After many years of perfecting her recipes on family and friends, Bobbie Mostyn, author of the Pocket Guide to Low Sodium Foods, is sharing 24 of delicious low salt recipes from her newly revised cookbook, The Hasty Gourmet™ Low Salt Favorites.

Taste is the main reason most people find it difficult to stay on a low-sodium diet. By adding sauces, spices, and other flavor enhancers, you can create a delicious, flavorful dish that everyone will enjoy, including those accustomed to lots of salt.

Salads & Salad Dressings

Roasted Beet & Walnut Salad

If you like beets, you’ll love this wonderfully rich salad… with only 95mg sodium per serving. Roasting brings out the richness of the beets and intensifies the flavor. Plus, the deep maroon color of the beets makes a beautiful presentation, especially on buffet tables. Save time and prepare this the day before, adding the nuts and cheese just before serving.

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Black Bean & Pepper Salad

Not only delicious, but this salad is delicious… and only 27mg sodium per serving. Perfect for a picnic or potluck – make lots as everyone will come back for more!

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Sweet & Sour Cole Slaw

This tangy, sweet slaw is a great alternative to the heavy, mayo-based salads in the supermarket… and it only has 26mg sodium per serving. Allow several hours for the flavors to blend or make a day ahead of time. If you like cilantro, you’ll love the Spicy Cole Slaw variation.

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Favorite Tossed Salad

This is the tossed salad we serve most often in our family… with only 71mg sodium per serving. Throw in some cooked chicken and you have a delicious summer dinner. For the dressing, I particularly like using a slightly sweet vinaigrette (The Best Vinaigrette follow), but any dressing of your choice may be used.

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The Best Vinaigrette

Everyone loves this easy-to-make dressing… with only 30mg sodium per serving. The addition of roasted garlic is the secret ingredient. You can use it on just about any tossed salad.

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Soups

Creamed Broccoli with Mandarin Oranges

Cream soups are notoriously high in fat and salt. This luscious LS soup has been lightened up using fat-free half-and-half, milk, and sour cream. In addition to its rich flavor, the mandarin oranges lend an unexpected twist… and with only 83mg sodium per serving if you make your own low-salt broth (138mg with LS canned broth).
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Pumpkin Jalapeno Soup

This deliciously light and aromatic soup recipe was given to me by my friend, Sally Pearce, who truly is a “soup queen.” After a few LS substitutions, I think you’ll love the sweet taste of pumpkin combined with the heat of the jalapeños, not to mention the wonderful aroma that fills the house as it cooks… and it only has 54mg sodium per serving if made with your own homemade LS broth (128mg with LS canned broth).

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Side Dishes

Caramelized Shallots & Asparagus

This is by far our most favorite asparagus preparation and one of the most requested of my recipes… and it only has 3mg sodium per serving. Incredibly simple and absolutely scrumptous!

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Souffled Sweets

This is a holiday favorite with our family, even finicky eaters will love the slightly sweet, orange flavor… and there’s only 35mg sodium per serving.

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Roasted Vegetables

Roasting brings out the sweetness of vegetables, giving them a wonderful rich flavor. Cut vegetables into uniform sizes so they will all be done at the same time. This dish only has 30mg sodium per serving.

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Main Dishes

Fried Chicken

The secret to this delicious chicken is the combination of spices, which I often use as a basic seasoning in many of my recipes. I hope you like the combination, too… and it only has 77mg sodium per serving.

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Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken

So quick and so-o-o good… and with only 148mg sodium per serving. The sun-dried tomatoes lend an intense, tangy flavor. Serve over a bed of rice and garnish with chopped chives.

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Chicken Piccata

You won’t believe how easy it is to make this delicious dish, which is served in many upscale restaurants. Although chicken piccata is often prepared with capers (which are high in sodium), this version, without the capers, is just as tasty… with only 87mg sodium per serving. This is an impressive dinner party entrée and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare, so have everything ready before cooking the chicken. Serve with Caramelized Shallots and Asparagus and steamed rice.

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Rib-Eye Steak with Brandied Mushrooms

Another excellent and easy-to-prepare dish that will win raves from family and friends… and only 66mg sodium with a LS homemade broth (78mg with LS canned broth). You can also use less expensive cuts of meat.

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Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce

This is so simple to prepare and absolutely devine! The sweet-tart taste of the raspberry sauce is the perfect complement to the pork chops… and it only has 53mg sodium per serving.

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Horseradish Grilled Salmon

Salmon is a part of every Northwesterner’s diet and during the summer months it is not uncommon to have salmon several nights a week. This is our favorite way of grilling it and it comes out moist and succulent every time… and with only 94mg sodium per serving.

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Caramelized Onion Tart

This deliciously mild onion tart is so versatile—serve it as a first course, side dish, or even a main entrée… and it’s only 58mg sodium per serving if made with a low-salt homemade pie crust (123mg with store-bought shell).

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Crustless Spinach-Mushroom Quiche

This recipe was given to me by a vegetarian friend. It is so good and no one will ever know it contains tofu . . . unless you tell them! This also makes a nice side dish to serve with poultry or beef… and only has 112mg sodium per serving.

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Easy Fiesta Casserole

Mexican casseroles traditionally are loaded with sodium. This yummy casserole not only is lower in sodium, 171mg per serving, but it is made with ingredients I always have on hand.

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Desserts & Sweets

Strawberry & Amaretto Parfait

If you love strawberries and chocolate, you’re going to enjoy this quick and delicious dessert that only has 61mg sodium per serving.

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Ice Cream with Blueberries & Grand Marnier

This is a simple, yet elegant dessert and the added Grand Marnier is exquisite… and it only has 52mg sodium per serving. For a beautiful presentation, place in a tall parfait or wine glass. If you want to jazz it up even more, add a little chocolate sauce or toasted pecans before serving.

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Light Apple Tart

This light and refreshing tart is the perfect ending to a wonderful meal and is a great favorite whenever I entertain… and only has 27mg sodium if using a homemade low-salt pie crust (67mg with store-bought shell). The secret is using fructose, which keeps the taste of sugar to a minimum and allows the flavor of the apples to come through. Friends who have tried this using sugar, say it just doesn’t taste quite the same.

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Chocolate Decadence Torte

Chocolate lovers beware, this torte may be addicting! This no-bake dessert is another of my most-requested recipes. Although it contains a lot of fat (mostly from the pecans), it is so rich that a little goes a long ways. One slice has 9mg sodium per serving. Allow 4 hours for the torte to set up.

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