Low Sodium Beef Lasagna

I made this for our Murder Mystery party and has been raving about it everytime he eats a leftover.  The red pepper gives it a little kick, but not too spicy.

INGREDIENTS
1lb extra-lean ground beef
2 tbl minced garlic
1 26 ounce pasta sauce (I used Newman's own)
1 14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 tbl balsamic vinegar
4 tbl fresh shredded basil
1 15oz container low-fat ricotta
2 cups shredded low sodium mozzerella cheese
1 egg
1/2 teas crushed red pepper flakes
12 cooked lasagna noodles
1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F
Brown the beef in a large saucepan, breaking into small pieces until no pink remains.  Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute.  Add the pasta sauce, tomatoes, vinegar, and 2 tbl of the basil.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

In meantime, in a small bowl combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 2 tbl of basil, egg, and crushed red pepper.

Place 3/4 cup of sauce mixture in bottom of 13X9in baking pan (glass or porcelin is preferred over metal for more even cooking).  Top with 3 cooked noodles, then spread 1/3 of ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles, top with 3/4 cup pasta-sauce, then sprinkle with 1/3 of mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the layers, ending with the final 3 noodles.  Spread remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with parmesan, and cover with foil.

Bake for 30min; uncover and bake for 15mins or until bubbly.  Remove from oven and let stand 15min before serving.


NUTRITION


Number of servings: 12
Calories: 296
Protein: 20.5g
Fat: 13g
Carbohydrates: 24.3g
Fiber: 2g
Potassium: 421mg
Sodium: 471mg
Cholesterol: 46mg

Adapted from: Real Simple

Low Sodium Grilled Pizza

That's right, grilled pizza!  I had heard about and never done it, till last night.  In the summer I avoid baking anything because I feel like it warms up the house too much, yet... I love pizza.  I was inspired to finally try grilling pizza by the Good Eats episode.. however, Alton Brown uses a ton of salt, so I had to combine his recipe with another recipe for low sodium pizza from "Please, DON'T pass the salt!"  The entire time while eating his pizza Ed kept saying "this is really good!"  Tip to others trying this... if you decide to make 2 pizzas (like I did) make sure you time when you put the dough on the grill to allow you enough time to put the toppings on before you have to flip the second pizza... I didn't and ended up with a slightly burnt crust.

I used some no-salt added tomato sauce (15mg sodium per 1/4cup), sprinkled it with pepper and italian seasoning and then topped with minced garlic, onions, red pepper, Sargento low sodium mozzarella (140mg sodium per 1/4 cup) and boars head pepperoni (490 mg sodium per 16 slices).  So with the dough, I think it came out to be about 1200 mg of sodium in an entire pizza.

INGREDIANTS

16 ounces all-purpose flour (measured by weight, not volume)
1 envelop instant or rapid rise yeast
1/2 tsp salt
10 ounces warm water (measured by volume... I usually use water that feels slightly warm on my wrist)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tsp sugar (Alton Brown uses 1 Tablespoon of malted barley syrup, but I couldn't find any and had run out of molasses... when I get some and try it again I'll fill you in on whether its bettter)

DIRECTIONS

Combine the flour and yeast in the work bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the salt, water, olive oil, and sugar.  Start the mixer on low, using the hook attachment, and mix until the dough comes together.  Then increase the mixer speed to medium and knead for 15 minutes.  Or, you can combine the ingrediants in a bread machine and use the knead function.  If you dough is looking too sticky you can add more flour so it forms a soft ball of dough that doesn't stick to your hands.  (if you need directions on how to tell if your dough is done kneading, see Alton Brown's recipe)

When dough is finished kneading, form it into a smooth ball.  Lightly oil a bowl, and roll the dough in the bowl to coat with oil.  Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until it doubles in size (approx 1 hour).

Split the dough into 3 equal parts, and flatten each piece into a disk on the countertop.  Form each piece into a ball.  cover the balls with a tea towel and rest for 45 minutes.

(during the time that your dough is resting you should prep your pizza toppings)

Heat a gas grill to high and make sure the grill grates are clean and free of debris (allow to heat for at least 15 minutes)

Lightly flour your work surface and flatten 1 of the doughballs.  Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 16" round.  Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel, or a flat cookie sheet (re-shape if needed).  Do NOT add the toppings yet.

Oil the grill grates and decrease the heat to medium.  Brush the dough with 1 to 2 tsp of olive oil and flip onto the grill.  Close the lid and cook until the bottom of the crust is golden brown (about 1 to 2 minutes).  Brush the raw side of the dough with 1 to 2 tsp of olive oil then flip.  Top with your choice of toppings.  Close the lid and cook until the bottom of the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted (about 1 to 2 minutes).  Remove the pizza to a cooling rack and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

NUTRIENTS
This is for the dough only, any toppings that you add will change the nutrition content.
Number Servings: 6

Calories: 324
Protein: 8.3 g
Fat: 5.33 g
Carbohydrates: 60 g
Fiber: 2.35 g
Potassium: 92 mg
Sodium: 196 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Adapted from: Alton Brown and Shambo

Low Sodium Summery Stuffed Shells in Wine Sauce

I made up this recipe by combining bits and pieces of several recipes to achieve what I wanted, a light stuffed shells recipe perfect for summer!  Even though it is composed mainly of things that Ed won't eat by themselves (summer squash/zuccini, tomatoes, etc) it is an Ed approved recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 box of large shells, cooked according to package directions

mozzarella cheese

For Stuffing:
5 T Olive Oil
1/2 vidalia onion
1lb chicken, diced (if you cut while still slightly frozen it is much easier)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 lb zucchini/summer squash, diced
2T minced garlic
1teas dried thyme
1/4 teas black pepper

For Sauce:
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter (cut approx into tablespoons)
5 scallions, finely sliced (white and light green parts)
2T capers (Ed wasn't such a fan of the capers, will probably cut in half next time)
4 large tomatoes, diced


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil, then saute chicken, onion, and red pepper till cooked through.  Add zucchini, garlic, pepper, and thyme, cook until zucchini is almost cooked through.
Arranged cooked shells in a glass rectangular baking pan, then fill with the stuffing.  Top with desired amount of mozzarella cheese.  If you want the shells to stay together better, put mozzarella inside each shell instead of just sprinkled on top.
In a medium sauce pan, add wine and lemon juice, cook on high until sauce reduces by half.  Reduce heat and stir in butter 1-2 pieces at a time, adding the next piece when the others are almost melted.  Add the scallions, capers, and tomato, cook till heated through and season with black pepper.  Pour sauce evenly over the shells.
Place in oven and bake for 30mins.

Low Sodium Bruchetta

I had a girls night over the weekend and I brought bruchetta (made the low sodium way because, well, it is now my habit).  Instead of messing with cutting and toasting bread, etc, I bought bagel chips (again, this was for a crowd not on a low sodium diet).  Anyways, below is the recipe for the bruchetta topping I made.  Using a food processor makes the prep wicked easy!

INGREDIANTS
6 roma (plum) tomatoes
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (in oil)
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 cloves garlic (or 3teas minced garlic)
1/4 cup olive oil
2T balsamic vinegar
1/4 teas ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Cut tomatoes into quarters and place into food processor, add the remainder of the ingrediants.  Pulse until desired texture (about the look of salsa).  Serve over toasted baguette slices, bagel chips, etc.

NUTRIENTS (topping only, not including bread/bagel chip/etc)
Number Servings: 16

Calories: 44
Protein: 0.45g
Fat: 3.9g
Carbohydrates: 2.3g
Fiber: .5g
Potassium: 116mg
Sodium: 11mg
Cholesterol: 0mg

Low-Sodium Chicken Parmiagna

Last week Ed and I had veal parmiagna at his parents house, and since then I've been thinking about making chicken parmiagna, and I finally got around to it.

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 cup homemade bread crumbs
1/2 cup reduced fat parmesan cheese
2 teaspoon garlic powder
8 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 cup reduced fat Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 400 degree F
Place chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper and beat with a meat mallet until about half the original thickness.
In a shallow dish, beat eggs with water.
In a second shallow dish, mix flour with pepper and all-purpose seasoning
In a third shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic, and parsley.
Dredge chicken in flour mixture, then egg, then bread crumb mixture, and place in a lightly greased glass baking dish.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked throughly and crust is brown.
Top with mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.
Place on a bed of pasta, top with spaghetti sauce, and enjoy!

NUTRIENTS
Number Servings: 4


Calories: 384
Protein: 62g
Fat: 7.6g
Carbohydrates: 13g
Fiber: .9g
Potassium: 519mg
Sodium: 345mg
Cholesterol: 154mg

Portobello Chicken and Pasta

Surprisingly tasty and super easy crockpot meal.  Next time I may add a little sherry and cut down on the vinegar.

INGREDIANTS
4 frozen bone-in chicken breast halves
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juics
3 T water
2T olive oil
1T plus 1 1/2 teas dijon mustard
2 1/2 teas sugar
1 teas minced garlic
1/2 teas pepper
1 teas dried basil
1 teas dried oregano
1  package of pasta of your choice

DIRECTIONS

1.Place the frozen chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and arrange the mushroom caps on top of the chicken so that about half the mushrooms are facing up. Mix remaining ingrediants (except pasta) together in a small bowl to make dressing.  Drizzle the dressing over the chicken and mushroom caps.


2.Place the lid on the slow cooker, turn it to the Low setting, and cook until the chicken breasts are no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 6 hours.

3.A few minutes before serving cook pasta according to package directions.

4.Divide the hot, cooked pasta among four plates, top each plate with a chicken breast and mushroom caps, and drizzle sauce over the top.

Chicken Stufffed Shells

Off the box of our store brand jumbo shells, very tasty! Not sure how low sodium they truly are b/c of the cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg of jumbo shells

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken

1 small onion, chopped

1 T garlic minced

6T cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2T Basil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 t ground nutmeg

black pepper to taste

1 (32oz) jar spaghetti sauce (we use newman's own)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F

1. Cook jumbo shells according to package directions

2. In a large bowl, combine chicken, onion, garlic, cream, eggs, basil, parmesan cheese, nutmeg, black pepper, and mozzarella cheese (save some to sprinkle over the top)

3. Pour 1/3 of spaghetti sauce in bottom of a 9X13" glass baking dish

4. Fill shells equally with chicken mixture and place in baking dish on sauce

5. Pour remain sauce over shells, cover

6. Bake for 40 min

7. Uncover and spoon sauce over shells, sprinkle balance of cheese over shells

8. Bake an additional 10 minutes

Serves 9 to 10

NUTRIENTS

need to figure out