Friday, March 5, 2010
A Taste of St. Louis - Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Cafe
Posted by Anita Santiago at 7:00 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The Salt War Chronicles - Part III: Slice, Dice and Spice
Continuing on my salt-free journey - I've learned to make a few tasty dishes. Sure, it was difficult at first. I didn't realize how much I loved salty, spicy foods until the salt became off limits. Lots of items like jalapenos, banana peppers, and olives are usually packed in salt. Let's not even mention hot sauce, buffalo wing sauce or salsa. Facing these challenges, I've added another way to stay on track with my sodium intake. I call it: Slice, Dice and Spice. This is my handy way of remembering to stick with the fresh, healthy foods. Combining fresh items with spices leads to interesting and tasty dishes. Here are two examples:
a. Spicy Chickens Wings and Nachos for the Superbowl. Wonderful taste - no salt used. Key ingredients included onions, fresh peppers, chili powder, cumin and a few other spices.
b. Homemade Pizza - Featuring an Italian and Olive Oil flatbread, red bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, mozzarella and provel cheeses. I even made the pizza sauce from scratch using tomato paste, garlic and a few other spices. Yes, the cheese has a small amount of salt, but not enough to push me over my limit of 1100mg/day. This is a great substitute for take out pizza.
When using the slice, dice and spice method:
1. Check your spices carefully. I was surprised to learn that my brand of lemon pepper, lime pepper and several other spice mixes all contained salt. I traded those in for spices from SpiceIsland and Mrs. Dash. The SpiceIslands and Mrs.Dash websites also have great information on spices and recipes.
2. Use fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs. This will boost the flavor content in meals and ensure you don't tire of the salt-free regimen. Fresh items don't last long - you have to use them quickly. Remember the Slice, Dice and Spice rule and you can reduce the chances of fresh items spoiling. If fresh is not reasonable - opt for no salt added canned vegetables. I find local farmer's markets and produce stores have the lowest prices on fresh fruits and vegetables.
Happy Cooking!
Posted by Anita Santiago at 7:56 PM 0 comments Links to this post

