Low Sodium Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds low-fat ground beef 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon low sodium steak seasoning blend
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low sodium Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce (no salt added)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste  (no salt added)
• sandwhich rolls

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto buns.

Low Sodium Beef Stirfry

While looking for another interesting meal, and to use up stuff in our cupboard/freezer (due to a big snow storm), I combined a few recipes together to get this stirfry.  The sauce is slightly gravy-ish, but a little extra soy sauce (low sodium of course) added at the table kicks the flavor up a bit more.

INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
2Tbl cornstarch
1 Tbl olive oil
2 teas brown sugar
6 tbl low sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white wine
2 teas minced garlic
1/4 teas black pepper
1 teas ginger

Stirfry:
2Tbl olive oil
1 lb beef, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 vidalia onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 cups broccoli

Rice cooked according to package directions

DIRECTIONS
1) place beef, and all of the sauce ingrediants (except for cornstarch) into a 1 gallon ziploc bag, marinate for 10 to 20 minutes (can be done while you chop and prepare the vegetables)
2) heat oil in large skillet or chef's pan (or wok if you have one), add beef (reserving the marinade), carrots, onions, and pepper and cook until vegetables are cooked halfway
3) add brocoli and cook through
4) mix cornstarch into reserved marinade, and add to skillet, heat until sauce is at desired consistency
5) serve over rice

Low Sodium Beef Daube

I got bored of our usual rotation of dinners, and after diving through several of my cookbooks, I came across this recipe.  I had never made anything with cajun spices so I was a little concerned...but it was AMAZING!

INGREDIANTS
2 Tbl olive oil
1 vidalia onion, cut into wedges
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 lb lean braising steak, cubed (I used stew meat)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with 1 tsp all purpose salt free seasoning, and 1/4 teas ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups water
2 tbl minced garlic
2/3 cup red wine
2 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl low-sodium tomato paste
1/2 tsp McIlhenny's Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt free cajun spice mixture

DIRECTIONS

Stove Top:
Heat oven to 350 degrees
1) Heat oil in a large oven proof pan add celery, onion, bell pepper, cook until softened, remove and set aside

2) coat the meat in the seasoned flour, then brown meat in the pan
3) Add stock, water, wine, vinegar, tomato paste, tabasco, and thyme, heat till simmering
4) Return onions, celery, and peppers to the pan, tuck in the bay leaves and sprinkle with the cajun seasoning
5) bring to a boil, transfer to the oven and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender
Crockpot
1) Heat oil in a large oven proof pan add celery, onion, bell pepper, cook until softened, remove and add to crockpot
2) coat the meat in the seasoned flour, then brown meat in the pan, add meat to the crockpot
3) Add stock, water, wine, vinegar, tomato paste, tabasco, thyme, and bay leaves to the crockpot
4) Sprinkle with the cajun seasoning
5) Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender

Low-Sodium Chili

I love chili, but Ed doesn't.  So this recipe is mostly for me, but I kept it low sodium out of principle.

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 lb ground beef (low fat)
1 Tbl minced garlic
1 beer
2 14.5oz can low sodium diced tomatoes
1 8oz can low sodium tomato sauce
1/8 teas cayenne
1/8 teas paprika
1 teas oregano
1 teas all-purpose salt free seasoning
2 Tbl chili powder
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (to remove some of the sodium)
1 cup corn, fresh/frozen

DIRECTIONS
Stove: Saute the onion, red pepper, meat, and garlic.  Add remaining ingrediants, heat to boiling, and simmer for 1 hr.

Crockpot: Saute the onion, red pepper, meat, and garlic. Add remaining ingrediants, cook on low 8-10hrs or on high 4hrs

NUTRIENTS
haven't figured out yet

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 Beef and Noodles

One of my favorite meals growing up.  We always used to eat it over potatoes but it is just as tasty by itself.

INGREDIENTS

2lb Chuck Roast
1 cup chopped Celery
1 small onion
1lb bag Egg Noodles
black pepper
salt-free all purpose seasoning
flour
DIRECTIONS
Coat the chuck roast lightly in flour.

For stove top:
Brown the roast on both all sides in a large dutch oven with a small amount of oil. Add water to cover the roast adding the onion and chopped celery. Bring to a slow boil and cook for about 3 hours until tender.

For crock pot:
Brown the roast on both all sides in a large nonstick skillet. Add water to cover the roast adding the onion and chopped celery. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours, or until tender.


For both methods:
When roast is tender to the point of falling apart, remove the roast and cut into pieces. Replace roast into broth (turn crock pot on high) and add the noodles and cook until the noodles are done. Add all-purpose seasoning and pepper to taste.


NUTRITION
Number of servings: 10
Calories: 270
Protein: 24.7g
Fat: 12g
Carbohydrates: 114g
Fiber: 1g
Potassium: 412mg
Sodium: 77mg
Cholesterol: 74mg

Low-Sodium Mexican-Style Meatloaf

I've been on a southwestern kick since visiting Tucson last week.  Tonight I decided to make mexican meatloaf, something Ed and I had talked about since the diaster of trying to use tortilla crumbs in Italian meatballs.  I made it up based on an old meatloaf recipe and my taco meat recipe.  It turned out pretty tasty... I think next time I'll kick up the spices.

INGREDIANTS
1.5 lb lean ground beef
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup tortilla crumbs
1 egg
1/4 vidalia onion, chopped
1/4 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup salsa
2 T minced garlic
1 teas salt-free all purpose spice
3/4 teas cilantro
3/4 teas cumin
1 teas pepper
cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
preheat oven to 350F
combine all ingrediants except cheddar cheese in a large bowl using your hands. 
Place meat into a loaf pan and shape into a loaf
Cook in oven for 60 min to 90 min, or until internal temperature reaches 160F
Sprinkle top with cheddar cheese, and continue cooking till cheese melts
Serve with salsa and sour cream

NUTRIENTS
USDA database is down so I can't post nutrition yet

Low Sodium Quick Hungarian Goulash (aka American Chop Suey)

 I haven't made this in awhile and decided to whip up a batch (with a few modifications of course).  I've grown up referring to the dish as Goulash, but others may know it as American Chop Suey.

INGREDIANTS

1 lb ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 stalk celery chopped

1/2 red pepper chopped

1 T minced garlic

1 8oz can tomato sauce (no salt added)

1 16 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt added)

3 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T red wine vinegar

2 T brown sugar

2 teas paprika

1/2 teas dry mustard

1 teas basil
1/4 ground black pepper

dash of cayenne red pepper

1/2 box elbow macaroni

water

DIRECTIONS

Saute beef, onion, celery, red pepper, and garlic in a chef's pan until meat is brown.  Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, paprika, dry mustard basil, and cayenne red pepper.  Fill pan half way with water, and heat on high till boiling.  Add macaroni, and cook till pasta is soft.

Low Sodium Meatloaf

One of my favorite comfort meals!

INGREDIANTS
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
2 slices of darkly toasted low sodium bread, crumbled
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 lb ground turkey
3/4 lb ground beef
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T McCormick Salt-free Garlic and herb spices
1/2 teas pepper
BBQ sauce of your choice

DIRECTIONS
In large bowl, combine all the ingrediants (except BBQ sauce) with your hands.  Add more garlic and herb spices until it smells how you want it to taste.

For crock pot: Place mixture into the crockpot and shape into a loaf.  Cook on low 5 to 6 hours.   Spoon BBQ sauce onto meat loaf and cook 15 minutes longer

For oven:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place mixture into a large loaf pan, cover with BBQ sauce.  Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes.  Remove from oven, let sit 10 minutes before slicing.

Low Sodium Memphis Ribs

Since our honeymoon we have craving Memphis BBQ again. We have almost used up our bottle of Blues City Cafe BBQ, so I decided to try my hand at making something similar myself.

INGREDIANTS

Rack of ribs

Memphis BBQ sauce

Memphis Rub

DIRECTIONS

Clean and trim fat from the ribs. Season the rib racks with the Memphis Rub. Rub the seasoning into the ribs then wrap or place in air tight container overnight in the refrigerator.

Smoker/Grill: Preheat to 225 to 300 degrees F and fill woodbox with hickory wood. Cook ribs slowly for about 4 hrs or until almost falling off the bone

Oven: Preheat to 225 to 300 degrees F. Cook ribs slowly for about 4 hrs or until almost falling off the bone

Serve with Memphis BBQ Sauce

Basic Enchiladas

This is probably not very low sodium at all because of all the cheese, but this is by far the best enchilada recipe. My mom got it from her friend's mom who is mexican.

INGREDIENTS

2 packages of tortillas

1 lb of colby cheese (or jalapeño cheese for more spiciness)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large can of tomato sauce (no salt-added)

1 lb cooked beef or chicken, and other fillings if you desire (see my Chicken Enchilada recipe for a good chicken based filling)

water

chili powder

1T flour

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350 degrees

1. Mix together:

3/4 cup of tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

1 1/4 t chili powder

2. Heat tortillas on the griddle, dip tortillas in the tomato mixture, fill with onion, cheese (reserve 1/4 cup onion, and some cheese for gravy), and otherfillings (if desired) place in baking dish

3. Prepare gravy: brown 1/4 cup onion in olive oil, mix in 1T flour (making a rue), quickly mix in 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 t chili powder; add remaining cheese

4. Pour gravy over tortillas (in the baking dish)

5. Bake till heated through and sauce is bubbling

NUTRITION

haven't figured out yet

Beef Guinness Stew

Although I don't like drinking Guinness, it makes a very yummy stew

INGREDIANTS

• 2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 T all-purpose flour

1 t McCormick Salt-free all-purpose seasoning

• 1/2 t black pepper
• 2 t olive oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 T minced garlic
• 3 T water
• 1 1/2 T tomato paste (preferably no salt added)
• 1 cup water or low sodium beef broth
• 1 cup Guinness or other Irish stout
• 1 T homemade Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped (rinse throughly to remove excess brine) or dried green peppercorns (rehydrate in water for approx 1 hour)
• 2 t dried thyme
• 
  

STOVE/OVEN DIRECTIONS

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Pat beef dry. Stir together flour, all-purpose seasoning, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef, turning to coat, then shake off excess and transfer to a plate. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl.

Add onion, garlic, and 3 T water to pot and cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot and stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef with any juices accumulated in bowl, water/broth, beer, Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns, and thyme and bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven. Braise until beef is very tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS

Pat beef dry. Stir together flour, all-purpose seasoning, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef, turning to coat, then shake off excess and transfer to a plate. Heat oil in large skillet over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to crockpot. Add 3T of water and scrap any brown bits from bottom of skillet and transfer to crockpot.

Add remaining ingredients to crockpot. Cook on low 8-10hrs or on high 4hrs.

Low Sodium Beef Stroganoff

One of my most favorite dish in the world, probably because it has sour cream....

INGREDIENTS

1 lb beef tenderloin or sirloin steak

2T olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

1T minced garlic

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms

1 cup water (or low sodium beef broth)

3t flour

2T ketchup

1T basil/oregano

black pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine or sherry

1 cup sour cream (1 small container, or half of a regular sized container)

1 package of egg noodles

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, while they are cooking perform the following steps

2. Cut meat into 1/2 in strips about 1 1/2 in long

3. In large skillet, cook meat, onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender and meat is browned

4. Sprinkle flour over mixture in skillet, quickly mix together until meat is coated and grease is soaked up (forming a rue). Stir in water/broth right away.

5. Add mushrooms, basil, and black pepper. Stir mixture until gravy thickens (add more flour if needed).

6. Stir in ketchup, wine, and sour cream heat till warmed through.

7. Serve over noodles.

NUTRITION

need to figure out

Low Sodium and Potassium Beef Stew

Stew is one of my favorite meals, but because of the high amount of potassium in potatoes I decided to substitute turnips. Turnips have a slight cabbage like taste, and so work very well in stew. If you don't have to watch potassium, you can use 1.25lbs of potatoes instead.


INGREDIENTS
2.5lbs stewing beef 1 vidalia onion, cut into 8ths
2T minced garlic
1T tomato paste
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 celery heart (or 6 sprigs parsley, or 1t dried parsley)
1t dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 turnips, cut into 1-inch pieces (can be soaked overnight to remove more potassium)
4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 large cans of whole/diced tomatoes
5 cups water or low-sodium broth
3 t red wine vinegar or 1/4 cup red wine

CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS
Brown beef in a large non-stick skillet (may be done in batches), transfer to crockpot.
Deglaze the pan using enough water or red wine to cover the bottom of the skillet, approx 1/4 cup; transfer into the crockpot along with as much of the brown crumbles as you can
Add remaining ingredients (except for vinegar)
Cook on low for 6-10 hours (may be cooked longer if needed)
Remove bay leaves
Add red wine vinegar (if you deglazed the pan using red wine, you don't need to add vinegar)
Serve!


STOVE DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Brown beef in a large non-stick skillet (may be done in batches);
Deglaze the pan using enough water or red wine to cover the bottom of the skillet, approx 1/4 cup; transfer this into the dutch oven with the water/broth, make sure you get as many of the brown crumbles as you can
In Dutch Oven, saute onion until lightly browned in olive oil (about 5 minutes)
Add garlic and saute until fragrant (about 1 minute)
Add tomato paste and cook, stirring until lightly browned (about 1 minute)
Add beef and scatter flour over the mixture, and cook stirring until lightly toasted
Add water/broth and bring to simmer
Add celery heart/parsley, thyme, and bay leaves
Cover and transfer to oven
Cook until meat is tender (about 1.5hours); can also be done on the stove at a low simmer


Remove pot from oven, skim fat from top.
Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and tomatoes, bring to simmer on stove top
Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and the vegetables are tender (about 1 hour)
Remove bay leaves
Add vinegar (if you used red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan you don't need to add the vinegar), and season with pepper to taste
Serve!


NUTRITION

Servings per recipe: 8

Amount per serving (need to figure it out)

Low Sodium Beer Teriyaki Beef

I also served these as kabobs last night, they were also really really tasty!

INGREDIENTS

2 (16 ounce) beef sirloin steaks
1/4 cup dark beer (I used Sam Adam's Honey Porter)
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt-free seasoning (I used McCormick's Salt-free table blend)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 teaspoon minced garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. Use a fork to poke holes all over the surface of the steaks, and place steaks in a freezer bag
2. In a bowl, mix together beer, teriyaki sauce, salt-free seasoning, pepper, garlic and brown sugar. Pour sauce over steaks in the bag. Massage the bag a bit to ensure that the marinade has covered all of the steak. Marinade for at least 30 min, but can marinade over night in the fridge
3. Remove steaks from marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook for several minutes
4.Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steaks for 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. During the last few minutes of grilling, baste steaks with boiled marinade to enhance the flavor and ensure juiciness

NUTRITION

Servings per recipe: 4

Amount per serving

Calories: 530
Fat: 32 g
Cholesterol: 118 mg
Sodium: 266 mg
Potassium: 747 mg
Total Carbs: 9.7 gD
Dietary fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 46 g

Low Sodium Pot Roast (slow cooker recipe)

I got a crock pot for my bridal shower this weekend, soo... I will be experimenting with crock pot recipes now!

My crock is 6QTs, but you should be able to halve the recipe for a smaller crock and use the same cooking times. Instead of using potatoes, I used parnsips, not too bad, they kind of have a carrot taste. Parsnips are a "medium" potassium food, to remove more potassium let them soak in water over night. You could also use turnips.

INGREDIENTS

3 to 5 lb beef pot roast
salt-free spice mix of your choice (I used McCormick salt-free garlic and herb)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 vidala onion cut into approx 1" chunks (or 2 yellow onions quartered)
3 to 4 stalks celery, cut into 1" pieces
3 to 4 carrots cut into 1" pieces
4 parsnips or turnips cut into 1" pieces

DIRECTIONS

Season all sides of roast with the salt-free seasoning.
Add oil to saute pan, and brown roast on all sides over medium-high-heat
Place vegetables in the crock
Place roast on top of vegetables
Add water to crock
Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours, LOW for 10 hours, or until internal temperature measures at least 160 F
Cooking on low will result in more tender meat

NUTRITION (based on a 3lb pot roast)

Servings per recipe: 6 (8 oz of meat/serving)

Amount per serving

Calories: 474
Fat: 20 g
Cholesterol: 202 mg
Sodium: 129 mg
Potassium: 727 mg (not sure what this is with the parsnips or turnips)
Total Carbs: 6.2 gD
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Protein: 63 g

Low Sodium Beef Tacos

This is one of Ed's favorite dishes. Corn tortillas have far less sodium than the flour version. I've found that Newman's Own salsa has the least amount of sodium. Obviously, the amount of toppings you put in the tacos will change the amount of sodium/potassium the recipe has. Below is the recipe I made up for the taco meat.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb lean hamburger

1/2 sweet onion chopped

2T minced garlic

1/2t pepper

1/2t cilantro

1/2t cumin

DIRECTIONS
Place hamburger, onion, garlic, and pepper in a nonstick skillet, cook until onions are soft and hamburger is browned. Drain grease. Add cilantro and cumin and serve.

NUTRITION
Servings per recipe: 8 (2 oz/serving)
Amount per serving
Calories: 548
Fat: 31 g
Cholesterol: 78 mg
Sodium: 51 mg
Potassium: 310 mg
Total Carbs: 48 g
Dietary fiber: 1 g
Protein: 19 g

Low Sodium Apple BBQ Sauce Recipe

This is a sweet BBQ sauce that is excellent on both pork and chicken.

INGREDIENTS1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup ketchup (I make my own using AHA Low-Salt Cookbook)
2 cups unpacked brown sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix applesauce, ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and cinnamon. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool completely. Use to baste the meat of your choice.

NUTRITION
(these are estimates, the brands of ingredients you use may change the nutrition facts)
Servings per recipe: 28
Amount per serving
Calories: 74
Fat: 0.06 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 10 mg
Potassium: 72 mg
Total Carbs: 19.2 g
Dietary fiber: 0 g
Protein: 0.22 g

Acknowledgement: Adapted from a recipe posted by YULANDA_US on allrecipes.com