Nancy's Organic Cultured Cream Cheese

My husband loves bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. I make my own low sodium bagels, following the King Arthur Four recipe for Water Bagels. I cut both the yeast and salt quantities in half and use only 2 tablespoons malted milk powder (Carnation’s) instead of the non-diastatic malt powder. I also use half all-purpose and half white whole wheat. I often include a heaping tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds or a tablespoon of dried chopped onion for additional flavor. I make 12 bagels instead of 16 from the recipe. They come out nice and chewy, not soft and fluffy like most store bought bagels. I keep them in the freezer. (By the way, I make what we call “bagel buns.” The hole is allowed to close up so there no danger of stuff falling through.)

A toasted bagel spread with cream cheese makes a perfect breakfast. During the summer months, nothing beats a thick slice of fresh, ripe tomato along with the cream cheese. I like to add thin slices of red onion and a couple of sprinkles of hot sauce. Sometimes my husband will add a slice of low sodium deli turkey or a couple of slices of low sodium salami. Or a smear of a savory spread like jalapeno pepper jam. If the bagels don’t have onion in them, any jelly would be great. I like the combination of butter, cream cheese, and peanut butter.

I normally buy store brand whipped cream cheese because it has the lowest sodium content. The air whipped into the cream cheese makes it more spreadable but also cuts the sodium content per serving. However yesterday I discovered the ultimate low sodium cream cheese – Nancy’s! I’ve purchased Nancy’s cottage cheese from time to time when I couldn’t get to Safeway for their salt-free product. So I was sure the cream cheese would be OK. But I was absolutely blown away by the sodium content – 2 tablespoons equals 35 mg. sodium. Yes, that’s right! 35 mg. sodium for 2 tablespoon of cream cheese! Amazing! And even more amazing is that it tastes so good and has a wonderfully creamy texture.

I was so excited that I bought two tubs. It’s organic, contains live cultures, and has no stabilizers. Understandably, it costs more than the store brand whipped cream cheese I’ve been buying. But the low sodium content combined with the live cultures and lack of stabilizers make it worthwhile to me.

I found it at a local supermarket chain in the Sacramento area. I like to keep cream cheese on hand for all kinds of thing, not just bagels. Add a tablespoon to scrambled eggs a few minutes before they’re completely cooked and you’ll have creamy and delicious eggs. Add a tablespoon or two to any hot cooked vegetable for an instant cream sauce. You can do something similar with hot cooked noodles or rice. I also like to add a dollop of cream cheese to muffins: fill the muffin tin halfway with batter, spoon on the cream cheese, and top with the remaining batter. It makes a great all-in-one breakfast package.

Let’s Talk Low/No Sodium Peanut Butter

Which low/no sodium brand is your favorite, and where do you buy it? I’ve been thinking about peanut butter because of Bev’s comment on my recent post, Low/No Sodium Products – Amazon Wish List. I had listed Natural Jif, but Bev told me about another Jif product. It’s called Simply Jif, and the label says it’s low sodium and has 33% less sugar than regular Jif. Well, Bev was right. How I overlooked this product is puzzling. But I think it might be because I usually buy unsalted, natural peanut butter, either Laura Scudder’s , Trader Joe's, or Adams. You know, the kind you have to stir.

There are some differences between Natural Jif and Simply Jif:

• Natural has 190 calories per 2 tbsp. serving, with 130 from fat. Simply has the same overall calories, but 140 are from fat.
• Natural has 80 mgs sodium/serving. Simply has 65 mgs sodium/serving.
• Natural has 3 g sugars/serving. Simply has 2 g sugars/serving.
• Natural is made with palm oil. Simply is made with “fully hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed [canola] or soybean).

Simply Jif really is lower in sodium and in sugars. However, Simply Jif uses hydrogenated vegetable oil, while Natural Jif uses palm oil (a naturally saturated vegetable fat that is semi-solid at room temperatures). The difference in oils used might be a concern for some.

So, which peanut butter do you like and buy? I never cared for peanut butter much until I discovered Laura Scudder’s natural version years and years ago. And that’s what I’ve used ever since. I think natural tastes more peanutty, and it’s not sweetened. Plus I’m not a fan of the ultra creamy, shortening-like consistency and mouth-feel of peanut butters like Jif and Skippy. But I realize I’m in the minority. Some people don’t like the slight grittiness of most natural peanut butters.

My half eaten jar of Laura Scudder's

However, the biggest downside to natural peanut butter is the need to stir the oil into the peanut solids. If the jar is fresh, that’s not a problem. But if the jar has been on the grocery store shelf for a while, then you’re dealing with a hard section of peanut mass that’s almost impossible to get a spoon into. (For some reason, Trader Joe's unsalted natural peanut butter is much easier to stir.) I usually microwave the open jar on the defrost setting for about 20 seconds at a time, stirring little by little with the handle of a wooden spoon until all the solids are evenly combined with the oil. Believe me, it takes some muscle power. And you’ve got to be sure you’ve blended every bit thoroughly. Otherwise, when you get near the bottom of the jar, you run into dry, hard, globs of peanut cement. I’ve got the patience to do that. My husband -- not so much. That’s why we started venturing into more traditional style peanut butters.

I have tried so-called “No-Stir” natural peanut butters, like Maranatha and Full Circle brands, and been disappointed. They’re usually made with palm oil to supposedly provide a no-stir, creamy texture. But despite what the label says, I’ve discovered that there is, indeed, stirring required. They often have a tell-tale layer of oil floating above the peanut solids. I’d heard good things about Justin’s brand, but yesterday when checking it out in Safeway, I spotted a layer of oil at the top of the jar. Plus it costs about $2.00 more than either Laura Scudder’s or Adams. And quite a bit more than Trader Joe's. So I passed it up, but maybe I really should give it a try.

What brands do you buy and why? Or, equally important, why don’t you buy certain brands? Just as Bev gave me a nudge to look for another peanut butter option, we can share information here. Who knows what we might discover?

Kerrygold Reduced Fat Butter

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day… I discovered Kerrygold Reduced Fat Irish Butter a couple of months ago when I took my first trip to a Whole Foods that opened up nearby. It was still a new store, and there were several sampling opportunities. One was for the Kerrygold butter spread. Of course, it tasted good. But what really excited me was the sodium content – 40 mgs per tablespoon. I bought two tubs right there. Later, when I made my second trip, I bought a couple more. It’s now become a fixture in my refrigerator. This product claims 25% less fat and 50% less sodium than the regular butter. It’s tasty, creamy, and spreadable. Perfect for toast, buttering the outsides of grilled sandwiches, etc. And it doesn’t seem to contain any weird ingredients. All good news for people watching their sodium intake.

Low Sodium Buttery Spread

For years now I've been making my own homemade spread consisting of 1 pound butter whipped with 1 cup oil. But I wondered if there was a way to reduce the fat content of my homemade spread to make it more like the "lite" spreads found in the supermarket.

I looked online and found a few recipes. One, from BetterBaking.com, called for the addition of one full cup of water. Another, from Tammysrecipes.com combined 1/2 c. oil & 1/2 c. water to the pound of butter. The Laurel's Kitchen recipe used only 2 T. water, but added 2 T. dried skim milk & 1/4 tsp lecithin. On RecipeLink.com, I found an adaptation of Laurel's Kitchen called "Gloriamarie's Better Butter" that called for 4 T. water, 4 T. powdered milk, & 1 tsp. liquid lecithin.

I decided to play around with these recipes. Two weeks ago I combined one pound of butter, one cup of oil, & 1/4 cup of water. The water addition was not noticeable at all.

The result was very creamy and easily spreadable, just like the soft margarine sold in grocery stores. The added benefits were the lower salt content (because of the oil, water, & using some unsalted butter), and the lower calorie/fat count (because of the water). It had a true butter taste because of the real butter with no artificial flavorings or additives. 

All in all, I'm very satisfied with this product. I'm hesitant to add more water, although I suppose it's possible. The Better Baking recipe got good reviews, but I'm not sure I could successfully incorporate an additional 3/4 cup of water.

The Better Baking recipe called for the mixture to be whipped in a food processor, but I was afraid the large quantity of liquid ingredients would overflow. Laurel's Kitchen said to use a blender, but I didn't think a blender could mix everything correctly. So I used my electric hand mixer & a large, deep bowl. If I had a stand mixer, I'm sure that would do a superior job.

Low Sodium Buttery Spread
(Printable Recipe)

1 pound butter, 4 sticks in whatever combination desired
(Notes: I used 2 sticks salted & 2 sticks unsalted, resulting in an very lightly salted finished product.)
1 cup vegetable oil of choice (a light flavored oil works best)
1/4 cup water (optional)
4 tbsp. dry skimmed milk (optional)
1 tsp. liquid or granular lecithin (optional - an emulsifier)

Using an electric mixer (stand or hand-held), whip softened butter until fluffy. While still beating, dribble in the oil. (Liquid lecithin can be quite thick. You will need to "dissolve" it in a portion of the vegetable oil. I don't always use it.) Stop every once in a while to push down mixture with rubber spatula. Dissolve dried milk powder, if using, in water. (Granular lecithin should be dissolved in the water along with the milk powder.) While still beating, dribble in the water mixture. Stop every once in a while to push down mixture with rubber spatula. The mixture will be very fluffy.

Transfer mixture to a container and freeze for about 20 minutes to firm it up. Then keep refrigerated. Do not leave at room temperature for very long, because it might break down & separate.

Notes: For salt free spread, use all unsalted butter. For lightly salted spread, use 2 cubes unsalted butter & 2 cubes salted butter. For barely salted spread, use 3 cubes unsalted butter & 1 cube salted butter.

This makes a perfect spread and can be used for topping freshly cooked vegetables. I've even used it when frying or scrambling eggs in a non-stick skillet. And remember, the water, dried milk, and lecithin are all optional. The original 1 lb. butter to 1 cup oil is really easy and good all on its own.