Radish & Radicchio Salad

This is a simple salad that makes a great no-fuss side dish on a warm evening. We paired it with Chicken Piccata and sauteed spinach.

Radish & Radicchio Salad

8-12 radishes, sliced thin
2 heads of radicchio, leaves removed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
3 scallions, sliced
1 avocado, diced
juice of 1 lemon
1T olive oil
pinch of salt (1/8 t)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk the oil into the lemon juice in a small container and blend until emulsified. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Serves 4, <100mg sodium per serving

Bangalore Wings

A very different twist on Buffalo Wings. Serve with cool cucumber raita.

2 lbs chicken wings
4 T red curry powder
2 T lemon juice
1 t cayenne pepper
4 T mango or Major Grey chutney*
1 t low sodium soy sauce
1 T hot sauce

Remove wing tips and separate wings into drums and flaps. Whisk together the curry, lemon juice, cayenne and half the chutney in a small bowl. Marinate the wing pieces in this mixture for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 475F. Line a broiler pan with foil and place a broiler safe rack inside the pan. Arrange the chicken wings on the rack and roast for about 25 minutes until chicken is done. Remove pan and change oven setting to broil.

Mix the chutney, soy sauce and hot sauce in a small bowl. Brush half of this mixture over the cooked chicken and place 4" under the broiler for 1-2 minutes. Flip each wing piece over and brush on the remaining sauce. Broil 2-3 minutes longer or until chicken is crisp.

About 16 wing pieces; 110mg sodium per piece

*The commercial brand chutney is the largest source of sodium in this recipe, much higher than the chicken, which is the next largest contributor. Next time we make this, we are going to make our own chutney from scratch to greatly reduce the sodium content. We'll update this recipe with new instructions once we come up with an lower sodium alternative.

Insta-rissa!

Don't you hate it when you want to make a north African stew, but you don't have any Harissa? Yeah, us too. We whipped up a quick substitute that was quite serviceable:

Instant Harissa

1 T hot sauce (we used Hillside Orchard Farms Habanero Hot Sauce, which adds both heat and flavor)
1 T red pepper flakes
1 T garlic cloves, peeled and crushed/chopped (about 3)
1 T olive oil

Place garlic cloves in a small dish with the oil and microwave 15 seconds. Add the hot sauce and red pepper flakes. Mix well. You now have enough fake Harissa to make one pot of stew. Enjoy!

This will do just fine in a pinch. If you are not in a rush, it is definitely worth your time to make it the right way: Salt Free Harissa

Lemons to the Rescue

Adding lemon juice or zest really is a great way to add or enhance flavor without salt. Don't just take my word for it... read on. We have rescued many a bland dish by adding lemon or lime.

Green Beans with Harissa

This is a great way to jazz up an otherwise quite ordinary vegetable. If you can't find harissa in your local market, you can make it at home using our recipe. (As an added bonus for those counting sodium, our version of harissa is salt-free).

3/4 lb green beans, stem ends removed
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced into matchstick pieces
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T harissa
1 T olive oil
1/2 t freshly ground pepper

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Cook beans until bright green and crisp-tender (1-3 minutes). Drain beans and transfer to ice water to halt cooking, then drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet, then cook pepper 1-2 minutes. Return beans to the pan and add the Harissa and garlic. Stir fry 2-3 minutes to reheat the beans and mix the ingredients. Season with black pepper. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 - minimal sodium content unless you use store-bought harissa. Check the label!

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Sweet-Hot Lime Vinaigrette

One more bowl of awesomeness in this series of summer salads! We could eat this every night and not get tired of it.

Vinaigrette:

1/4 c lime juice
zest from two limes
3 T sugar
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t black pepper
1 T canola oil

Mix all ingredients using a immersion blender until well blended (or shake in a sealed container to combine).

Salad:

1 box baby spinach leaves, large stems removed
2 c strawberries, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 T fresh mint leaves
2 T pine nuts
Vinaigrette (see above)

Combine spinach, strawberries, mint and shallot in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with pine nuts.

(If you want this to be the main course, you may wish to add pan seared chicken as shown in the photo.)

Serves 2 (if main course) or  4 (if side salad). Sodium content is near zero unless you add chicken.

Citrus Salad with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

Here is another delicious salad for those hot summer months. This one is light and refreshing, and is easily converted into a full meal by adding some pan seared chicken.

Salad:

1 pkg Arugula
1 grapefruit
2 oranges, clementines or tangerines
1/2 c red onion, sliced
2 T fresh mint leaves
almond slivers, toasted
shaved parmesan cheese

Cut grapefruit in half, then cut peel and pith off outside with a sharp knife. Loosen the sections from one another, then remove seeds and outer layer from fruit. If using orange, repeat this process, or for clementines or tangerines, section the fruit and remove all pith and seeds. Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Garnish with almonds and cheese. Top with cooked chicken if desired.

Dressing:

3 T freshly squeezed lime juice
1 T cider vinegar
2 t honey
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 t lemon verbena leaves, minced
2 T olive oil

Place all ingredients in a glass bowl and mix with an immersion blender until emulsified.

Serves 4 - sodium content is low, but depends on how much parmesan cheese is used and if chicken is added