1-28-2013 Thanks for dropping by. The contest has now closed. We will be selecting and announcing a winner shortly

Everyone, meet Christy Ellingsworth.  Christy is a good friend of ours who writes The Daily Dish, a recipe blog that’s geared toward eating low sodium foods (and Meniere’s disease). Christy’s leveraged her low sodium cooking expertise and teamed up with Adams media to release  The Everything DASH Diet Cookbook.  Way to go Christy!

Christy is generously sponsoring our giveaway (a.k.a.”sweepstakes”) – an autographed copy of her new book!  You can find Christy on Twitter and Facebook.

Today, Christy’s shares a few thoughts below in the form of a “guest post/giveaway introduction” –  take it away Christy!

Happy New Year, everyone, and Happy New YOU, too!

Whether or not holiday indulgences are still weighing heavily on body and mind, January is the perfect time to reassess personal fitness goals and rededicate yourself to best health. In the spirit of “out with the old and in with the new,” the lovely Johanna of Low Sodium Blog and I are once again teaming up to offer assistance in the form of a brand new cookbook!

The Everything DASH Diet Cookbook (released November 2012) contains over 300 flavor filled recipes, that are table-ready in 30 minutes or less! It offers complete nutritional information for each recipe, a boatload of helpful hints, cooking tips, product information, and more. Whether just starting your low-sodium journey or looking for something new to keep you satisfied on the salt-free straight and narrow, this book will be something you can turn to, again and again.

To win a FREE! autographed copy of The Everything DASH Diet Cookbook, simply follow the instructions below.

Many thanks and best of luck!

- Christy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Enter to Win! Everything DASH Diet Cookbook by Christy Ellingsworth appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Whether you’re on a quest to see the New 7 Wonders of the World, adventuring off your bucket list, or you’re taking a grand European tour, a VIP visit to Rome’s Colosseum and Forum sites should not be missed.  In particular, there’s a special experience that I highly recommend – visiting the Colosseum’s underground dungeon area, taking a stroll on arena floor (the “stage”), and seeing Rome from the Colosseum’s third tier. All of these special areas are kept under lock and key – but are accessible via special access…

I had the opportunity to meet up with Vincenzo, one of the fabulous Walks of Italy guides – and tagged alongside the VIP Access Colosseum and Forum Tour*. Walks of Italy’s small group VIP tour grants special access to otherwise off limit areas within the Colosseum and Forum areas, and I was lucky enough to be able to catch up with Vincenzo’s group.

Vincenzo is a true raconteur – a spirited storyteller who creates a lively and interactive environment. Vincenzo is simply charming, his knowledge and personality carry us through the day.

Escorted behind gated areas, I noticed we caught more than a few curious glimpses from the other tourists. I could literally feel their curiosity pique.  Where were we going? What kinds of treasured experiences were we going to encounter (that they would not)? How did we arrange for all of this, and, seriously, what’s behind all of that security?

In addition to the many hovering “Curious Georges”, I also noticed more than a handful of people try to sneak into the restricted access areas or voluntarily tag themselves along our tour (to be honest, I don’t blame them one bit. It would be heartbreaking to come all the way to Rome and then find out that a little advance planning could have made for an entirely different experience.  Luckily, Vincenzo and the Colosseum staff watch the group like a hawk, so the sneak-aboards aren’t too successful).

To give you a taste of the special access (but not to give the tour secrets away), here are some of the photos of the Colosseum underground tunnels and dungeon area.

The underground dungeon area provides a glimpse into the brilliance of its architectural design. As we walked through the underground dungeon, I wondered if this type of layout inspired today’s modern Cirque du Soleil shows (killing differences aside) — with tunnels, trap doors, and spaces for storing show props and house animals.

On the main level, we were able to experience the true “gladiator” experience.  The main platform is also a restricted access area.  Walking out onto the main deck alone provides a small glimpse into what it would have been like to be the gladiator with all of the Colesseum attendees watching your every move. It’s probably the closest that I’ll ever feel like a gladiator.

The tour continues into other special areas of the Colesseum and then winds its way through the vast Forum area.

Many thanks to Walks of Italy for providing an unforgettable experience – and to Vincenzo for being such an inspiring and entertaining raconteur!

In Italy, the customary way to wish someone “Happy Holidays” is “Buone Feste!” or “Tanti auguri!” and to say “Happy New Year!” is “Buon Capodanno!”

To celebrate the New Year, Walks of Italy has a special deal going on until March 1, 2013! Low Sodium Blog readers who book any Walks of Italy services can receive a 15% off discount off all Walks of Italy services through 2013 (the Walks of Italy services have to be booked/paid before March 1, 2013).

To take advantage of the discount, simply book online and enter discount code WALKSLOVESBLOGGERS into the appropriate field.

Enjoy Italy and “Buon Capodanno!”

*Disclaimer: Walks of Italy sponsored my VIP Access – Colosseum Underground, Arena & Forum Rome Tour; the opinions expressed/photos used in the above post are my own.

The post Rome Colosseum: Underground, Arena & Forum VIP Access appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Braised lamb shanks with orzo – to me embraces the true meaning of Italian slow food.  Lamb shanks provide a cucina rustica, or Italian home style cooking, look; but more importantly, the shanks provide a deep mouth-watering flavor.

This is one of my favorite “go to” group dinner party dishes as it presents quite well on a large serving platter. I’ve been making this dish for over 20 years (probably around the first time I went to Italy with my mom and sister), so I’m not entirely sure where I inherited (and the later adapted into a low-sodium version) this recipe from.  I always just thank the Italians for such wonderful inspiration, grazie!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

4 lbs lamb shanks (~4 lamb shanks; or 2 lamb shanks + 2 lbs leg of lamb cut into 1 ½ – 2” cubes.  Allow for 1 lamb shank per person)
1/8 cup grapeseed oil (for searing)

¼ cup olive oil (use half of this if you’re using the Ninja 3-in-1)
1 tablespoon pureed garlic (or less)
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into ½” pieces
½ cup onion, finely chopped
3 cups tomatoes, chopped into ½” pieces (or 1 – 28 oz can no salt added Italian plum tomatoes)
1 cup dry white wine (i.e., Pinot Grigio)*
3/8 cup lightly packed fresh basil, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dry)
3/8 cup lightly packed fresh oregano, chopped (or 2 tablespoons dry)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 tablespoon dry)
3 to 4 cups low sodium chicken stock   (Note: set aside some additional stock in case your orzo isn’t cooked through and you need to add more).
1 lb orzo pasta (or roughly, just over 2 cups)

Freshly grated low-sodium Parmesan cheese; and if your low sodium diet allows it – sprinkle a few pitted kalamata olives into the dish.

(* if you choose to cook alcohol free – then use low sodium chicken stock. If you’re curious and want to know more about cooking with alcohol, read our blog post here . We recognize that alcohol isn’t meant for everyone’s diet)

Directions

1. Clean the shanks by removing the skin/fat. Pat dry (with paper towels).
2. Heat the dutch oven on high.  Add the grape seed oil and sear the lamb on all sides. Remove and set aside.
   
3. Turn the heat down to medium high.  Add the olive oil, garlic, carrots, onion and sauté until softened (translucent). Return the lamb to the dutch oven.
4. Add tomatoes, herbs, wine, and just enough stock to cover. Bake uncovered for 80-100 minutes in a 350 oven (*Ninja users – the cooking time may be reduced, because you’ll be cooking this covered).
5. Remove from oven.  Measure the amount of cooking liquid remaining (unless you’re really good with eyeballing it. The easiest way is to remove the lamb and then pour the liquid into a large, heat resistant, glass-measuring cup. Be careful because the dutch oven and its contents will be extremely hot). I think it’s important to know what your liquid to dry orzo ratio is before you start cooking orzo. The downside of not knowing what the ratio is: (a) not enough liquid (not horrible, because you can add more stock) or (b) having too much liquid = soggy dish. This one is difficult to recover from. The liquid to orzo ratio is noted on the orzo manufacturer’s directions and can vary a little (generally, we follow a 3:2 ratio).
6. Reassemble the lamb and original liquid back into the dutch oven. Add the orzo and top off with the incremental amount of chicken stock. Place on the (or set to) stove top and bring to a boil.
7. Place back in the oven (or switch to Ninja oven setting at 350F) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the orzo is tender. If all of the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo isn’t tender, add more stock.
8. Remove from heat and serve. Finish with freshly grated low-sodium Parmesan cheese (and/or olives if your low sodium diet will allow it).

The post Italian Braised Lamb Shanks with Orzo Recipe appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Jan 1 – 2013. Thanks for stopping by. Our contest has now closed. We’ll pick a winner and post the results shortly. Keep posted, there’s more fun in the new year!

Today, I’m reviewing the Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System – it’s  a stove top, slow cooker, and oven all-in-one unit. Normally, I don’t blog about products, but today is special.  Today’s blog post also comes along with a super fun giveaway! One lucky Low Sodium Blog reader (who enters the giveaway) will be randomly selected and receive a Ninja Cooking System of their very own, courtesy of the Ninja Kitchen folks! Be sure to enter to win! The contest closes midnight, December 31, 2012 (pacific).

What’s so special about the Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System – isn’t it just another slow cooker?

When we received our Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System*, we already owned a wonderful slow cooker, which we simply loved. Curious, I wondered – why would I ever want to replace my old, beloved slow cooker? After cooking with the Ninja Cooking System for a couple of months, here are the reasons why I really like the Ninja unit:

• Use less cooking oil. Given that many slow cooker recipes start with seared or browned meat, we found that we used significantly less cooking oil when cooking using the Ninja system.  The “Professional Grade Non-Stick Cooking Pot” appeared to be the main driver behind our reduced oil usage.  For us, using low fat ingredients, and in particular low fat cooking methods, is normally one of our goals – and we found that the non-stick pot actually helped maintain our “use less oil” mantra.  (The Ninja folks claim that you only need to use ½ the amount of fat in baked goods recipes, however, we didn’t test the “oven function” via baked goods.)

• Cook with one pot and access stove top, slow cooker and oven functions. Because the Ninja Cooking System is marketed a stove top, slow cooker, and oven “all-in-one unit”, we also didn’t find that we had to transfer food from the fry pan (searing step) to the liner (slow cooking)  to an oven roaster for final roasting – that’s two less cooking vessels to clean.  Two less dishes, plus a non-stick insert (versus a ceramic one), means that clean-up is a breeze (the best gift to receive is time itself).

•  Works as advertised: triple fusion heating.   The triple fusion (bottom/sides and steam) heating worked like a charm.  I admit I’m a skeptic – so when I saw the super juicy roasted chicken on the infomercial, I thought to myself “yeah, right? I have to try this to see if it really works like they demonstrated on TV”.I cooked the whole chicken, per the Ninja directions – pouring wine into the bottom of the pan (liquid goes on the bottom and simmers during the cooking process), and placed the chicken on a rack so that it didn’t sit directly in the liquid. You might have noticed that I didn’t bother to brown the skin (sometimes keep the skin on during the cooking process). I have to say, the “triple fusion heating” roasted chicken turned out so amazingly moist that our “trial taste” turned into munching down nearly the whole bird.  We forgot to take an “after” picture, sorry!

• Cool hot foods quickly.  A long time ago (before we took a food safety class) we didn’t know  that hot food should be cooled rapidly and refrigerated, rather than letting the food sit out on the countertop for hours on end (read: overnight/countertop cooling increases the likelihood of foodborne illness = bad).Our old slow cooker has a ceramic insert which makes rapid cooling far more tedious.  The ceramic insert, which retains heat,  required us to transfer the hot food into a vessel that could accommodate quick cooling.   To quick cool hot foods cooked in the Ninja unit, we simply place the Ninja’s non-stick removable liner directly over an ice bath – this saves a lot of time and hassle.  Personally, I find this “benefit” invaluable.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Disclaimer - The folks at Ninja Kitchen provided all International Food Bloggers Conference attendees a Ninja 3-in-1 cooking system this past September. The opinions expressed/food photos used in the above post (with the exception of the actual Ninja unit) are my own.

The post Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System – Review & Giveaway! (ARV ~ $159) appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Simply sublime when eaten fresh, Zabaglione is decadence made with only three ingredients!

One of the first things we learned after switching to a low sodium diet is that ordering low sodium desserts can be a challenge when dining out.  It’s a good thing for low-sodium, gluten or dairy free eaters* that most restaurants keep these three staple ingredients on hand: eggs, sugar, and wine!  (Although, you might have to plead your low sodium case with the owner to order Zabaglione off-menu.)

Depending upon the origin of the restaurant, chef, owners, or where your taste buds happen to land in Western Europe – you might need to become multi-lingual to order up a cup of happiness; it’s been known to travel incognito using the following names: Zabaglione, Zabaione (Italy) or Sabayon (France).

Wine – yes, the wine you use will affect the end taste. 

My cardinal wine cooking rule is to always cook with wine that is good enough to drink with a good meal; cooking with unpleasant tasting wine will definitely ruin the flavor of your zabaglione.

Marsala and moscato wine are popular choices.  Personally, we like using an Italian vin santo wine.  The tradeoff is that vin santo’s availability and cost relative to marsala wine may not present a compelling set of circumstances enough to buy a bottle simply to make zabaglione; the upside is that vin santo (much like marsala) is a sweet wine which keeps relatively well under refrigeration. So fear not, you don’t have to rush and feel you have to drink the whole bottle of vin santo in one evening.  Sparkling wines can also add a flare to your Zabaglione: Moscato D’Asti, and prosecco tend to be the most frequently used.

Zabaglione Food Pairing Suggestions

• Topped over fruit – for example figs, strawberries tossed in glazed balsamic vinegar reduction sauce; stone fruit such as nectarines, peaches; quinces.  (Pictured above: medley of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries)
• Dip Italian cookies like biscotti, pizzelle (ferratelle)
• Make a deconstructed tiramisu
• Serve over French toast, cakes (i.e., ginger or lemon cake)
• Use as an ice cream flavor base

*Note: Yes, Zabaglione is one of our “special occasion” desserts because the recipe uses wine.  If you’re curious and want to know more about cooking with alcohol, read our blog post here .  We recognize that alcohol isn’t meant for everyone’s diet – so we’re sorry if alcohol is on your prohibited foods list and we’ve inadvertently taunted you. Also, this dairy-free Zabaglione recipe is also a good dessert consideration for gluten or lactose free eaters – our zabaglione recipe doesn’t use dairy; heavy cream can often help prolong the shelf life of zabaglione, but also affects the flavor and texture. You’ll want to be extra careful when choosing the wine (allergens).

Zabaglione Recipe

Zabaglione Ingredients

4 egg yolks (**we use raw, pasteurized eggs for this recipe)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vin santo or marsala wine ** (see above for other options)

Directions

Use a double boiler / bain-marie; bring the water to a boil. (To construct a makeshift double boiler – fill a pot with 1 – 2 inches of water; bring to a boil.  Select another rounded pot or [copper or heat tolerant glass] bowl that can sit comfortably on top of the pot, the rounded bowl becomes important because otherwise the ingredients will stick to the edges, overcook or burn.  Do not select a bowl that sits low enough to touch the boiling water – you’ll scald the zabaglione this way.  Essentially, you’re using steam from the bottom pot to heat the liquid in the top pot).

Combine and whisk all ingredients together (i.e., top part of the double boiler/a> or rounded copper or heat tolerant glass bowl).  Once you combine all of the ingredients, it is essential that you continue to whisk (to ensure that the zabaglione stays uniform); sugar and egg yolks don’t play well when left alone.

Keep whisking; literally your arm might feel like it’s going to fall off if you’re not using an electric mixer.  I actually stand on a kitchen stool, because I find that it makes whisking a little easier over a bain-marie (plus, I’m old school – I like to use a traditional whisk instead of our electric mixer for spontaneous desserts).

As the heat increases the overall temperature of the zabaglione, the texture will change. Bring it up to 145-150F and keep whisking.  The heating process may seem like a long time because you’re busy whisking away, but it actually doesn’t take too long (usually less than 5 minutes).  The completion test is the ribbon – the point when you can lift the whisk away from the zabaglione, and for a few scant seconds, it makes a ribbon-like pattern before becoming uniform again. Be sure to watch the temperature, because there’s a fine line where the zabaglione might get too hot, start to curdle and scorch.  Quickly bring the temperature down, continue to whisk for about a minute, and remove from heat.

Serve warm.

The post Zabaglione – Make A Decadent Dessert Using Three Ingredients! appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Everyone, meet Jason Spiehler (left) and Stephen Oddo (right) – the co-founders of Walks of Italy, a sustainable travel company that provides high quality personal experiences and small group tours. We initially crossed travel paths with Jason and Stephen back in June, 2012 – Walks of Italy was a sponsor at TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange Conference).

Together with about 700 other travel bloggers – we descended upon Keystone, Colorado. After discovering that I would be traveling to Italy solo for a week (as part of my around-the-world adventure), Jason and Stephen kindly extended an invitation to walk with their Rome-based small group tour crew, to experience Italy as [in-the-know] Romans do.  Wow. What an amazing opportunity! Today’s post focuses on Vatican City*(coincidentally, a UNESCO World Heritage site).

This was my second time visiting Vatican City and it literally was a night and day experience – partly attributed to Walks of Italy’s Pristine Sistine tour itself, and partly due to the fact that I was able to compare my experience of pre-restoration (1993) to post restoration frescos. Time can be favorable under the right set of circumstances.

Walks of Italy calls their early morning tour the Pristine Sistine with good reason: it’s a special experience that grants small group access (up to 12 people per group) to the Sistine chapel – well before the general public are allowed to enter (i.e., the Vatican receives over 20,000 visitors daily).  The Pristine Sistine tour provides patrons a rare opportunity to walk freely inside of the chapel (and not feel like a sardine); the other significant benefit is that this is one of the few times that the Vatican allows guests to talk (quietly but) freely with their knowledgeable [Vatican approved] Walks of Italy guide inside the Chapel itself. The real-time explanation and interpretation of the frescos, along with having a remarkable amount of personal space makes a world of difference.  To me, this is the preferred way to visit the Sistine Chapel.

Inside the Sistine Chapel, I was in awe. The fresco restorations were simply incredible – literally, it is like comparing a black-and-white photo to a vividly colored one. Since we weren’t allowed to take any photos within the chapel itself, you can see the pre-and post-restoration work here (via Wikipedia).

If you visit later in the day, via regular public access, the Sistine Chapel experience is an entirely different animal. Packed to the brim, people stand nearly shoulder-to-shoulder; the temperature inside the chapel is much warmer (due to the sheer volume of people); the Vatican museum stewards constantly bark at the visitors in an effort to keep the chapel under control (there’s a no talking/photography policy within the chapel itself. I later walked through the Sistine Chapel and had to squeeze through sardine pit; it was a stark contrast to the “Pristine Sistine”).

Rich in art, history, and culture – it’s easy to spend days inside the walls of the Vatican.  The Pristine Sistine tour led us through the Vatican museums, Raphael rooms, and some other special gems (we can’t give all the secrets away).  Our tour wrapped up inside of St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world.

Inside, we saw Michelangelo’s Pieta (behind bulletproof glass – another sad “sign of the times”).

Tips on Visiting the Vatican:

• Be sure to dress appropriately – dress code is strictly enforced for both men and women. (i.e.,  no shorts, bare shoulders, miniskirts/other revealing (or offensively marked) clothing).
• Stay close to your guide, especially while inside St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s easy to lose your group while being in awe of the art and architecture (I temporarily lost my group, quite by accident, and nearly didn’t find them again).
• Climbing to the top of the cupola at St. Peter’s Basilica is something everyone should do at least once (320 steps) in your lifetime.  The view from the top is simply stunning. There’s an elevator that provides rooftop access (but not the top of the cupola).  The Vatican charges additional access fees (note: this is not included in the Pristine Sistine Tour, but I highly recommend doing this – the view from the top is well worth the additional effort).
• Warning: the Sistine Chapel is not immune to pickpockets , especially during peak visiting hours.  Having squeezed through the sardine pit myself, I could see how this is likely.

Special thanks to all of the folks at Walks of Italy for really amazing tour and Vatican experience!  The Pristine Sistine is one of those experiences that I’ll always remember!

*Disclaimer: Walks of Italy sponsored my Pristine Sistine Tour; the opinions expressed/photos used in the above post are my own.

The post The Pristine Sistine Chapel with Walks of Italy appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Holiday baking season is upon us!  To celebrate Italy (the region that we’re blogging about right now), Italian foods, and the holiday season, we’ve converted Rose Levy Bernabaum’s Golden Biscotti recipe (with her permission) into a low sodium recipe version.

Baked twice, these delicious little morels can theoretically be stored for lengthy periods of time… the main problem is that our biscotti seem to mysteriously disappear (into our stomachs) and typically don’t last in our house for more than a couple of days!  Great for eating at home (or for giving as a gift) – and particularly delightful when dipped in coffee or zabaglione, or paired with vin santo wine (if you happen to drink alcohol).

Biscotti baking tip: we recommend using an electric knife (serrated blade) to cut the biscotti after the “first bake”.  It made the process a whole lot easier.

Biscotti Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached

1 ¼ teaspoons sodium-free baking powder
2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons orange zest (or zest from one large orange)

2 large eggs

½ cup olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 2/3 cups unblanched, sliced almonds

1/3 cup unblanched whole almonds

Topping Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large egg white

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, sift together all but ¼ cup of the flour with the baking soda. Set aside

In a food processor with the metal blade, process the sugar and orange zest until the zest is finely minced.  Add the eggs and process for about 30 seconds or until thoroughly blended.  Scrape the sides of the bowl.  With the motor running, add the oil, extracts, and process until blended.

Add the sliced almonds and process until finely chopped.  Add the flour mixture and process for about 7 seconds or until the flour is almost incorporated.  (There will be some flour clinging to the sides of the work bowl.  Do not over process, as the dough will be too stiff to incorporate the flour completely in the processor.)

Scrape the dough (including any flour from the work bowl) onto a lightly floured counter and knead the dough, adding the remaining ¼ cup of flour to form a soft, non-sticky dough.

Shape the dough into two 2-inch-wide cylinders.  Each will be about 7 ½ inches long.  Line up the whole almonds lengthwise in rows along the dough and press them well into the dough.  With the palms of your hands, roll the cylinders on the counter, enclosing the almonds and maintaining the 2-inch diameters of the cylinders.  Place the cylinders 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon for the topping.  Beat the egg white.  Brush the cylinders lightly with the beaten egg white and sprinkle them with the cinnamon topping.

Bake on the upper rack of the oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm.

Cool the cylinders on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes or until just warm.  Slip them off the sheet and onto a counter.  With a serrated knife, cut diagonal ½-inch slices.  Place the slices closely together on the cookie sheets.

Toast the slices for about 8 minutes.  Using a small metal spatula, turn them and bake for another 8 minutes or until golden brown.  For even baking, rotate the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking period.  Use a small, angled metal spatula or pancake turner to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Store: In an airtight container at room temperature

Keeps:  Several months.

* The giveaway is a sponsored message for Safest Choice Eggs.  The sponsored message will be deleted from this post once the contest has been completed (this is not a sponsored post).

The post Golden Biscotti Recipe appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

12/19/2012. Hello Holiday Bakers! Thanks for stopping by. Our Holiday Cookie and Baking Giveaway has now closed. Congrats to Tracy S! (see below). Thanks for stopping by!

Our friends at Safest Choice asked us if we’d like to help spread the love? For sure! (e.g., transplant readers – Safest Choice™ pasteurized eggs are salmonella free).

Safest Choice™ is celebrating the holidays with a new distribution channel. Safest Choice™ eggs can now also be purchased at Albertson’s stores throughout Southern California (as well as other retailers).

The Safest Choice™ giveaway/ Holiday Baking prize pack includes:

• A month’s supply of Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs (8 dozen eggs – via redeemable coupons, so the eggs don’t break in the mail)
• A copy of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s book Rose’s Christmas Cookies
• Wilton® Non-stick Cookie Pans (three piece set)
• One Wilton® Holiday Cookie Cutter Set
• One Silpat® non-stick baking mat for a 13” x 18” sheet pan
• One OXO GoodGrips® small cookie scoop
• And some more Safest Choice goodies!
  (ARV ~$125)

To enter, please make sure to use the widget below (we realize that entry via widget can be a pain — but it’s a way for us to track entries).

The Safest Choice Holiday Baking giveaway kicks off today, 12/12/12 and ends midnight 12/18/12, pacific time, and this contest is just for our Low Sodium Blog readers. So far, the odds of our recent contests have been pretty favorable… so be sure to enter!

Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Holiday Giveaway! Enter to Win a Cookie & Baking Prize Pack from Safest Choice™ appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Let’s toast to bella Italia – and all of her majestic sunrises, rustic flavors, and delicious desserts! Our Italian adventure starts with some tasty cookies from the Abruzzo (south) region, called Pizzelle. If you’re west of Abruzzo, in the Lazio region (i.e., Rome) Pizzelle travel incognito as ferratelle. Whatever name you want to call them, they’re delicious, thin circular wafers.
Our pizzelle recipe uses olive oil instead of butter – because we felt that the use of olive oil (and less so, butter) was authentic to the region.

Pizzelle’s consistency can vary depending upon the ingredients used. For example, if you use the recipe listed below – but substitute out all of the flours we’ve listed for an all-purpose flour (this would make the recipe non-gluten free), use regular refined white sugar (or brown) instead of powdered sugar, and add slightly more olive oil (so that the batter is more runny) – the recipe modifications will yield a slightly softer cookie. We’ve tried making them both crispy (below) and softer and they’re equally tasty!

Our recipe below (crispier pizzelle) uses anise, but we suggest that you get creative. Make a flavor splash! Try using lemon zest, vanilla, orange zest, anise, or chocolate. Really, the flavor variations are endless.
 To make the pizzelle, you’ll need a pizzelle iron (maker).  I bought one ages ago as a random purchase – definitely, I’ve had no regrets. The recipe is a snap to make, and the cookies turn out beautifully. You’ll have everyone at the cookie exchange fooled into thinking it took forever to master the craft (when in reality, the pizzelle iron did all of the hard work!).

…keep posted. We’re about to dive into a fun Italian adventure throughout the month!

Pizzelle Ingredients
1 cup potato flour
2/3 cup [brown] rice flour
1/2 cup powdered (confectioners’/10X) sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup olive oil
1/3 – 1/2 teaspoon anise extract (or similarly, if you prefer to have lemon or vanilla flavored ones, use lemon zest or vanilla extract)

Pizzelle Directions
1. Pre-heat the pizzelle iron per the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift and combine the potato, rice flours and powdered sugar. Set aside.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine and whisk the eggs, olive oil and anise extract. Combine the wet and dry mixtures. Stir until the batter becomes consistent (see picture).
4. Lightly grease the pizzelle iron with cooking oil and place a small dollop (teaspoon sized) amount of dough. Close the iron (our iron has clamps, which helps to keep the cooking even). The pizzelle should cook until you hear the sizzling sound subside. Open the iron and remove. You may need to allow the pizzelle iron to heat up again before starting the next batch (our pizzelle iron is non-stick so we don’t have to re-grease in between batches – refer to your manufacturer’s directions.)

The post Gluten Free Pizzelle / Faratelle (Olive Oil) Recipe appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.

Read about Nancy Rose’s low-sodium adventure – she’s converted Roasted Cipollini Onions and Beets into a Norwegian delight, Smorrebrod!

Today, our friend Nancy Rose Eisman has penned a wonderful guest post (we actually bumped into her at Michael Natkin’s book launch back in April).  Given that she’s an avid vegetarian, we wanted to share her thoughts (and a super creative recipe based) on Michael’s book, Herbivoracious.

For those of you who don’t know Nancy, she writes a fun vegetarian blog, Adventures with Nancy Rose.  By day, she supports the marketing efforts at Melissa’s / World Variety Produce Inc. Thanks and take it away Nancy Rose!

Thanks Johanna, for letting me guest post during the Herbivoracious giveaway! and for sending me on a fun low-sodium adventure.

I think the recipes in Herbivoracious inspire people to use the best ingredients – and in doing so, you won’t even notice that you’ve put the salt shaker away! Michael Natkin’s recipes are simple, flavorful, and easily adaptable for a low-sodium diet.

To me, the perfect recipe for a low-sodium makeover was the Roasted Cipollini Onions and Beets (page 258).  All I had to do was eliminate the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt in the original version to make the dish a low-sodium one.  I also like to replace white sugar when I easily can, so I swapped out the white for light brown. Another liberty I took was to use Melissa’s Baby Beets, peeled & steamed and ready to eat, maximizing the convenience factor and minimizing the mess of cooking and peeling whole beets.  The results were delicious! These small recipe modifications proved that by choosing easy to use ingredients packed with flavor, the use of [additional] salt in cooking is often unnecessary.

Herbivoracious author Michael Natkin’s serving suggestions for the Roasted Cipollini Onions and Beets are as a simple side dish, as a garnish on a plate of couscous, or with sharp tasting greens like escarole.

However, on the forefront of my mind was what to bring as a snack for tonight’s Mystery Book Club meeting (if you know me, you know I love twofers).  Inspired by the slightly sweet-and-sour flavors in Michaels’ Roasted Cipollini Onions and Beets recipe and thinking about this month’s book “The Snowman” by Jo Nesbo (set in Norway), an idea came to me:  make a platter of smorrebrod, the iconic Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches!

…and here it is:

Smorrebrod Recipe – a la Herbivoracious!

Ingredients 

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Melissa’s Baby Beets, cubed
1 pkg. (16 oz.) Melissa’s Cipolline Onions, peeled and cubed*
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. light brown sugar
fresh ground black pepper

pumpernickel bread, sliced 1/3” thick
¼ cup cream style horseradish
¼ cup whipped cream cheese
pea shoot leaves for garnish
minced carrots for garnish

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (the original recipe has the oven at 400 but my oven runs hot).

Blanch the cipolline onions in boiling water about 3-4 minutes, drain and place in cold water.

Peel and cube.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the cubed beets and onions and toss with the olive oil.  Whisk together the vinegar, light brown sugar, and several grinds of black pepper, then pour over the beets and onions, and toss again.

Roast, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are completely tender and caramelized in spots, about 45 minutes.

Cut the pumpernickel bread slices into the shape of your choice.  Mix the horseradish and cream cheese together until well blended, then spread a bit on each piece of bread.  Place some of the beet/onion mixture on top, then garnish with pea shoot leaves, minced carrots, or whatever.

Nancy, the pleasure was entirely ours!  Thanks for taking us on a fun low-sodium adventure and for teaching us about smorrebrods – yours look simply delicious!

P.S – You can also find more of Nancy Rose’s creativity on our blog.  This past summer, she guest posted and inspired our Greek Salad With Marinated Tofu “Feta” recipe.

Note:  Nancy’s modifications (i.e., smorrebrod) appear in italics. Michael’s original, Roasted Cipollini Onions and Beets Recipe, ingredients appear below in normal font.

The post Smorrebrod (Roasted Cipollini Onions & Beets) Recipe a la Herbivoracious appeared first on Low Sodium Blog.