Tips & Tricks: Low Sodium Thanksgiving, Get Stuffed

My tummy is rumbling in anticipation of my favorite day of the year...THANKSGIVING!  And don't be fooled, just because you are limiting your sodium intake this festive season, you do not have to miss out on any of the rich earthy flavors that make this holiday so memorable.

I was reminded again last night, as I was cooking dinner - Moroccan stew, couscous, and a cauliflower salad with apple and fig chutney - for a group of 8 strangers, that it is easy to build rich flavors without salt.  It is the limitation of your ingredients that forces you to become a more creative cook, dazzling your guests with spices and pairings that they do not expect.  The element of surprise will add exponential enjoyment to your sodium free cooking.

This Thanksgiving, whether you are attempting a single sodium-free side-dish or gunning for a full-blown, sodium-free dinner, I challenge you to think not of what you can't eat, but of what you can.  Can't have cheese on your mashed potatoes?  Make them silky with cream or mascarpone and add a kick of flavor with roasted fennel, browned butter, truffle oil, or some eye-popping pesto.  Your masterpieces will have the other guests drooling and who knows, it may be a sodium-free thanksgiving for everyone next year. To get your inspiration engines started, check out these tips and tricks and recipe ideas that will have friends and families colonizing your kitchen.

Tips and Tricks: Foul Play 

 

Since we (the royal we, that is) often spend the holidays at the homes of others, you will most likely need to bring your own bird, sides, and pies for the evening. Thanksgiving dinner can be a huge undertaking for the hosts and if you want it to be certain that your meal is sodium free and safe, I suggest you spend the time "getting your bird on" in your own kitchen - and if you can cook Thanksgiving dinner, you can cook anything.

I spent many years lugging along a bland piece of chicken breast as my entrée, staring longingly at the crispy, golden skin of the juicy, salt-brined turkey on everyone else's plate.  Clearly, cooking an entire turkey for myself was a little excessive and too big of an undertaking.  If I was hosting the dinner and feeding a handful of other guests, an entire sodium-free turkey would make sense. But for a single plate of Thanksgiving deliciousness (or let's be honest, 3 to 4) a whole bird may be too much...Or not.

SECRET SODIUM ALERT:

Most turkeys, even if you do not brine or salt them, will be injected with some sort of saline solution to keep them moist. So if you are cooking a whole bird, make sure yours is truly sodium-free.

Then, a moment of holiday brilliance, I realized I could substitute the typical turkey for a much smaller piece of poultry: a Cornish game hen.  Besides being easy to cook, these little juicy poultry nuggets also happen to be absolutely adorable and they are just big enough that there is plenty of juicy meat to nibble on the next day.  These birds are rather flexible in terms of cooking technique - you can stuff and roast them, debone and sautée, or plop them on open beer cans and let the fun really begin - look at their posture!

This, year, I will be roasting my little friend next to my Aunt's behemoth bird.  They should get along quite nicely and can be roasted at approximately the same temperature, just a shorter amount of time.

Recipe Box: My Thanksgiving Menu

What you may begin to realize is that even when you are limiting your sodium intake, you can continue to use regular recipes.  All you have to do is be conscious of where sodium may be hiding - butter, broths, brines,seasoning blends, dairy products, pie crusts/doughs/breads, baking sodium and baking powder, and packaged sauces - and then, get creative with your substitutions.  I love using Epicurious for recipe starters and find Cooks Illustrated to be one of the best culinary resources (for every level cook) available.  Christopher Kimball, I heart you and your test kitchen.

Here are some of the recipes that I will using for my sodium free recipes.  I've included my own substitutions, but if you have other flavor twists that you want to share, pass them along to sodiumgirl@gmail.com and I'll be sure to steal them.

Appetizers:

• A spread of sodium free pickles
• curried, pickled carrots and dill pickled green beans and fennel
• Sodium free spinach dip and crudite (fancy for raw vegetables)
• substitute mascarpone, ricotta cheese, or crème fraiche for the sour cream and cream cheese
  

Starters and Sides:

• Brussel sprout hash and caramelized onions 
• use sweet butter and leave out the Kosher salt
  
• Root vegetable gratin
• brown sweetened butter to give it a nutty flavor, add some farmers cheese if you can find some (or you can make your own!) and grate some fresh nutmeg on top for added "je ne sais quoi" spice 

Main Course:

• Cornish game hen 
• Although I will be using an altered beer can chicken recipe - straight up succulent - I like the idea of this cider brine (sans salt).  Although salt is an essential part of the brining process, I think the cider helps denature the protein, making it juicy and more melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  If you can't brine, but want to add an extra juice-assuring technique to your holiday cooking, I would give this a try.  Ply, the gravy recipe also looks good!
  
• Sodium-free stuffing with wild mushrooms 
• I'll will be using sodium-free bread and my favorite sodium free chicken broth to give this crunch and kick and bought a bounty of wild mushrooms to give it a meaty texture
  

For more low sodium/sodium free Thanksgiving recipes check out Dick Logue's Low Sodium Cooking Newsletter - the Thanksgiving issue.

Happy eating, happy holidays, and I'll see you at the gym...if I can get off the couch.

Tips & Tricks: On the Road Again

Off again on another whirlwind adventure!  I decided to make the most out of my Thanksgiving holiday on the east coast and head out a week early to visit my ladies who left the warmth of sunny California for the fall chill of Boston, DC, NYC and beyond.  And I have to admit, although I am a Californian to the core, the holiday spirit combined with the comfort of bundling up has my heart singing show tunes.

Three plane rides, a train, and endless house visits along the way, I knew I needed to prepare a slightly larger-than-usual snack pack to keep me full and energized throughout the trip.  So I prepped a few perishables: (a) a giant pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked in ground mustard and balsamic vinegar and (b) some Heidi's Hens no-salt turkey meat (30mg per serving).  And rounded up a cornucopia of non-perishables as well: (a) dried cranberries, (b) Enjoy Life Cinnamon Crunch Granola, (c) shelled, salt-free sesame seeds, (d) salt-free pop corn to pop, and (e) some delicious fruit leather - remember that stuff?  Like fruit roll-ups without the chemicals.  As an added bonus, I found at a Bostonian Whole Foods a new brand of low-sodium lavash bread that has packed nicely in my bag and remained incredibly soft and fresh for the remainder of my travels.

As for eating out, it has been a breeze. In most kitchens, fish will be left naked (cat call whistles appropriate) until preparation - sans seasoning and sans marinade - and it is a safe bet that you can order a simply grilled or sauteed, salt-free fillet for dinner.  If you have reservations somewhere, though, it always helps to call ahead and ask the chef to set aside some meat or fish for you as well as some fresh veggies that have not been dunked in a pot of boiling salt water.

Perfect example: Rocca Kitchen & Bar.  They were incredibly accommodating and delighted me with a roasted whole Branzino (wowzer) that was steeping in a delicate broth of roasted tomato juice.  Although the flavors weren't overwhelming, I have come to truly appreciate the simple enjoyment of fresh ingredients.  The potatoes also happened to be cooked perfectly - slightly crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and thick enough to soak up the broth like a piece of out-of-the oven bread.

It was delicious and looked a lot more appealing than the bowl of lettuce that the girl next to me ordered - really?  Lettuce?  When you have the opportunity to order this pasta sampler?

All and all, a wonderful trip filled with good eats and lots of fun diversions.  Yesterday Boston, today DC, tomorrow Philly and a fantastic Thanksgiving ahead.

Recipe Box: I made CHEESE

Usually I try to come up with a somewhat intriguing title.  But this time, the subject was so exciting that I had to rush past the presentation and skip to the good stuff.

I made cheese. No seriously, I did it, all by myself.  And most amazingly, it was really easy.  And most surprisingly, people (who usually eat salt, lots of it) really liked it.

So the scenario goes like this: like I said in my last post, I signed up to attend the Jam It session at 18 reasons on Thursday night at which jamming, pickling, and DIY-fooding enthusiasts and professionals would gather to share their recipes and their home-made goods.  I figured that this was a perfect testing ground to see how normal, everyday sodium-freaks would respond to my no-sodium food.  And I feel pretty confident in my pickling ability.  But to kick this conquest up a notch, I decided to risk it all, make cheese, and feed it to the masses.

Two friends sent me paneer and buttermilk cheese recipe - both very similar and simple - requiring the use of milk, lemons, and salt.  For my first attempt, I decided to use hemp milk.  I mean, I couldn't look more like a crazy northern Californian if I tried.  Hemp milk has virtually no sodium in it (5mg per serving), but it also has virtually no ability curdle.  So I threw the tie-dyed cartoon in the recycling bin and decided to use the real deal.

I passed on the whole milk and went with a lower-sodium option: soy milk.  It has 85mg of sodium per serving  and I knew, from an unfortunate previous experiences, that it indeed will curdle (unlike its free-loving substitute).  I bought a quart of unsweetened soy milk  and used half of it for my cheese.  I figure that the majority of the milk was not used to produce the curds and that the end product would be very low in sodium.

The entire cheese-making process lasted about 40 minutes max, with endless hours of eating enjoyment to follow.  I will be bringing this winning recipe to the east coast for Thanksgiving Day appetizers along with some curry carrot pickles and dill and fennel green bean pickles.  You better believe I'll impress the pants off of those Pilgrims.

1.  Heat half a quart of soy milk in a heavy saucepan - but let's be honest, I used a pot.

2.  When it begins to boil and starts to rise, immediately take it off the heat.  Be sure to watch for this, because the milk will rise quickly and if you don't have cat-like reflexes, you will end up with one hot, sticky mess on your stove.

3.  Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the milk and stir for two minutes to help separate the curds from the whey.

4.  Let the curdy milk sit for 10 minutes.

5.  Pour the milk into a colander that is lined with 3 layers of cheese cloth.  When it is cool enough to handle, close the cheese cloth tightly around the curds and squeeze out the extra liquid.

6.  At this point, since there was no salt in the cheese, I added 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons of fresh dill.  Mix the spices in with the cheese and close the cheese cloth again to remove the remaining liquid.

7.  Place the cheese (still in the cheese cloth) on a plate and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick.

8.  Place another plate on top of the cheese and weight it with your heaviest (or two heaviest) cooking books.

9.  After 20 minutes of flattening, you can refrigerate overnight or use immediately.  If it turns out to be a little more chunky and loose, use it as a spread on some crackers with your fennel relish that you made.  If it is harder, try preparing it like traditional paneer and fry it in some hot oil.

And just for fun, here is a shot early into the 18 Reasons event.  A special shout to Karen Solomon for eating my cheese, liking my pickled fennel relish, and for writing a kick ass book that I can't wait to plow through.  happy chowing everyone.

Recipe Box: Pick a Pickled Pepper

Or carrots.  Or fennel.  Or grapes. On Monday night, I rushed home with vinegar in hand to prepare for the 18 Reasons Jam It event as well as create some down-home gifts for my relatives in Philadelphia.  It's Turkey Time people, and nothing says "thank you" on Thanksgiving like a jar of pickles.  Am I right?  I know I am.

Let me tell you this - sodium-free pickling is not only possible, it is easy and can be even more thrilling than your typically transformed cucumber.  Without salt, you become more creative with your seasonings and spices.  And if you are a nervous to create your own pickling blend, lucky for us, salt-free pickling spices already exist in cute little pre-packaged packages (available at your local Whole Foods).

So put your pot on the stove and get ready to infuse some veggies with sweet and sour tang.  Here are three zippy recipes for mind-blowing treats that can be equally impressive as an appetizer or as an accompaniment in salads, side dishes, and main courses.

Pickled Fennel 
"Licorice never tasted so good" - Me

1.  Take two bulbs of fennel, cut off stems, and slice in to crescent shaped spears

2.  Stuff fennel slices, some of the soft fennel fronds from the stem (packs extra flavor), three cloves of garlic, and two dried chili peppers into a small mason jar

3. Zest one orange and place in the mason jar with fennel

4.  Heat 2 cups of white wine vinegar, 1/2 a cup of sugar, juice from one orange, and a teaspoon of black peppercorns in a pot.  Remove from heat once it begins boiling

5.  Carefully (it's hot!) fill the mason jar with heated pickling liquid (step 4).  The heat tends to reduce the size of the fennel almost immediately, so if you have left over slices, stuff more into the jar

6.  For added punch, slice fresh ginger and put in jar as well.  Once lid is closed, shake it up, allow to cool, and stick it in the fridge.  In two days, it will be ready for munching.

Pickled Grapes 
"Not jam, not wine, just plain delicious" - Me 


As a quick disclaimer: I stole this recipe from Smitten Kitchen who was inspired by Orangette  and tweaked it according to my sodium girl needs.


1.  Pick up some plump, seedless back or red grapes and slice off the belly buttons - the top part where the stem was - of five or six handfuls.  By taking off their tops (get your mind out of the gutter) you will allow the pickling juices to seep into the fruit immediately.

2.  Fill a small mason jar with the grapes, 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard seed, and one stick of cinnamon- or, as in my case, three teaspoons of ground cinnamon because I forgot to buy cinnamon sticks

3.  Heat two cups of white wine or champagne vinegar (how fancy) in a pot with 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns.  Remove from heat once it boils

4.  Let the pickling liquid (step 3) fully cool before filling the mason jar.  This will keep the fruit from becoming too mushy

5.  Shake and shimmy your mason jar and put in refrigerator.  Will be good to go in two days.

BONUS TIP: on my quest to find a good substitute for olives, I realized that a savory grape pickle could do the trick.  I think they could act as a mischievous doppelganger in tapenade and Mediterranean salads, fooling any palate.  I can't wait to test out this theory in the weeks to come.

Pickled Carrots
"Curry in a hurry" - Me

1.  To make this as effortless as possible, buy some pre-washed, pre-peeled carrots.  I went with some beautiful yellow carrots and I think if I had more time, I may have even chosen to go with the more colorful  heirloom variety

2.  Stuff a small mason jar with carrots, three cloves of garlic, teaspoon of freshly sliced ginger, and two dried chili peppers, 1/2 a tablespoon of turmeric, 1/4 tablespoon of curry, and 1 tablespoon of salt-free pickling spices

3.  Heat 2 cups of distilled vinegar,1 cup of water, and 1/2 a cup of sugar.  Remove from heat once it is boiling

4.  Carefully fill jar with pickling liquid, wait until it is cool, and place in the fridge.  Wait 2 days before cracking open and noshing on some healthy and spicy carrot nuggets

Now wasn't that easy?  Just wait until you taste them!

Recipe Box: Battle Citrus, No Sodium

There is a lot coming up this week: home-made pickles, home-made cheese (hopefully), an appearance at 18 Reason's "Jam It" event on Thursday, and a starters list on how to create your own scrumptious and salt-free Thanksgiving meal.

But while we wait for the pickles to pickle and for the cheese to curd and whey, I wanted to write a quick post about a groundbreaking event that occurred last March:

Iron Chef Battle: Citrus, No Sodium

The culinary smack down was the second in a series of two Iron Chef competitions, originally hosted by our good friends Kwame (who is now in cooking school, lucky) and Mei (who is now in London writing for Wired UK and igniting some Go-Game awesomeness across the pond).  The first battle was centered on the delicious meat product we all lovingly call "bacon."  My attendance at this battle and my minor participation (Mei made me some sodium-free, bacon-free dishes because she is amazing) sparked discussion with fellow judges on sodium-free cooking.  To say they least, they were not convinced that sodium-free food could be as flavorful or exciting as more traditional, sodium-filled recipes.

So the challenge was set.  12 guests, with well-versed and discerning palettes, were invited to Boy and my apartment for an 8-course course on sodium-free food.  Over a period of 24 hours, endless shopping for random citrus products (Yuzu juice to Buddha's hand), and a brief period in which words were not exchanged - Boy and I poured our hearts and souls into the dishes and what resulted was proof that cooking excellence (or at least satisfaction) could be achieved without salt.

But don't take my word, judge for yourself.

Good Eats: Bacar

The niners beat the bears - in a heart-attack inducing finish - and it was date night.  How could this evening get any more magical?  I'll tell you.  A fresh, thoughtful, earthy meal at Bacar.

I called the restaurant around 3:00pm, when most begin answering their phones for dinner service, and made sure to forewarn of my dietary needs.  They had walu on the menu (a meaty but juicy white fish) and I asked that they save me a cut.  I also made sure to have a few veggies left aside so that they were not parboiled in advance.

Tip: In many kitchens, prep includes blanching or parboiling the vegetables in salted water, leaving few green options.  But if you call ahead, you usually can secure a handful of healthy nibbles for your meal.

Back to the restaurant - it is quite big (two floors) and urban feeling, but cozy due to its warm lighting.and comfy booths.  I was delighted to see that the wine list not only included your standardbottles, half bottles, and glasses, but tastings as well - how decadent.  So yes, I had a tasting of two white wines, an Albarino and a Sauvignon Blanc, making the start of my dining experience all the more entertaining and well, boozy.

Then the main course.  When the waiter arrived at the table and I attempted to launch into my dietribe (that's wordplay, folks), he sweetly interrupted and said, "Yes, no sodium."  Always a comforting start.  He then assured me that the chef would happily accommodate my needs and was there anything in particular that I wanted from the menu.  The fact that I was given options, and was not beholden to just one entrée, was very impressive.  I'll have to take them up on the offer some other time.  But for this particular evening, I stuck with the walu.  It looked delicious and I figured it was a safe bet.

As for the result - well, first of all, the presentation (see picture above) was meticulous.  Clearly, this was not a flavorless piece of fish thrown on a plate.  Roasted brussel sprout leaves and simply

sautéed chantarelle mushrooms cushioned the walu which was delicately cooked with a strong smoky flavor, possibly from the use of liquid smoke or an actual smoker. The whole dish was then topped with a festive tapenade of what I thought was garlic and parsley.  There was a burst of citrus flavor and of course, the always lively taste of fresh herbs. I realized by the third bite, however, that the garlic bits were actually olives and unless they were specially cured without salt, I'm pretty certain this beautiful topping had sodium.

Now, I write this fact (with some hesitancy as I know Bacar went to the ends of the kitchen to create a safe meal for me) to exhibit the importance of going over all the details of your sodium needs with the waiter, even if it seems repetitive and annoying.  Do not be afraid to SPELL IT OUT.  It took me six years to understand where sodium hides, so I surely cannot expect people to remember to look at the back of a bottle or to connect the no-sodium dots, especially while they cook in a busy kitchen.

Now if you're thinking, damn, Bacar failed the no-sodium test, I assure you they did not. The care with which they treated my meal was obvious and there are multiple menu items I can order in the future, which is not often the case.  In addition, when I ordered sorbet for dessert, the waiter rushed back to warn me that there were a few pinches of salt in the sorbet, demonstrating that they clearly understood my needs and that the olive situation was simply a blip.  

And now, just in case you forgot what it looked like...one more look at the walu masterpiece.

Tips & Tricks, Good Eats, and Recipe Box: This Spud's For You

I think potatoes are (a) utterly delicious and (b) really confusing to spell.  I like them fried, baked, sliced, in soups and stews ... but mostly, I like them fried.  At first, I thought it would be impossible to find low-sodium or sodium-free versions of these beloved potato products - and I took to making my own sweet potato fries at home (which, if I say so myself, was not a bad substitute...recipe below).  But I had completely underestimated the possibilities of no-sodium/low-sodium snacking and in almost 6 years of searching for a salt-free French fry or a sodium-free bag of chips, I've compiled the following list of delicious salt-free options, which even have the salt freaks exclaiming snacking nirvana.'

For A Sit-Down French Fry Fix:

Hop into Frjtz - a Belgium fry and mussel palace located in the Mission and Hayes Valley.  Just ask the incredibly accommodating staff (yes, they know me by name) to hold the salt on your LARGE cone of fries.  Don't hesitate to explain your reason for salt shaker resistance - the more they understand your situation, the more serious they will take your request.

As for the sauces - for which they are famous - they are all heavy in sodium content.  So to be absolutely safe, ask for a wedge of lime to give it a zest of flavor.  Or douse the fries in pepper.  I've even recently seen malt vinegar available at the condiments counter - that has a nice kick too.  And if you're really craving something more substantive, I have been known to bring my own bottle of low-sodium mustard in my purse.  Don't be embarrassed.  It's totally cool and the people staring are just jealous. But if you're not up for social defiance, you can eat them sauce free.  These fries are so perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside that they don't need any cover up.  They are natural beauties.

Added tip:  If you attempt ordering French fries at other restaurants, and I do, just remember to ask if they cut them fresh or if they come from a bag.  If they come from a bag (i.e. frozen) they most likely have sodium.  Also, make sure the potatoes are not blanched in salt water before being cooked.

For Out-Of-The-Bag Snacking:

My first experience with no-salt/low-sodium snacking was with Kettle Chips unsalted, proud spuds.

In 2007, during a crisp fall afternoon and a mostly unproductive work day, I spent an hour and half crafting a heartfelt letter to the Kettle Chips crew thanking them for their bravery and leadership in the production of a salt-free chip, which had filled a large void in my junk-food junkie soul...and would they be so kind as to create another innovative salt-free chip product to dazzle my taste buds (balsamic vinegar and rosemary anyone?).  The next day, I received a kind response, but no mention of any future salt-free lines and no shipment of a life-time supply of unsalted chips to my door.

While I continue to wait for my free box of Kettle Chips (wink wink), these other brands are also jumping on the salt-free train and making my no-sodium snacking dreams come true.

Utz has unsalted potato chips and no salt BBQ 

Terra Chips has unsalted potato chips, unsalted Hickory BBQ (so delicious!), and unsalted Sweet Potato chips for a totally wild taste experience.

Added tip: When I make my own tuna tartar - yeah, you've got some drool on the side of your lip - I line the plate with salt-free potato chips and use them to transport the dreamy, diced fish from the plate to my mouth. East meets west in a dazzling salt-free appetizer.

For A DIY, At-Home Adventure:

When Super Bowl Season rolls around, grab a few sweet potatoes and follow these instructions:


1.  Turn on oven, preferably to 400 degrees.

2.  Wash and scrub your spuds, but no need to peel.  I think the skin, when crisp, makes them extra delicious.

3.  Cut the sweet potato into fourths and then into thin strips - you want each fry to be about half and inch wide at the most (check out the picture here to get a good idea of size and length).  The thinner they are the crispier they will get.

4.  Put all of your potato sticks on a pre-greased or pre-sprayed baking sheet - you want most of them to be touching the bottom of the sheet so they all cook evenly - and sprinkle olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and a mixture of the following spices:

For spicy - cumin, paprika, white pepper, and cayenne
For herby - rosemary (fresh or dried), white pepper, ground mustard, a pinch of cayenne
For special - use a flavored olive oil (like orange, avocado, or truffle!)

5.  Toss the potato sticks so they are evenly coated with the oil and spices.

6.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  Watch the first batch carefully and from then on, you'll know how long it takes.

7.  Repeat until all the potatoes have been cooked and gobbled up - make sure you set a good handful (or ten) aside for yourself.

Good Eats: mmm mmm Murray Circle

I have to admit, it felt pretty silly to travel less than 15 minutes for a one-night staycation at Cavallo Point - but the experience went beyond any expectations I had. First of all, the property (set in old Fort Baker buildings) does an extraordinary job of fitting in with its natural surroundings - gorgeous fields of long, sweeping grass; seats strewn about the property to sit and admire a sunrise or sunset; fire pits for late night chatting with fellow guests; and simple architectural designs so as not to distract from the natural beauty of the surrounding hills, wildflowers, and Golden Gate.

But on to the good stuff...Murray Circle is the restaurant at Cavallo Point, open to guests as well as the public. I've read about it in SFgate, 7X7 and Tablehopper and have been waiting to make a trek over the bridge to check it out. I wrote to Murray Circle about two weeks prior to our reservation with a complete lists of dietary cannots and more importantly, cans. When we arrived, the hostess confirmed that the chef had received the list and our waitress also promptly displayed an actual printout of the email I had sent. To say the least, I was impressed.

As for the menu: Diners can choose to either order separate plates from the menu (separated into three categories: vegetables & fruits; fish & shellfish; and meat & poultry) or order a chef's tasting (at an incredibly reasonable $65). My man friend and I asked if it would be possible for both of us to order a chef's tasting - his being the normal fixed-menu items and mine a slightly altered version. This is where things get really good - not only did the chef say he could make a custom tasting menu for me, but that I could pick ANYTHING from the entire menu. The world was my oyster, and yes, I could have some of those too. This amount of dining freedom never happens. My choices are usually few and to have everything on the menu at my fingertips was just something that I had not experienced in the past five years. All three courses were beautiful, delicious, and sodium-girl safe. For a fairly new, one-star Michelin restaurant - Murray Circle lives up to all the accolades. Prices are pretty San Francisco affordable (avg $20 per plate), the service was friendly, and the overall feeling was casual and warm. Also of note, our sommelier, Sabrina, (yes, there are three and a huge wine list of ranging prices) was a gem. After chatting with her about her own history in the Bay Area and her favorite wines, we were treated to a glass of a no-longer-in-production Ladera Vineyard Merlot. I have never tasted a red like this before and meeting someone like Sabrina makes dining out an unforgettable experience. Being friendly and inquisitive always leads to good things...like a memorable meal, an unforgettable glass of wine, and maybe a new friend too.

So get on your bike or in your car and make your way over to Cavallo Point and Murray Circle for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just some wine on the porch. And for those of you with restrictions, let your mouth drool and heart melt over this menu:

And for those of you with restrictions, let your mouth drool and heart melt over this menu:

Course 1: Young lettuces salad with winter fruits, thinly sliced vegetables (beautiful rose colored turnips) and a home-made champagne vinaigrette - I tasted citrus and star anise as well as freshly chopped herbs. It was crisp and light with a perfectly silky dressing. Clean plate number one.

Course 2: Wild halibut with purple cauliflower, peas, and carrot shavings. The fish was cooked perfectly: melt-in-your mouth creamy texture and the plate was very colorful. No outrageous burst of flavor here, but it was simple and well prepared. Clean plate number two.

Course 3: The true knock-out. Side-by-side cuts of slow roasted duck breast with crispy, golden skin. Flanked by more of the purple cauliflower, pea, and carrot combo and in the middle, a surprise treat of caramelized turnips. Vegetables prepared right = candy. The molasses flavor of the turnips brought out the natural sweetness of the duck. It was hard to share this dish...but I had to let my companion experience the ingenuity - just a little bit of creativity goes a long way in sodium-free cooking. Clean plate number three.

Course 4: No room for dessert, but had an endless pot of french press coffee and too much wine (half a bottle of Crocker and Starr). Will have to come back for a smaller tasting and some sweet treats.

Breakfast: Yes, Murray Circle does it all. I ordered the farm fresh egg omelet with mushrooms and spinach. Reading this on paper doesn't exactly sound exciting. But when I received the fluffy, sunshine yellow omelet and split it open, to my surprise I found some beautiful chanterelle mushrooms. My breakfast was another example of how good ingredients need very little to be full of flavor. The farm fresh eggs had their own nutty essence, the chanterelles were meaty, and even the spinach had an herbal bitterness for balance. A little olive oil and pepper...and BAM, a delicious breakfast.  Thank you to Murray Circle for such incredible service and the willingness to make so many sodium-free delicious meals. 

And a quick update: I have dined here now three times, every experience being equally impressive - the food has proved more flavorful and inventive with each visit.  During my last trip, my dining partner and I ordered the same dish, which was accompanied by an uni (sea urchin) reduction sauce.  Of course, I thought my sodium-free version would be uni-less.  But SURPRISE!  Not only did my plate look equally gorgeous as the regular version sitting across the table, but I was served my very own, sodium-free, freshly prepared uni reduction.  That is incredible service and proof that extraordinary food can be sodium-free.

Tips & Tricks: The Ultimate Kitchen Utensil

I mean this with all my heart when I say it.  Everyone needs one.

The glorious IMMERSION BLENDER (cue solo spotlight and angels singing) is the culinary gods' gift to cooking.  I mean, it is seriously the nicest thing those guys have done since inventing the spatula or maybe Mickey Mouse shaped waffle irons.  And I liken the creation of the immersion blender to the brilliance of Velcro shoes.  They are both simple, time-saving devices that also happen to look pretty awesome.  Do you want one yet? Just wait.

In 1950, a Swiss genius named Roger Perrinjaque invented the immersion blender by basically taking the blades of a normal blender and sticking them on a long rod, or "wand"(magic), that can then be dropped directly into a pot of to-be-blended ingredients (like lumpy vegetables or boiled potatoes), eliminating:

(A) the need for transferring liquids from a pot to a blender to the counter and floor while on the way back to pot

and (B) the unnecessary dirtying of multiple kitchen appliances, making clean-up a SNAP

So why am I peddling this gadget?  I believe, there are two main reasons why people generally steer clear of home cooking:  MONEY and TIME.  But I think, and know, it is possible to make delicious, nutritious, and quick meals in your own kitchen without spending too many dollar bills or wasting too many hours.  To do this, you need to become somewhat comfortable in your kitchen.  But more importantly, you need the right tools.  And that's where our friend, the immersion blender, comes in.

When I'm exhausted or in a hurry and I need to make a quick meal, I almost always make soup.  Without much effort or culinary skill, I can cook, clean, and sit down to eat a bowl of freshly made, vegetable-heavy soup in a Rachel Ray minute (which generally averages around 30).  Since I always have frozen peas or corn in my fridge, I can even make soup when I don't have time to go to the store. It's a vitamin rich dish, out of virtually nothing, in virtually no time.  Add a little ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes and boom! you've got yourself one large bowl of tasty.  And if you have the time to pick up fresh veggies or happen to have some wasting away in your fridge, begging to be used, you can simply simmer those in a pot before blending or take a few minutes to broil in the oven, creating a deeper, smokier flavor.  Slightly more time-consuming, but slightly snazzier.

As for other uses, I take my immersion blender to town to create pestos (great for pizzas, appetizer toppings, and of course pastas), sauces (spicy, creamy, BBQ, curry), and even whipped cream!

If you are not convinced yet, this appliance is also a space saver - it is at least 1/3 of the size of a normal blender and fits easily on your counter top or in your cupboard.  It's dishwasher safe if you're lazy (like me) and also super easy to clean if you scrub on your own time (like me).  And it earns you money while you sleep.  Well that part is not true, but if you think of it in terms of cost in time saved, I'm sure it amounts to some sort of profit.

So seriously, do yourself, your stomach, and your clock a favor and grab one of these gems immediately! And mom, if you're reading this, I also think I want a pair of these.

Let's Make This Personal

Check it out Sodium Girl lovers - I have finally set up an official gmail account (and figured out how to take a sweet screen shot of it - no big deal) so that you can directly send me your sodium-free cooking questions, requests for tips and tricks, or recommendations for friendly restaurants.  Just sent a cyber note (also known as "email" to those of you who are super tech savy) to sodiumgirl@gmail.com and let me know what sodium-free quandary has been plaguing you.  And please, keep date requests to a minimum, cause this lady is taken.  Let the email spree begin!

Recipe Box: Project Bacon - Update

Round one of Project Bacon is complete - but we are far from finished. Although the pork smelled like bacon and even looked like bacon, it did not cook up like bacon. I tried frying it, baking it, and frying and baking it - but to no avail. My hypothesis - my cut of pork was too fatty and there was not enough meat. In the weeks following, I compared my strips to those at Whole Foods and they look quite similar, but not as marbled.

With test round 1 done, it's on to round 2. There is no giving up here until we have a sodium-free bacon and egg sandwich on the table. For round two, I'm going for a meatier piece of meat and a similar seasoning blend - cumin, smoked paprika, bonito flakes, pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper - maybe a little lemon juice?

It may be impossible to cure meat without sodium as the salt plays a major role in preserving and protecting the meat from developing botulism (no one wants that). It also breaks down the protein which gives it its texture and color. However, I have read that acids - such as vinegars and citrus - have similar molecular capabilities. So we will try a combination of a wet soak and a dry rub for the next go. And remember, it isn't about creating an exact replica, but an approximation that is equally satisfying - and like the pickles I made this summer, sometimes even better than the salted version.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on the transformation of my pork blocks into beautiful slices of "could-be" bacon. I cannot wait until they taste as good as they look.


And to keep your appetite whet for other sodium-free, impossible possibilities, the recipe-box will feature the following how-to's before the close of 2009:

PICKLING (salt-free, majorly successful, and really fun - also make great gifts!)
CURING OLIVES (just have to find some uncured olives to start...but I think I have my guy)
SAUSAGE MAKING (we have the grinder! now we just need the casing)
SOY and TERIYAKI SAUCE (you better believe it - it exists and it is delicious)