Hey there! It’s been a while since I posted. Partially because I have had some horrendous luck with lighting (hello Spring in Montana with the weather – and light – changing every five minutes). Partially because I have been super busy at work this month. And partially because I like the picture of those Togarashi Beef Skewers so darn much, I don’t want it to move down the page. I finally decided that it is time I sit down and write a post. So what have I got for you today? A few quick tips for swapping out high sodium ingredients in your favorite recipes.
When it comes to modifying high sodium recipes, there are several swaps that I gravitate toward. I’ll list those here, along with a few tips on when to use them.
Rice Vinegar in place of Soy Sauce. As you already saw in the Kung Pao Chicken recipe, you can replace some soy sauce with unseasoned rice vinegar. I usually limit this replacement to 1-2 tablespoons per recipe. It also works well if there is something a little sweet in the recipe (balsamic vinegar, sugar, honey, etc.) to balance the sour vinegar flavor.
Milk+Vinegar in place of Buttermilk. This is an oldie but a goodie. A greatie? I use it all the time. I use it in baked goods, in dressings, and in marinades. It just always seems to work for me.
Sour Cream in place of Mayo. For this swap, I would tend to use it to reduce the mayonnaise, rather than to replace the mayonnaise entirely. I have used this swap in dressings and dips and it has worked well.
Matzo Meal in place of Bread Crumbs. Matzo meal has no sodium, so it is a great replacement for store-bought bread crumbs. It has a super fine texture, so it won’t work the same way as more course crumbs. You can use it to bread & bake chicken, or in other applications like meat loaf and meatballs. If you do use it for breaded chicken, you will need to make sure the oven is very hot and that the pan is not crowded. Otherwise, the matzo meal could get soggy.
And that’s it for today. I have several other replacements up my sleeve, but those are a few of my favorites.
Am loving your recipes. Made the Mac and cheese,tomato pizza,and the open face chicken pot pie. Am doing this because my lovely wife also has a kidney thing.
She also needs to watch carbs. Have you tried floor substitutes in pizza dough such as almond floor?
Again thanks for what you do. Have shared your blog to others who are cooking low sodium
I’m really happy to hear that you’re loving the recipes. ☺️ Unfortunately, I have very little experience cooking with flour alternatives so I can’t say how they’d work in pizza dough.