Stove Top Stuffing Copy Cat

Roast Chicken Dinner with Stove Top Stuffing Clone

In my last post I described making King Arthur Flour's Thanksgiving Stuffing Bread. I adapted the recipe for low sodium and baked it in my bread machine. Although the bread was tasty all on its own, I specifically made it to use in a homemade, copycat recipe for Stove Top Stuffing. I wanted to try the recipe on Todd Wilbur’s site, Top Secret Recipes.

The Stove Top Stuffing clone  was not only easy to prepare but quite tasty. Once the bread was baked and cooled, I cut it into 1/4 inch cubes, and toasted them in the oven. I now have enough toasted cubes for at least 2 more recipes' worth of copycat Stove Top. I served it as a side dish with roasted chicken seasoned with Penzeys “Mural of Flavor” and Trader Joe's Cranberry/Orange relish.

Bag of Stuffing Cubes

I’m really happy about this quick but tasty side dish. And it’s low sodium! I can see myself using it for a lot of future roast chicken and pork chop dinners.

Stove Top Copycat

Adapted from Todd Wilbur’s Top Secret Recipes:

http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/Kraft-Stove-Top-Stuffing-Copycat-Recipe.html

(Printable Recipe)

2⅔ cups dried, toasted lower sodium bread crumbs* (I used ¼ inch cubes of lower sodium Stuffing Bread)

2-3 NSA chicken bouillon packets (I used Herb-Ox)

2 tsp dried celery flakes (I use McCormick’s)

2 tsp dried, minced onions

2 tsp dried parsley

1¼ - 1⅔ water (The original recipe called for the larger amount of liquid, but I think it’s too much; start with 1¼ and add water as needed)

2 - 4 tbsp butter

Optional: Add 1 - 2 tsp of favorite poultry seasoning blend or herbs

Combine dried herbs, water, and butter in saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in crumbs/cubes, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5-7 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.

Serves 6.

*Todd Wilbur suggests stacking bread slices on top of each other and squishing down to create dense bread cubes that will not become soggy during cooking. Cut into smallish dice. Place crumbs/cubes in baking pan, and bake at 250 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes until completely dry and slightly toasted.

Grilled Tri-Tip and Greek Potato Salad

The weather’s been getting warmer, and I was in the mood to grill a hunk of meat. Tri-tip is easy to fix, tastes great hot off the grill and its leftovers make wonderful sandwiches. Many recipes call for overnight marinating to help tenderize the meat and add flavor. However, I didn’t want to bother. So I slathered the meat with no-salt-added Westbrae Natural Stoneground Mustard (available at Healthy Heart Market or local grocery stores) and a generous sprinkling of World Market’s Chicago Chop & Steak Seasoning, my favorite blend for meat. I let the meat sit with the mustard/spice rub for about 35 minutes while the grill was pre-heating.

During that time, I started work on the Greek potato salad. (Click here for the recipe.) I used some very small honey gold potatoes. I didn’t peel them but cut them in half. By the time the tri-tip had cooked to medium rare and rested, the potato salad had spent enough time in the fridge and was ready to serve. This is one of my favorite side dishes. It’s so different from regular mayonnaise-laden potato salad. Full of fresh flavor and color from the chopped red onion and parsley and the olive oil/lemon juice dressing.

The mustard/spice blend proved to be a hit. Mustard adds a tanginess that makes up for the lack of salt, while the seasoning blend is perfect for just about any meat. I heartily recommend it, along with the other no-salt-added spice blends from World Market.

Scalloped Potatoes

True comfort food – creamy sauce, tender potato slices, a bit of onion, often some cheese, and (my favorite) the crunchy baked-on edges of the pan. Yum! But it takes so long for the raw potato slices to get cooked through in the oven. And, depending on your method, the milk may separate or curdle. It will still taste good, but it doesn’t look as nice.

Most recipes I’ve come across call for baking the raw potato slices in either plain liquid milk or a very thin béchamel sauce. Both methods work. With the plain milk, you need to use a moderately hot oven, no more than 350 degrees or the milk may separate. Curdling can happen in milk as the proteins coagulate and lump together. This causes separation of the curds (the protein lumps) from the remaining liquid. Several factors can cause curdling, including a high cooking temperature.

You can avoid curdling in scalloped potatoes in several ways. You could be sure to slice your potatoes thinly & evenly, don’t pile on too many layers, and bake in a moderate oven. You could bake the potato slices in a thin béchamel or white sauce. The added starch (flour or cornstarch) in the sauce will help prevent curdling. You can use cream for the liquid. Cream has more fat and less protein, so it doesn’t curdle easily. But no matter which of these methods you use, you still have to bake the potatoes in a moderate oven and that takes a while.

A few weeks ago I had a craving for scalloped potatoes, and it hit me at about 5:00 p.m. I knew that by the time I got the ingredients ready, put the casserole in the oven, and the potatoes actually cooked, we’d be eating too late. That’s when I remembered another method: cooking the potatoes in cream on the stove top first. I’d never wanted to try that method because I thought it was too much work, adding another step I didn’t want to follow. But I really, really wanted some scalloped potatoes. So I decided to give it a try.

I always have heavy cream on hand. That’s because I don’t tolerate fresh, liquid milk at all. I can handle yogurt, but no more than a ½ cup at a time per day. I have no problems with milk, yogurt, buttermilk, & sour cream in baking or cooked foods, thank goodness. For baking and any other recipes requiring milk, I use instant dry milk. Because of its high fat content, heavy cream does not spoil as quickly as other milk products. It stays good in my fridge for quite a while.

I’ve found heavy cream useful in a low sodium diet. Just a couple of tablespoons added to a so-so gravy or sauce adds a sumptuous, rich texture that offsets blandness.

Back to scalloped potatoes: I didn’t want to use all cream for the potatoes, so I simmered them in NSA chicken broth. I added two cloves of crushed garlic and some thyme to the simmering liquid along with thinly sliced onions. It didn’t take long before the starch from the potatoes had begun to thicken the sauce and the potatoes were slightly underdone. At that point, I stirred in about 1/3 cup of heavy cream, transferred everything to a greased casserole (made sure all the potatoes were covered in some sort of liquid), sprinkled lightly with a combination of grated Swiss & cheddar cheese, and topped with homemade flavored bread crumbs (crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and an assortment of dried & fresh herbs). I put the casserole in my pre-heated 400 degree toaster oven (425 degrees in a regular oven) and baked for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly and the potatoes were completely tender. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have used a stovetop-to-oven pan for simmering the potatoes. That would have saved one step and one dirty pan.

The entire operation, from start to finish, took about 30-35 minutes. Much shorter time than baking raw potato slices in the oven. I liked this method so much that I’ve used it several times since that first effort. The potatoes can be flavored many different ways: thyme, rosemary, or a special no-salt blend like Penzy’s “Mural of Flavor;” chopped jalapeno, poblano, chipotle, or Anaheim peppers; vegetable additions like carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli florets, corn; and even homemade low sodium sausage crumbles or a couple of slices of crumbled low sodium bacon.

This method was much easier than expected and produced tender, creamy potatoes (with no curdling). My husband and I couldn’t stop nibbling. I really didn’t need anything else with the meal.

Asparagus-Leek Risotto

All my local grocery stores are selling asparagus now. They’re a great vegetable for anyone on a low sodium diet. Perfect steamed, sautéed in stir fries, and especially tasty when roasted in a bit of olive oil.

A while ago I found a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens magazine for asparagus risotto. Although I’ve always been intrigued by risotto, most recipes call for some sort of wine and/or inordinate amounts of Parmesan cheese. I never use wine in my cooking, and too much Parmesan cheese is a no-no when trying to eat & cook low sodium. The recipe clipping languished in my “To Try” files for almost two years before I finally got around to making it. I’m glad I did because it’s a wonderful dish.

The thing that sets it aside from other risotto recipes is the use of lemon -- both the zest and juice. That little bit of lemon goes a long way toward making the lower sodium version tasty. Here’s the recipe and my notes for making a lower sodium version:

Asparagus-Leek Risotto
Adapted from Better Homes & Garden
(Printable Recipe)

¾ lb. asparagus spears, trimmed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1½ cups sliced leeks
1 cup Arborio rice
3 cups NSA chicken broth
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I used just 2-3 tablespoons)
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh parsley (The fresh herb adds a special zing; add more if you like)½ tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (I used an additional Tbsp.)
¼ tsp. freshly ground course black pepper
Lemon slices (or thin wedges) and Lemon peel

Place asparagus in single layer on baking sheet. Brush or drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil; lightly sprinkle black pepper. (I lined the baking sheet with aluminum foil) Bake uncovered, in 450 degree oven about 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Cool slightly. Cut two-thirds in 2-inch pieces; set aside all asparagus.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan cook leeks in remaining olive oil until tender. Stir in uncooked rice. Cook and stir over medium heat about 5 minutes or until rice begins to turn golden brown.

In another saucepan bring broth to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer. Carefully stir 1 cup of hot broth into rice mixture. Cook stirring frequently, over medium heat until liquid is absorbed. Then add ½ cup broth at a time, stirring frequently until broth is absorbed before adding more broth (about 22 minutes).

Stir in any remaining broth, cook and stir just until rice is tender and creamy.

Stir in asparagus pieces, cheese, parsley, lemon peel, lemon juice and pepper. Top with reserved asparagus spears, lemon slices, and peel. Each person can use the wedges to add an extra squeeze of lemon juice for even more flavor.

This risotto recipe can easily be adapted to other vegetables. I think green peas would work well, perhaps with a sprinkling of finely chopped mint as a garnish. Also, you could substitute sliced and sauteed mushrooms and/or green onions instead of the leeks. Finely minced garlic would be another great addition. The recipe provides a nice jumping off point for utilizing any fresh vegetable.

Rice Patties

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 an interesting 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
(Printable Recipe)

2 cups leftover brown rice (cooked in unsalted water or broth)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. milk/cream
1 tsp. salt free herb/spice blend
1/4 cup finely chopped onions, scallions, chives, or shallots
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 a baking sheet that has been lined with paper towels; 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. 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...

Deli Sandwiches & Greek Potato Salad

What's wrong with these pictures? One picture has an open-face sandwich of deli sliced turkey accompanied by a dill pickle and some olives. The other picture has a BLT sandwich and some potato salad. Can any of this be low salt? Well, the amazing answer is, YES! It's all low sodium Let me break it down for you:

The open face sandwich was made with Columbus Reduced Sodium Herb Roasted Turkey Breast. The plain flavored turkey breast is available at Trader Joe's, but I bought a large package of the herb roasted at Costco. At 240 mg. sodium for 2 oz. turkey, that's not too bad for a deli meat.

The pickles are 100% sodium free. I bought them online  and what a find they were. (Update: Although B & G no longer produces these pickles, Healthy Heart Market sells its own brand of unsalted dill and bread & butter pickles.) They have no salt in them, but they do have a touch of corn syrup. So they're a bit sweeter than regular dill pickles. Not as sugary as sweet pickles; slightly reminiscent of bread & butter pickles. But not even as sweet as those are. They've got a nice spicy kick to them too. And when you've haven't been able to eat pickles in over 2-1/2 years, boy, they sure taste good. I bought 2 jars and we're almost finished with the second one. I've got to order some more.

The olives are from Healthy Heart . They have 40 mg sodium per 5 olives.

The BLT is made with low sodium bacon. I'm able to find it at Costco, Safeway,and my local grocery store, Raley's. Depending on the brand, the sodium content can range from 110 mg. per slice to 173 mg. for two slices. So be sure to read the labels!

The potato salad is a family recipe with no mayonnaise at all. The lemon juice in the dressing makes up for any missing salt.

Patatosalata - Greek Potato Salad
(Printable Recipe)

Fresh, lively, and bursting with flavor. This salad brightens any meal and is a delicious alternative to the typical mayonnaise-laden versions.

2 – 2 ½ lbs. wax potatoes (white, Yukon Gold, or red)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1- 2 large lemons (I love lemon, so I usually use three)
1 red onion, finely diced
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1-2 teaspoons dried or fresh Greek oregano or dill (optional)


Finely chop onion and parsley. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice; whisk together. In a large bowl combine oregano or dill (if used), parsley, salt, and onion. Mix well and set aside.

Wash potatoes well. Add potatoes to a large pot of boiling water. Cook potatoes at low boil for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender. Do not overcook. Drain water and let potatoes cool slightly to touch. (I steam the unpeeled potatoes with unsalted water now; they lose less flavor when the peel is intact & they're not boiled.)

When slightly cooled, peel and cut potatoes into slices or large dice (If desired, leave skin on red potatoes). Place potatoes in a bowl with onions & herbs; add dressing. Toss to coat. (I usually have some dressing left over.) Cover bowl and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Stir every once in a while to redistribute dressing.

Rice Pie

A strange name, I know. But when I threw this recipe together many, many years ago, I didn't know what to call it. It had rice, and I always baked it in a Pyrex pie dish, thus the name. Anyhow, I originally developed this dish to use up leftover brown rice. My husband fell in love with it and considers it one of his favorite meals. It's almost too simple to merit a recipe, but it's a very satisfying vegetarian dish.

Rice Pie
(Printable Recipe)

Leftover brown rice, 2 - 3 cups (I do not salt the rice cooking water)
Sliced ripe tomatoes
One large onion, sliced
1 package frozen artichoke hearts
2 tbsp. cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded or fresh mozzarella, cubed (Both are naturally low in sodium)
1/4 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Pepper to taste
Thyme
1 - 2 tbsp. unsalted butter or oil
Oil or vegetable oil spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the cheeses and the mayonnaise. Set aside.

Cook the frozen artichokes, drain well, and set aside.

Spray or lightly oil the bottom of a glass pie pan. Spread leftover rice onto pie pan. Add enough rice to make at least an inch deep layer of rice. Sprinkle rice with dried thyme.

Top rice layer with sliced tomatoes to cover. Sprinkle tomatoes with ground pepper and place pie pan in oven to begin partially cooking tomatoes.

While rice & tomatoes are baking, saute sliced onion in NSA butter or oil until nicely softened.

Remove rice & tomatoes from oven. Strew the top with the sliced onions and arrange the artichoke hearts on top of the onions. If necessary, cut some of the larger artichoke pieces in half to more evenly distribute.

Arrange spoonfuls of the mayonnaise/cheese mixture on top of the vegetables. Return the pie pan to the oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until the cheese top is nicely browned.


Note: Sometimes I saute sliced mushrooms along with the onions. I have even added chunks of leftover chicken.

That's it! Couldn't be simpler, yet it really tastes good and is quite filling.

Barbecued Baked Beans

While rummaging through my pantry, I came across a package of great northern beans and decided to cook them. I'd had good luck using a barbecued bean recipe from Cook's Illustrated, so I figured I'd try it again. Beans are difficult on a low sodium diet. They can taste pretty flat without the salt or smoked meat products -- ham, bacon, ham hocks, etc. But this recipe tasted pretty good because it was highly flavored.

My only complaint with the recipe was that the salt & acidic ingredients (BBQ sauce, brown sugar, mustard, & molasses) were added at the beginning. Most recipes caution against doing this because it will make the beans hard & they won't get tender. I kept those ingredients out until the beans had sufficiently softened.

Anyhow, here's the recipe with my notes.

Barbecued Baked Beans 
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated 2/2005

Serves 6 to 8
(Printable Recipe)
4 slices bacon, chopped fine (I either just use 2 slices low sodium bacon or omit altogether)
1 onion , minced
4 cloves garlic , minced
1 pound dried small white beans, rinsed and picked over (See Notes)
8 cups water
1 cup strong coffee, black
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used 1/2 cup Heinz No Salt Added Ketchup & 1 tsp. The Spice House Salt Free Spicy West Indies Barbecue Seasoning)
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons brown mustard, prepared (I used a salt free mustard)
1 tablespoon mild molasses
Hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
Ground black pepper

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in the beans, water , coffee, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, molasses, & 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco. Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring every hour, until the beans are tender, about 4 hours. (I used slow cooker and cooked beans first without ketchup, mustard & molasses)

3. Remove the lid and continue to bake, uncovered, until the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Notes : I soaked the beans overnight & rinsed. I cooked them in water for 45 minutes at a very low simmer with 1 bay leaf, 4 small cloves garlic cut in chunks, and a tea ball filled with whole peppercorns, & allspice. I drained them, reserving the cooking water. I sautéed the onion, garlic, & 1/2 a jalapeño pepper in olive oil. I did not use bacon this time. I added the beans & used Pacific Low Sodium Chicken Broth to cover, along with the coffee, and brown sugar. I dumped this all in the slow cooker. I added the molasses, prepared mustard & barbecue sauce (ketchup & spice blend) AFTER the beans became tender. I added 1 tsp. of liquid smoke near the end. I only added ladles of reserved bean cooking liquid if the beans seemed too dry.