500 Low Sodium Recipes (42 page)

1 cup (110 g) chicken, cubed

6 ounces (170 g) frozen oriental vegetable mix

½ can (6 ounces, or 170 g) water chestnuts

2 cups (475 ml) low sodium chicken broth

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

2 tablespoons (16 g) cornstarch

Stir-fry chicken in a wok or heavy skillet sprayed with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Remove chicken. Stir-fry vegetables and water chestnuts until crisp-tender. Shake broth, soy sauce substitute, and cornstarch together in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add to wok and cook until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken. Serve over rice.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
117 g water; 147 calories (16% from fat, 33% from protein, 51% from carb); 12 g protein; 2 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 18 g carb; 5 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 32 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
66 mg sodium
; 275 mg potassium; 14 IU vitamin A; 4 mg vitamin C; 26 mg cholesterol

This started life as a recipe called Hong Kong Chicken that we used to make years ago. I’m guessing it originally came out of one of the women’s magazines, but I don’t recall for sure.

4 boneless chicken breasts

For sauce:

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

¼ cup (85 g) honey

¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice

¼ cup (60 ml) sherry or white wine

Combine sauce ingredients. Place chicken in a baking dish. Pour sauce over and bake at 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4) until done, about 45 minutes. Baste with sauce during cooking.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
62 g water; 181 calories (10% from fat, 39% from protein, 51% from carb); 16 g protein; 2 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 0 g polyunsaturated fat; 21 g carb; 0 g fiber; 19 g sugar; 12 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
41 mg sodium
; 187 mg potassium; 23 IU vitamin A; 5 mg vitamin C; 44 mg cholesterol

A simple, quick-to-prepare version that has a very nice sauce. You’ll want to do the homemade duck sauce in
Chapter 3
before you add this much in a recipe, though, because the usual jars from the Chinese section of your grocer’s shelves have a lot of sodium (the brand languishing in our refrigerator has 260 mg per 2 tablespoons).

1 can (8 ½ ounces) pineapple chunks

½ cup (120 ml) Duck Sauce (see recipe, page 54)

2 tablespoons (30 g) brown sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) rice vinegar

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice

1 pound (455 g) boneless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch (1 ¼-cm) pieces

1 pound (455 g) frozen oriental vegetable mix

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon (15 ml) water

2 teaspoons (3 g) cornstarch

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Mix juice from pineapple with duck sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce substitute, and orange juice. Set aside. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, place the chicken and sauté until no longer pink on the outside, about 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup (60 ml) of sauce, pineapple chunks, vegetables, and ginger. Cover and simmer until chicken is done and vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir together water and cornstarch. Add to pan with remaining sauce. Cook until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Serve over rice.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
275 g water; 390 calories (11% from fat, 41% from protein, 48% from carb); 39 g protein; 5 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 47 g carb; 6 g fiber; 16 g sugar; 67 mg calcium; 3 mg iron;
333 mg sodium
; 726 mg potassium; 74 IU vitamin A; 14 mg vitamin C; 96 mg cholesterol

A nicely spiced chicken dish. Serve with stir-fried vegetables and rice.

1 pound (455 g) boneless chicken breast

3 tablespoons (45 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53), divided

2 tablespoons (28 ml) sherry, divided

2 green onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

⅛
teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon chili paste

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil

Cut the chicken into bite-size cubes. Place in a bowl, mix in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the sherry, and marinate for about 30 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the green onions and garlic. Combine the sesame oil, remaining soy sauce, remaining sherry, and chili paste in a bowl and set aside. Heat wok and add vegetable oil. When oil is ready, add the marinated chicken. Stir-fry briefly on high heat, then add the garlic and green onion. Add the remaining ingredients and combine (total cooking time should be about 5 minutes). Serve hot with rice.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
81 g water; 204 calories (20% from fat, 76% from protein, 4% from carb); 35 g protein; 4 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 1 g monounsaturated fat; 1 g polyunsaturated fat; 2 g carb; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 23 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
87 mg sodium
; 308 mg potassium; 24 IU vitamin A; 1 mg vitamin C; 96 mg cholesterol

This was my first attempt to convert a classic Chinese recipe to a lower-sodium version. This is a bit of work, but not difficult other than that the coating effort tends to be a bit messy. I feel it is worth it.

For sauce:

¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch

2 tablespoons (28 ml) water

¾ teaspoon gingerroot, minced

½ teaspoon garlic, minced

6 tablespoons (78 g) sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

1 cup (235 ml) low sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons (28 ml) white vinegar

2 tablespoons (28 ml) sherry or white wine

For meat:

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 egg

½ cup (64 g) cornstarch

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

1 cup (160 g) green onion, sliced

3 dried peppers

Place the sauce ingredients in a jar and shake well to dissolve the cornstarch. Place chicken and egg in a resealable plastic bag and shake to coat chicken evenly. Add the cornstarch and mix until chicken is evenly covered. Deep-fry chicken at 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4) until crispy. Drain. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and peppers and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add the sauce mixture. Cook and stir until thick. Add chicken and cook just long enough to heat through.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
248 g water; 359 calories (19% from fat, 23% from protein, 58% from carb); 20 g protein; 7 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 2 g monounsaturated fat; 3 g polyunsaturated fat; 51 g carb; 3 g fiber; 25 g sugar; 48 mg calcium; 2 mg iron;
95 mg sodium
; 524 mg potassium; 3842 IU vitamin A; 217 mg vitamin C; 97 mg cholesterol

A spicy Szechuan dish made with diced chicken, peanuts, and chile peppers.

1 pound (455 g) boneless chicken breast

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil

8 chile peppers, dried

1 clove garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, cut into cubes

½ cup (75 g) dry-roasted peanuts, unsalted

For marinade:

1½ tablespoons (22 ml) water

1 tablespoon (15 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

1½ tablespoons (12 g) cornstarch

1 tablespoon (15 ml) rice wine

For sauce:

2 tablespoons (28 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sherry

1 tablespoon (13 g) sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

Mix together the marinade ingredients. Marinate the chicken for at least 20 minutes. Combine the sauce ingredients. Stir and set aside. Heat wok. When hot, add the oil. When oil is hot, add dried chile peppers and garlic and stir-fry until brown and fragrant. Add the bell pepper cubes. After approximately 2 minutes, push the peppers up the side of the wok and add the chicken cubes in the middle of the wok. Stir-fry until the chicken cubes are thoroughly cooked. Stir the sauce mixture briefly, then add into the wok. Stir until thickened. Add peanuts just before removing the chicken mixture from the wok.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
200 g water; 439 calories (42% from fat, 38% from protein, 20% from carb); 42 g protein; 20 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 8 g monounsaturated fat; 8 g polyunsaturated fat; 22 g carb; 4 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 49 mg calcium; 3 mg iron;
94 mg sodium
; 791 mg potassium; 1222 IU vitamin A; 248 mg vitamin C; 96 mg cholesterol

I think if you try this version of sesame chicken, you’ll be pleased not only with the sodium content, but how close the taste is to the sesame chicken from your favorite carryout.

¼ cup (28 g) all-purpose flour

⅛
teaspoon black pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

¼ cup (50 g) sugar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons (16 g) sesame seeds, toasted

¼ cup (12 g) chives, chopped

Combine the flour and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink. Remove from skillet. And the soy sauce substitute and sugar to the pan. Cook and stir until the sugar is melted. Stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Add the chicken and chives and stir to coat.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
38 g water; 229 calories (37% from fat, 30% from protein, 33% from carb); 17 g protein; 9 g total fat; 1 g saturated fat; 3 g monounsaturated fat; 5 g polyunsaturated fat; 19 g carb; 0 g fiber; 13 g sugar; 12 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
39 mg sodium
; 151 mg potassium; 141 IU vitamin A; 2 mg vitamin C; 44 mg cholesterol

A lemon chicken recipe similar to what you’re used to getting from your favorite Chinese carryout. This version is pan-fried, rather than deep-fried, to reduce the fat content.

¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch

⅛
teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons (28 ml) water

2 eggs

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil

¼ cup (40 g) green onions, sliced

For lemon sauce:

¾ cup water

¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

2 tablespoons (30 g) brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons (12 g) cornstarch

1 ½ tablespoons (30 g) honey

1 tablespoon (15 ml) low sodium chicken broth

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Combine the cornstarch and the pepper. Blend in water and eggs. Dip chicken pieces into cornstarch-egg mixture. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Fry chicken in oil for about 5 minutes, until golden. Drain. Sprinkle with green onions. Pour sauce over chicken. For the sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, about 5 minutes, until sauce boils and thickens.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
153 g water; 310 calories (31% from fat, 26% from protein, 42% from carb); 20 g protein; 11 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 3 g monounsaturated fat; 5 g polyunsaturated fat; 33 g carb; 0 g fiber; 14 g sugar; 37 mg calcium; 1 mg iron;
95 mg sodium
; 289 mg potassium; 221 IU vitamin A; 9 mg vitamin C; 164 mg cholesterol

An Asian-flavored use for leftover chicken. Quick and easy to make.

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vegetable oil

1 cup (160 g) onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup (120 g) bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cups (140 g) broccoli florets

2 cups (220 g) cooked chicken, cubed

8 ounces (230 g) pasta, cooked

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

¼ cup (60 ml) Soy Sauce Substitute (see recipe, page 53)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) rice wine

1 ½ tablespoons (19 g) sugar

1 ½ tablespoons (22 ml) Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Heat oil in wok or skillet. Sauté vegetables in hot oil until just tender. Stir in chicken and pasta. Mix together remaining ingredients and stir in until meat, pasta, and vegetables are well coated.

Yield:
4 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Each with:
133 g water; 526 calories (25% from fat, 22% from protein, 53% from carb); 30 g protein; 15 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat; 6 g polyunsaturated fat; 70 g carb; 9 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 166 mg calcium; 10 mg iron;
110 mg sodium
; 847 mg potassium; 1212 IU vitamin A; 51 mg vitamin C; 106 mg cholesterol

This recipe is based on a chicken and shrimp recipe I found. It has a very nice light sauce, without the usual soy sauce. I find it particularly good over fried rice.