Low Salt Cooking

Cooking without salt need not be bland, although that's what some seem to expect and accept. If you are willing to experiment and cook things like your own soup, you may end up actually preferring your homemade foods.

Besides, experimenting with herbs and spices is fun and you never know what sort of new and exciting flavors you'll create. Most canned foods and soups are loaded with salt which is to preserve it as much as to enhance the taste.

Ideas for flavoring foods without salt:

* A simple salad dressing can be made with vinegar and oil, but there are various other salt free options you can use to add flavoring as well. Dill, garlic, oregano, lemon or basil make palatable alternatives. A simple Italian dressing is made by combining ½ teaspoon each of oregano, garlic powder, white pepper, parsley flakes, sugar, mustard and minced onion flakes with ½ cup vinegar and 1 cup vegetable oil (preferably olive).

* Lemon juice is delicious on fish, vegetables and even some fruit. As a bonus it also preserves fruit and vegetables and prevents browning. Lemon is also an acceptable addition to cakes, cookies, pies and pastries. Many dips and spreads are made with lemon such as guacamole and mayonnaise.

* Ginger is another flavor enhancer and is excellent with pork, fruit, cookies and vegetables. For a vegetable stir fry, try combining small amounts of cinnamon, garlic, pepper, ginger and anise.

* Rosemary is not only good on meat, but it also makes a fragrant addition to bread and potatoes. A sure hit is to bake potato wedges with rosemary and garlic flavored oil. You won't miss the salt much because it tastes good as it is. First combine the oil with a couple teaspoons of garlic and rosemary and heat on the stove until it's warm and you can smell it. Pour this over the potatoes and bake for at least twenty minutes or till brown. It usually takes about a half an hour, but it depends how thin you like your potato wedges. For a similar variation, try this oven roasted vegetables recipe which includes potatoes, brussel sprouts and shallots. (You may want to omit the bacon and salt if lower sodium is desired.) Baked Zuchinni Chips is another option for a delicious roasted vegetable recipe.

* For salt free meat options try onion powder, chili, cumin, chili, curry, coriander, celery seed, basil and oregano. To make your own chili powder, combine two tablespoons of cumin, garlic, paprika and one tablespoon of oregano. A pinch of cayenne can also be added if a milder flavor is wanted. If you want your chili to have more kick, add more.

* You don't have to go without ketchup either. Ketchup is easily made by combining low sodium tomato paste, vinegar and sugar. Add two to three tablespoons of vinegar to one can of tomato paste plus half a can of water to six spoons of sugar. You can make it fancier by adding spices like mustard if you want.

If you approach low salt cooking as an adventure instead of a sacrifice or punishment you'll enjoy it a lot more and so will your heart.