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.

Tips & Tricks: Blog love and Bready Goods

Before I launch into a much-belated and long-awaited blog post, I wanted to give a quick shout out to Marcia (sounds like "Garcia") Gagliardi, San Francisco's very own Tablehopper. This online maven and frisco foodie always has the skinny on the best bites and dining deals in town. Her e-column is a weekly crash course on the hottest restaurant news in our corner of the world and by regularly perusing her witty and informative musings, you will impress your friends and become the go-to for recommendations. Why the accoclades? Marcia is not only a great food reporter but an awesome person too and after a short email correspondance, gave your very own Sodium Girl a shout-out on her site. Thank you, Marcia! And for all of you looking to spice up your dining habits...take a second to sign up for her newsletter and change your life forever.

So now onto the sodium 411. I have a long laundry list of products, spices, and substitutions that makes eating sodium free a virtual cinch. I have been a bit overwhelmed by the process of compiling (and mostly remembering to include) all of these items...so I've decided, to be more consistant in my blogging and actually provide information that is immediately useful, to post a new Tip & Trick every Friday and slowly, I will reveal all that is good and magical.

Bread and bready goodies. Be well warned that your favorite floury treats tend to be high in sodium. This is not only caused by the actual salt included in most recipes but is also a result of the baking soda (which contains between 100-200 mg of sodium per serving and is commonly known as "sodium bicarbonate"...um, woops!) and baking powder (which also contains between 100-200). Until your favorite bagel shop, cookie spot, and pizza joint start making their goodies without baking powder or baking soda (Noe Valley Bakery, care to give it a shot?), you'll have to bring the bakery to your own kitchen.

But this is easier than it sounds. First, you can always substitute yeast for our two baking culprits - this live ingredient acts as an equally effective leavening agent, producing bubbles in your wet ingredients that expand the mixture. Yeast works very well for pizza and breadmaking. Be warned though, it can produce a somewhat fermented taste (think beer). So for sweeter recipes, the best solution is NO SODIUM baking powder and baking soda. What? This exists? Yeah. it does. And while it used to only exist online, I have actually seen it sold in Whole Foods - which, by the by, apparently publishes awesome dietary-need-based grocery lists for their stores. The two products I use are Hain Pure Foods Sodium Free Baking Powder and Ener-G Calcium Cabonate. And to really blow your mind, they are also gluten free.

Now, let's say you want to make a sandwich or a Toas-Tite and making your own bread sounds too laborious. Lucky news, sodium free bread can be easily found in most grocery stores. Food For Life's Ezekial 4:9 low-sodium sprouted grain bread (which has no sodium in it and is truly godly) is my go-to. And since I know for a fact that I do not hold all the sodium-free answers, check out this neat-o skeat-o website for an expansive list of no and low-sodium bread products and their sodium/serving amounts.

I'm pretty excited about some no-sodium salsas I just discovered on this site! Mexican pizza anyone?

Thanks to signalite1 for an anwesome flickr photo of a delicious baked goodies!

Tips & Tricks: Dairy discoveries

On my first date with my most adorable roommate/boyfriend/partner-in-crime, I decided to tell him all about my health situation and dietary restrictions - no butter, no salt, no sauces, and the list went on.

He looked at me, smiled, and said the most comforting thing that he could imagine:

Well, at least you can still eat cheese.

And when I had to break the news that no, in fact, I definitely could not eat cheese, I think a little piece of his foodie soul melted.

But, the conclusion of this story is not completely true. I CAN eat cheese and so can you. There are some wonderful options of low sodium cheeses that you can order from the world-wide interweb. My favorite is the Heluva Good Low Sodium Chedder with a whopping 5mg of sodium per serving - virtually nothing! By "my favorite" I mean I order eight blocks of this at a time and finish them in approximately four weeks (I tested this over-exaggerated comment during the holidays and trust me, its true). And it is actually Heluva good and works well for any cheese based sauce, dish, or pop-in-your-mouth snack moment.

If you want to pick up something at the store, I suggest Alpine Lace Swiss you can find the low-sodium product at Safeway and most large markets and it is a mere 15mg per slice! Its great for throwing onto some bread or in a corn tortilla for a quick hiking or picnic snack.

For more wonderful low-sodium products (like baking powder, baking soda, sauces, condiments, and deliciously dangerous BBQ chips) check out the Healthy Heart Market. I check regularly - there are new products cropping up everyday and they are becoming more and more prominent in grocery stores.

Tips & Tricks: Low-Sodium Bible

A wonderful man named Dick Logue started a Low Sodium Cooking website and community board dedicated to living on a low-sodium diet. The recipes are a great place to start if you are just beginning to learn how to cook without salt and his newsletters always contain seasonal recipes. I definitely suggest trying the soy sauce and Teriyaki recipes - these can be used as bases for more complicated Asian dishes (like a thick plum sauce for pork lettuce cups...do I have you drooling yet?) and are also delicious on a freshly steamed bowl of rice.

I believe the magnificent Mr. Logue has now moved to charging for a full membership (complete access to recipes v. only recently published ones), but his email and advice remains accessible to all. Also, I suggest looking over the tips section which points you in the direction of lifestyle changes, cooking techniques, and brand name products that really let you to spice up your home creations.