Simple Chinese 5-Spice Stir Fry

In the past, most of my stir fry recipes relied heavily on two things: sriracha and soy sauce*. Frequently, both were used in large quantities, and now I still rely on them quite a bit - just in markedly smaller amounts. For this one, I decided to only use Bragg's Liquid Aminos as the base, allowing the spices to do most of the heavy lifting. This stir fry is a little sweeter with just a hint of spicy.

Ingredients: 
1 package tofu (the brand we use has 45 mg total), drained and cubed
2 c. jasmine rice, cooked (0mg)
2T. peanut oil (or olive oil, if you prefer)
1 carrot, chopped (25 mg)
1 celery rib, chopped (32 mg)
1 broccoli crown, chopped (25mg)
(feel free to add in whatever veggies you have around, we usually mix it up quite a bit in the veggie department - but note that this may affect your sodium tally overall)
2 tsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos (640 mg)
1/4 c. water
2 tsp. Chinese Five Spice from Penzey's (0mg) 
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
To taste: sesame oil & rice vinegar (both of which are 0 mg)
Optional garnish: chopped green onions (4.5 mg)

Cook rice according to directions on package, or in a rice cooker. In a large skillet or wok, heat peanut oil on medium heat and saute garlic and crushed red pepper for about thirty seconds, or til fragrant. Add veggies and tofu and saute for about 5 more minutes. In a small bowl or ramekin, combine Bragg's, water, Chinese Five Spice, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Stir to combine, then add to tofu and veggies. Stir to completely coat veggies and tofu, reduce heat to low and saute for a few more minutes, or until veggies reach desired amount of tenderness. Serve over rice. 

Total: 767, excluding optional garnish. Serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are (384 mg per serving if divided in half; 192 mg per serving if divided into fourths).

*Also included in this category is Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which is similarly sodium-laden. 

Spicy Egg Noodle Stir Fry

Spicy noodle night is one of our favorite dinners - in fact, it's a recipe we enjoyed quite a bit before Tyler's diagnosis, and I quickly realized we could continue to enjoy it if I just made a few tweaks here and there, especially in the soy sauce department. Vegans can still enjoy this dish with a few minor tweaks (see asterisk below).

Ingredients: 
1 package tofu (the brand we use has 45 mg total), drained and cubed
1 package wide egg noodles* (we use Peapod store brand, which has 30mg total)
1 carrot (25 mg)
1 bell pepper (4 mg)
3 tsp. Sriracha (240 mg total)
1.5 tsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (480 mg total)
1 T. unsalted butter** (0 mg)
To taste: water**, paprika, red pepper flakes, sesame oil & rice vinegar (all of which are 0 mg)
Optional garnish:
Cilantro (1mg per sprig) and Green Onions (4.5mg in 30g)

Cook egg noodles according to package directions (obviously, omit salt if the instructions call for it). In large skillet, melt butter and saute red pepper flakes as it melts. Add tofu and veggies and saute for about 3 minutes. Add Sriracha, Bragg's, water, paprika, sesame oil, and rice vinegar, and stir to mix evenly. Add to drained noodles, stir, cover and set for about 5-10 minutes. Top with cilantro and green onions if desired.

*For a vegan version of this recipe, sub in wide rice noodles and 2T. olive oil in place of butter - it's just as delicious!
*I usually use about a 1/4 c. of water.

Total: 824, excluding optional garnish. Serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are (412 mg per serving if divided in half; 206 mg per serving if divided into fourths).

Indian Cauliflower Curry

This is probably the only recipe which I made up and DIDN'T have to tweak before it was ready to present to the world at large. This recipe is kind of a splurge in terms of sodium, but it's filling and flavorful to make up with that (and it's still under 400mg per person, which is not too shabby) - not to mention, it's also vegan! If you have issues with soy milk, feel free to sub in the non-dairy milk of your choice.

Ingredients: 
2 carrots, diced (50 mg)
1 medium potato, cubed (0 mg)
2 cloves garlic
1 head cauliflower, chopped (25 mg)
1 cup peas (I use frozen, which have 24 mg total)
1 cup soy milk (the brand I use has 85 mg total)
2 c. rice (0 mg)
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. Bragg's liquid aminos (960 mg)
1 T. Penzey's hot curry powder (0 mg)

Cook rice according to directions on package (I have a rice cooker which I use so I can toss it in there and forget about it til it's done). While rice cooks, saute garlic and carrots in olive oil for about a minute. Add potato, cauliflower and hot curry powder; saute for 4 minutes, stirring often. Add soy milk and cover, reducing heat to medium low. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork-tender, stirring occasionally. Add peas and Bragg's; cook uncovered until liquid has thickened, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes). Serve over rice.

Total: 1144mg. Serves 3 (382mg per serving). Your stats may differ based on your ingredients; be sure to read all labels carefully.

Tacos Are Your Friends: 3 Quick Recipes

Tacos have always been a staple in our household. We usually have hot salsa, cilantro, and limes at the ready for taco night. Shredded lettuce, sour cream, chopped onions, shredded cheese, and avocado are other great toppings to consider, depending on what your sodium allowance is for the meal.

We ALWAYS eat soft tacos on corn tortillas, which don't have any sodium (at least, the brand we use doesn't add salt to the tortillas - it's always good to double check though!). For corn tortillas, an oven warmer is key; I have a ceramic one which I load up with tortillas and put in the oven before turning it on. After about 20-30 minutes (depending on how many tortillas I'm heating), they're ready to go - and usually, so are my taco fillings!

#1 - Potato Tacos - a zero-mg filling.
Potatoes have no sodium, so you can really go for broke here. I used Penzey's no-salt-added Adobo seasoning liberally while sauteing diced potatoes in extra-virgin olive oil. Once the potatoes are soft, you can load them into warm corn tortillas and top as you like. On days where you've spent your sodium allowance otherwise, these are great to make because they honestly taste delicious on their own (that's right - without cheese or salsa!). Tyler LOVES these with just a little bit of BBQ sauce; I like to add salsa, avocado and just a little bit of pepper jack cheese.

#2 - Pinto Bean Tacos - the under-100 club filling. 
I've been using Eden Organics No Salt Added Pinto Beans, which have 15 mg per serving (53 mg per can). All I do is rinse and drain them, then saute in....you guessed it, extra-virgin olive oil with a lot of Penzey's Adobo seasoning! These are especially great with avocado.

Tempeh Tacos are our faves!

#3: Tempeh Tacos - the flavorful splurge.
These require a little planning ahead, but are quick to make once the initial prep of marinating the tempeh is done - I usually prep the tempeh on the weekend so it has a few days to marinate in time for Taco Tuesday.

Ingredients:
1 package tempeh - chopped into strips (we use Lightlife, which has 25 mg sodium total)
1-1/2 c. apple cider vinegar (0mg)
1/2 c. water
1 stick Kombu (180 mg)
Honey to taste
2-3 T. chili powder (make sure yours is salt-free)

To make marinade, add apple cider vinegar, water, kombu, and a squirt of honey (you don't need very much) to a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place tempeh strips in a baking dish which has a cover (or use foil). Pour marinade over tempeh and cover. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours (I usually let it marinate for a few days).

When you're ready to make your tacos, drain tempeh and saute in olive oil with chili powder. I like to break the tempeh strips up into smaller pieces, but you could leave them as-is if you so choose.

Once tempeh is heated through, you're ready to assemble your tacos! We like these with salsa, cheese and fresh-squeezed lime.

This makes about 6-8 tacos, for a grand total of 205mg for the tempeh filling (split 6 ways, that's about 35mg per taco). You can dress your tacos with your favorite cheese, salsa or other condiments based on your sodium allowance for your meal - but trust me, they don't need much. Just a bit of cilantro and a little hot salsa can satisfy you without breaking the (sodium) bank.