Salt Free Shabbos - Help Please

Wed, Feb 05 2014, 10:56 am

I'm having company for shabbos that is on a reduced/no salt diet. I find salt free food bland, and am trying to think of ideas of foods that don't call for salt to begin with

So far:
- the Facebook garlic brown sugar recipe, which I'm planning on using on chicken instead of cutlets.
- apple kugel of some sort
- salad

That's it! I need a few more ideas, please.

spring13

Wed, Feb 05 2014, 11:43 am

Can s/he have Bragg's Liquid aminos? It's like a healthier soy sauce with no added salt. It does contain some naturally-occuring sodium, but if your guest can have some, you could use it in anything you'd put soy sauce in - marinade, salad dressing, or just mixed with rice or whatever for flavor.

AlwaysThinking

Wed, Feb 05 2014, 12:05 pm

I never seem to need salt in my chicken soup - I just use lots of chicken. I think there's salt in there from the kashering process or something, because if do add it's too salty.

Also things with fried onions tend to have a lot of flavor even without salt.

CatLady

Wed, Feb 05 2014, 12:40 pm

My late mother was on a sodium-free diet for cardiac and kidney problems, and the hospital dietitian suggested I soak raw chicken or meat in water to get rid of some of the salt used in the koshering process before cooking for her. Salt-free ketchup became her best friend in the kitchen!

Adding seasonings such as roasted garlic, lemon or cayenne are great ways to amplify flavour without adding any salt. I would avoid the Bragg's Aminos, as well as most processed foods with the exception of salt-free canned tomato products. Kugel made with mashed potatoes and caramelized onions with lots of black pepper was one of my mom's faves.

Wed, Feb 05 2014, 7:28 pm

I don't want to buy any specialty items like lo-sodium soy sauce, because this is a one-time thing. On a regular day, we eat salt!

Riff, how do you make your chicken soup. I always put salt in when I cook it AND add some to my bowl when I'm eating.

And maybe I'm fussy, but salt cooked INTO the food tastes different than when it's sprinkled on top.

bubbebia

Thu, Feb 06 2014, 11:48 am

Growing up my grandfather was on a salt free diet so my grandmother never used salt but there was a salt shaker on the table for those who needed it. I learned a lot of my cooking skills from her so I have had to train myself to use salt. Most of the time I never add enough, particularly to my chicken soup, but there is always salt available to add for those who want.

It's OK to cook without salt if you need to, but do make it available at the table. Also, cooking with herbs, onions and garlic, or a salt substitute which is potassium based rather than sodium based, work well to help make food taste good.

I make a quinoa salad with craisins, raw sunflower seeds or blanched almond slivers, scallions or red onions and a sweet vinaigrette. This might be a good addition to your meal. Or you can do a cous cous (Israeli or regular) with some sauteed onions and garlicand mushrooms, rosemary or thyme and some chicken broth (unsalted of course). How about sliced tomatoes with some thinly sliced red onion and sprinkled with pepper, shredded fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar?

Just be careful about not having too many sweet things as part of the main meal. You need to maintain some balance. Good luck. Let us know how it turned out.

usa

Thu, Feb 06 2014, 12:03 pm

I cook filleted salmon slices in a pot, lined with parchment paper, with a generous sized splash of lemon juice and of vinegar poured over the (still wet) rinsed slices. Cook for about 20 minutes, on a medium flame, till the liquid is gone and the slices are soft if you put a knife through them. Serve hot or cold. Some people like it with horseradish, or mayonnaise, or horseradish mixed with mayonnaise.

SJcookie

Thu, Feb 06 2014, 2:49 pm

See this thread for chicken ideas:
http://imamother.com/forum/vie.....ight=
(I highly recommend the spiced chicken recipe that I posted)

side dishes:
-Oven baked sweet potatoes (peel and slice sweet potatoes, mix in bowl with oil, black pepper, and paprika, put on cookie lined baking sheet or in pan, and bake for approx 30 min)
-garlic string beans
-oven roasted spiced potatoes or rosemary potatoes
-rice (plain rice, rice with mushrooms, rice with craisins, etc.)
-orzo