tsp. dill or favorite spice blend (I alternate between using dill weed or a salt-free Cajun spice blend)

¼ tsp. celery seed

Enough olive oil to coat pan

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

(I also add some lemon juice and about 2 Tbs. mayo)

Dill Sauce: (or use your favorite tartar sauce/dip recipe)

½ tsp. lemon juice

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. mayonnaise

¾ tsp. dill

1½ Tbs. buttermilk, milk, or yogurt

For the patties:

Beat the eggs and set aside. Mince the garlic and the onion. Shred the salmon into a large mixing bowl. (Remove skin and bones, if present) Mix in eggs, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, potato flakes, dill/spice blend, and celery seed. Mix well. Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes so the liquid is absorbed equally throughout. Form the mixture into 6 -8 equal sized balls. Press balls into a cake shape. The cakes will be fragile so be careful with them.

Coat a pan with olive oil. Cook the cakes for 5 minutes on each side over medium heat. Be careful when flipping them. If desired, coat the patties with flour or crumbs before frying. If using a coating, add a bit more oil to the pan.

(I have never tried frying them. Instead, I lightly coat both sides of each salmon cake with cooking spray and bake in a 375 oven for 8-10 minutes per side.)

For the dill sauce:

While the cakes are cooking, mix the Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, dill, and buttermilk/milk/yogurt to form the sauce.

Chinese Style Meatballs with Stir Fry Sauce

Sizzling in the pan!

I was in a stir fry mood and already had a package of ground pork thawing in the refrigerator. Crumbled meat didn’t appeal to me but meatballs did. So I decided to adapt my Thai Inspired Meatballs recipe to Chinese style ingredients. The recipe made 12 meatballs, enough for 2 meals, plus a couple for tasting. I could have frozen half the meatballs, but opted for two stir fry dinners in a row. I use a cookie dough scoop to portion out the meatballs. Most of the time, I just bake them without rolling to get perfect rounds.

With Trader Joe's Frozen Stir Fry Veggie Medley

The vegetables were easy enough. One night I used a package of Trader Joe’s frozen stir fry medley. The next night I reheated the meatballs in a little NSA chicken broth and stir fried a package of fresh snap peas I had in the fridge, some sliced carrots, and some canned baby corn. I tossed everything, vegetables and meatballs, with homemade stir fry sauce and dinner was done.

I used a basic stir fry sauce, however it’s very easy to customize. Check out the list of optional add-ins below. You can modify the stir fry sauce to suit the meat or vegetables being used and your own personal tastes. Make a mild, delicate sauce or a robust, flavorful sauce. It’s up to you.

With Fresh Vegetables

The meatballs were great and so were the accompanying vegetables. I didn’t serve rice or noodles, but if I had, I would have doubled the liquid used in the sauce. The bottom line ‒ I ended up with two tasty Chinese style dinners, each with very little sodium.

Chinese Style Meatballs with Stir Fry Sauce

(Printable Recipe)

1 lb. ground salt free turkey/chicken/pork

1/3 cup fresh salt free/low sodium breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp. minced shallots/thinly sliced green onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1-2 tsp. ginger (minced  or paste)

1-2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce (I use Chinatown)

Optional: (I used all the options)

¼ tsp. 5 spice powder

⅛ tsp. Hot chile oil (or to taste)

¼ tsp. White pepper

Combine breadcrumbs, eggs, and all the ingredients except meat. Mix well.  Break up meat and add in small clumps. Mix well. (I wear vinyl disposable gloves and use my hands.)  Let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes in order to allow breadcrumbs to absorb excess moisture.

Form approximately 12 meatballs.(I use a cookie scoop to portion meatballs) Place on greased cookie sheet (I line my baking pan with Reynold’s non-stick foil. Parchment paper would work too.) Bake for approximately 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven until done.

Basic Stir Fry Sauce

¼ cup water or NSA/low sodium chicken broth* (Note: the flavor of Herb-Ox granules does not work well in Asian dishes)

1- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (I use Chinatown)

1 tsp sugar

½ - 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water*

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced or finely sliced

½ tsp ginger, minced/grated or paste

1 tbsp vegetable oil, if needed

*For more sauce, use ½ cup liquid with 2 tsp cornstarch

Optional Add-Ins: (Start with small amount until you’re sure you like the flavor addition)

Unseasoned rice vinegar (adds tartness & tang)

Fresh chilies, minced/sliced or hot chili oil (adds spiciness & heat)

Sweet chili sauce (Ginger People’s Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce has only 5 mg sodium/2 Tbsp)

Substitute part of the water with pineapple or orange juice

Fresh cilantro (adds a fresh, herby taste)

Pinch of Chinese five spice powder (adds a flavor similar to hoisin sauce)

Freshly ground white pepper (adds complex earthiness due its fermentation)

Molasses (adds a bit of sweetness and dark coloring)

Ketchup (adds tomato flavor along with a touch of vinegar and sweetness)

Add more toasted sesame oil, sugar, garlic, and ginger to taste

In small bowl, combine water/broth with soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch slurry. Add desired optional ingredients. Stir well to dissolve sugar and blend in cornstarch mixture.

Stir fry whatever vegetables and/or meat are being used until almost ready for serving. Add 1 more tbsp oil, if needed. Add garlic and ginger; cook until fragrant, just a few seconds. Add sauce mixture a little at a time, and continue cooking until sauce is slightly thickened and glossy. All the stir fry should be lightly coated with the sauce.

Note:

Vary the sauce ingredients according to what’s in the stir fry. What works for chicken with snow peas may not work for beef with onions and peppers. Some stir fry combinations need a  more delicate, lightly flavored sauce, while others lend themselves to the aggressive flavors of chilies, garlic, and vinegar. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Also, don’t add all the sauce at once. Pour in just a little bit at a time, adjusting the sauce to how much food is being cooked. The goal is for the sauce to lightly coat every piece of food, leaving just enough to drizzle on rice if it’s being served. Don’t drown the stir fry in sauce.