Low Sodium Recipes. Salt Free Cooking. Fabulous Food Photos. and MORE.

I normally wait to tuck in until after the photographs, but this time I couldn’t help myself. These pasties are fantastic. And there’s nothing tastier than finding a way to recycle leftovers, especially when you’re on a budget. I found this recipe while thumbing through a great new cookbook Taste of Home Dinner on a Dime. The recipe was written for leftover pot roast, but you can use whatever beef you have on hand - even ground hamburger.  If you don’t have beef gravy, you can improvise with low sodium beef stock or bouillon.  Simply bring a cup of stock to a boil, add 1-2 T. flour and whisk briskly to combine.  Continue whisking until thickened.  Viola!  If you don’t have a standard recipe for pie crust, combine 2 1/3 c. flour with 4-5 T. unsalted butter. Sprinkle in cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough can be gathered into a workable ball (roughly 16-18 T. water). Knead briefly, then divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Recipe serves 4.

SODIUM CONTENT: 130 mg per serving

INGREDIENTS

2 c. finely cubed cooked beef (roast beef, hamburger, etc.)
1 1/2 c. diced cooked potato
1 c. low sodium beef gravy
1/2 c. diced cooked carrots
1/2 c. diced cooked onion
1 T. fresh parsley, or 1/2 T. dried
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
Low-fat milk (for brushing tops)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Get out a large nonstick baking sheet and set aside.

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Set aside.

Take one of the 4 dough pieces. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the ball out to an 8-9 inch circle. Mound 1 cup of the filling onto one side of the circle, leaving the edge clear.

Moisten the edges of the dough with water, then fold the dough over. You want all filling to be neatly tucked and sealed inside. Press the moistened edges firmly to seal. Trim with a knife, pasta or pastry cutter, or press down with a fork to decorate. Cut a few venting slits on top. Carefully move pastie to baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.

Brush tops of pasties lightly with milk. Place baking sheet on middle rack in oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool briefly before serving. Pasties can be made ahead and reheated in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.

ENJOY!

I’ve tried many salt free seasonings over the years. Some good, some downright awful, but none quite so remarkable as Benson’s Table Tasty. Its surprisingly salty taste (with NO actual salt) has lead me to wonder about Benson’s other seasonings. Could they be as good? In the interest of science and deliciousness, I’ve decided to try them all.

Meet our first contestant. BRAVADO.

Bravado’s package reads: Our medium hot, spicy chili seasoning is a robust blend of 18 different herbs and spices including a variety of chili peppers for a very unique taste.  Use in all your favorite meat or vegetable chili recipes. Bravado is ALL NATURAL. No Salt, No Sugar, No MSG, No Preservatives. Made in the USA.

The beauty of chili stems from its simplicity and versatility. To truly put Bravado to the test, I wanted to see how well it flavored not just basic chili, but its compadres as well. So I made four different types, with varying amounts of Bravado seasoning.  Standard chili con carne with beef, Ground turkey chili, Vegetarian chili with beans, and Vegetarian chili made with soy tempeh. 

After sampling all four, here’s the verdict. I like spice. I like flavor. Benson’s Bravado has both. The hotness is not overwhelming, and can be adjusted simply by adding more or less of the seasoning. In addition, Bravado’s unique blend of herbs and spices adds a slightly different dimension to each type of chili - depending upon the base. Whereas most chili seasoning pretty much tastes the same, regardless of what it’s added to, Bravado’s herbs not only enhance but buoy the chili flavor, adding something else altogether. The aroma itself is so appealing, I even tried it out of hand. Can you say that for your average salt free blend?

I am impressed. Benson’s Bravado is more than a simple chili seasoning. It offers Tex Mex flavor that adapts, enhancing taste without salt and other additives. BRAVO! for Bravado.

I’m starting to think salty processed food is akin to tobacco. Not that I’m advocating for Surgeon General warnings on snack food, but seriously - people are dying b/c they aren’t taking care of themselves. Should the government step in? Where do we draw the line? A thought provoking article.

From CNN: U.S. limits urged for salt in processed food