He’s Knocking on My Door

Tag: Low Sodium Cooking

  • Low-Sodium Mexican Chicken Casserole

    Low-Sodium Mexican Chicken Casserole

    There are some recipes you find that just work.

    This Mexican casserole is one of those for our family.

    The original recipe came from Luci’s Morsels and is called One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole. We liked the basic recipe right away, but the original version contains ingredients that can add a lot of sodium, including added salt, regular canned beans and tomatoes, and a generous amount of cheese.

    So we changed it.

    The result is one of those meals where I don’t feel like I’m eating a sad low-sodium substitute.

    It still has plenty of flavor.

    And that matters.

    We Cook Our Protein Ahead of Time

    One thing we do differently in our house is cook meat in bulk.

    Living in Florida, standing over a grill around dinner time is not always particularly appealing.

    It’s hot.

    Really hot.

    So once or twice a month, we grill a large amount of protein at one time.

    We do this with things like:

    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Tuna

    We season everything with no-sodium spices, cook it on the grill, portion it out, vacuum seal it and freeze it.

    Then when we want to make something like this casserole, most of the work is already done.

    The grill also gives the meat plenty of flavor without needing salt.

    For this recipe, we just thaw some of our grilled chicken, chop or shred it, and it is ready to go.

    The Biggest Change: Lose the Salt

    The original recipe calls for 1½ teaspoons of salt.

    We leave it out completely.

    That one change eliminates roughly 3,450 mg of sodium from the entire recipe before changing anything else.

    And honestly?

    We don’t miss it.

    There is already a lot going on in this dish.

    You have onion.

    Bell peppers.

    Garlic powder.

    Chili powder.

    Cumin.

    Paprika.

    Pepper.

    Chili flakes if you want a little heat.

    There is plenty of flavor.

    If you taste it and think it needs something, add more of the salt-free spices.

    We have never found this casserole bland without the added salt.

    No-Salt-Added Black Beans

    The second change is easy.

    We use no-salt-added black beans.

    These are a staple in our house anyway. I add black beans to salads all the time, so we usually have several cans in the pantry.

    We normally buy ours at Walmart.

    Regular canned beans can contain a surprising amount of sodium, so this is one of those really easy substitutions that can make a meaningful difference without changing the recipe.

    Drain them and add them exactly the same way you would regular black beans.

    No-Salt-Added Tomatoes

    Same idea with the tomatoes.

    We buy no-salt-added canned tomatoes.

    Again, no complicated substitution.

    No change in how the recipe cooks.

    You are just removing another source of unnecessary sodium.

    Between eliminating the added salt and switching to no-salt-added beans and tomatoes, you have already taken a huge amount of sodium out of the original dish.

    What About the Cheese?

    This is where our family handles things a little differently.

    The original recipe calls for 1 to 1½ cups of shredded cheese melted over the casserole.

    We don’t put the cheese into the casserole at all.

    Instead, we serve it on the side.

    Other members of my family are not sodium restricted, so if they want cheese, they can add it to their individual serving.

    Is it quite as pretty as pulling a bubbling, cheesy casserole out of the oven?

    No.

    Do I miss melted cheese?

    Of course I do.

    But it is one of those things I have mostly gotten used to giving up.

    The nice part about serving it separately is that everyone can eat the same dinner.

    I don’t need a special meal.

    The rest of the family doesn’t have to eat exactly the way I do.

    They can add cheese.

    I can skip it.

    Everybody wins.

    Our Low-Sodium Version

    Ingredients

    • 2 medium bell peppers, chopped
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoons chili powder
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • 4 cups cooked rice or quinoa
    • 1 can no-salt-added black beans, drained
    • 2–3 cups cooked shredded or chopped no-salt-added grilled chicken
    • 2 cans no-salt-added tomatoes
    • Shredded cheese, optional, served separately

    No added salt.

    How We Make It

    Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

    Add the onion and some of the black pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften.

    Add the bell peppers, remaining pepper, red pepper flakes if using, and garlic powder.

    Cook until the peppers begin to soften.

    Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the cooked rice or quinoa.

    Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Add the no-salt-added black beans, cooked chicken and no-salt-added tomatoes.

    Then add the chili powder, cumin and paprika.

    Stir everything together and cook until completely heated through.

    That’s it.

    Since we don’t put cheese over the top, there is no need for us to broil the casserole afterward.

    If other family members want cheese, they add it to their individual serving.

    How Much Sodium Did We Remove?

    The original recipe lists about 1,046 mg of sodium per serving, based on six servings.

    The first thing we eliminate is the 1½ teaspoons of added salt.

    A teaspoon of table salt contains roughly 2,300 mg of sodium, so removing 1½ teaspoons eliminates about 3,450 mg of sodium from the entire dish.

    Then we replace regular canned beans with no-salt-added beans.

    We replace regular canned tomatoes with no-salt-added tomatoes.

    And I leave the cheese off my serving.

    At that point, most of the remaining sodium is coming naturally from ingredients such as the chicken and vegetables, plus whatever small amounts may naturally occur in the other ingredients.

    The exact sodium will depend on the brands you use and how your chicken was prepared, so always check your own labels.

    But compared with the original version, this is a dramatically different meal.

    This Makes a Lot of Food

    One warning.

    This recipe makes a lot.

    The original recipe is listed as six servings, and I believe it.

    My problem is that I tend to overeat every time we make it.

    It’s one of those meals where you finish your bowl and think:

    Maybe just a little more.

    Then a little more turns into another serving.

    So apparently my biggest problem with this casserole is no longer sodium.

    It’s portion control.

    I’ll take that problem.

    Why I Like Recipes Like This

    This is exactly the type of low-sodium cooking that works for me.

    I don’t want every meal to feel like something was taken away.

    I would rather start with a recipe we already enjoy and figure out where the sodium is coming from.

    Sometimes the solution is surprisingly simple.

    Remove the salt.

    Buy the no-salt-added version of canned ingredients.

    Put higher-sodium toppings on the side.

    Use spices for flavor.

    You don’t necessarily have to reinvent the entire meal.

    Sometimes you just need to change the parts that are causing the problem.

    And this one is staying in our regular rotation.

    Recipe Credit

    This recipe was adapted from the One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole by Luci’s Morsels. I modified the recipe to fit the way my family cooks and to significantly reduce the sodium.

    Medical & Nutrition Disclaimer

    This recipe reflects how I personally reduce sodium in meals as part of the dietary plan developed for my health needs. It is not medical or nutritional advice. Sodium needs vary depending on individual health conditions, medications and guidance from healthcare professionals. Nutrition values can also vary significantly based on ingredient brands, serving sizes and preparation methods. Always check product labels and follow the dietary recommendations provided by your own healthcare team.

  • Crispy Lower-Sodium Chicken Tenders

    Crispy Lower-Sodium Chicken Tenders

    Chicken tenders are one of those foods that don’t exactly scream low sodium.

    Between the seasoning, breading and whatever you’re dipping them into, sodium can add up pretty quickly.

    But this is another one of those recipes where I’ve found that a couple of really simple changes can make a big difference without ruining the food.

    The original recipe comes from Spend With Pennies:

    Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders – Spend With Pennies

    I make two main changes.

    Leave out the added salt and replace the cornflake crumbs with more Panko.

    That’s pretty much it.

    And they’re still crispy, flavorful and really good.

    Change #1: I Leave Out the Salt

    The original recipe uses both seasoned salt and regular salt in different parts of the breading and seasoning process. 

    I leave both out.

    There’s already paprika, garlic powder and black pepper in the recipe, so there’s plenty of flavor going on without the added salt.

    And if we want a little more kick?

    Cayenne pepper.

    We do that all the time.

    You don’t need much. Just enough to give the tenders a little heat.

    That’s something I’ve learned since dramatically reducing the sodium in my diet: taking away salt doesn’t mean taking away seasoning.

    There are plenty of other flavors to work with.

    Change #2: Goodbye Cornflakes, Hello Panko

    This is the other big change I make.

    The original recipe calls for 1 cup of cornflake crumbs and 1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs.

    Instead, I skip the cornflake crumbs completely and use additional Panko.

    The reason is simple:

    Sodium.

    The cornflake crumbs I’ve looked at contain considerably more sodium than the Panko I use. That’s one of those places where reading the nutrition label really pays off.

    With the products I buy, the Panko is only around 25–35 mg of sodium per cup, while the cornflake crumbs I compared were around 250 mg for just 6 tablespoons.

    Brands vary, so definitely check the package you’re actually buying.

    But for me?

    Panko wins.

    And here’s the best part:

    I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing the crunch.

    In fact, the original Spend With Pennies recipe specifically lists doubling up on Panko as an alternative if you don’t use cornflakes. 

    So I simply use 2 cups of Panko instead of 1 cup Panko + 1 cup cornflake crumbs.

    Easy.

    Still Plenty of Crunch

    This was important to me.

    I don’t want a “healthy chicken tender” that’s basically a sad piece of chicken with some wet breadcrumbs hanging off it.

    I want crunch.

    And the Panko does the job.

    The paprika, garlic powder and black pepper give the coating flavor. Add some cayenne if you want some heat.

    The result is still a crispy chicken tender—just without the added salt and higher-sodium cornflake coating I don’t need.

    Oven or Air Fryer?

    We make these both ways.

    Sometimes they go into the oven.

    Our oven actually has an air-fryer setting, which works pretty well when we’re making a larger batch.

    But if I’m choosing purely based on the finished chicken?

    The countertop air fryer wins.

    I think it does a better job of getting them crispy.

    The downside is capacity.

    I can fit a lot more chicken in the oven than I can in the air-fryer appliance, so which one we use usually depends on how much we’re making.

    The original recipe calls for baking at 425°F for about 18–22 minutes. It also provides an air-fryer option of 350°F for about 10–12 minutes, cooking the tenders in a single layer. Chicken should reach a safe internal temperature of 165°F. 

    The Air Fryer Really Wins the Next Day

    There’s one place where I don’t even think it’s a contest.

    Leftovers.

    Chicken tenders reheated in the microwave?

    Eh.

    They’ll get hot.

    But crispy?

    Not so much.

    Put them back in the air fryer and they come back to life.

    The original recipe also recommends the air fryer or oven for reheating if you want to preserve the crunch. 

    It’s one of my favorite uses for the air fryer.

    And We Already Have the Dipping Sauce

    Remember the Homemade Low-Sodium Arby’s-Style Sauce we made?

    This is exactly the kind of thing I make it for.

    Crispy chicken tender.

    Little bit of that sweet and tangy sauce.

    Done.

    And because I modified the sauce too, I’m not taking all the sodium I removed from the chicken and dumping it right back onto the plate through the dipping sauce.

    That would kind of defeat the purpose.

    How Much Sodium Does This Save?

    The original Spend With Pennies recipe currently lists 865 mg of sodium per serving, although the site correctly notes that nutrition information is an estimate and varies depending on ingredients and brands. 

    I’m not going to claim an exact sodium number for my version without calculating every specific brand and the amount of breading that actually ends up on the chicken.

    But we’re removing two significant sources:

    No added salt or seasoned salt.

    No cornflake crumbs.

    Then we’re replacing those cornflake crumbs with the much lower-sodium Panko that I buy.

    That makes this a significantly lower-sodium alternative based on the ingredients I use, while still giving me the chicken tenders I actually want to eat.

    And as always…

    Lower sodium doesn’t mean I should eat the entire tray.

    Although with these, I’ll admit that’s easier said than done.

    ❤️ Greg’s Take

    This is exactly the kind of recipe modification I love.

    I’m not making some completely different meal and pretending it’s a chicken tender.

    It’s still a chicken tender.

    It’s crispy.

    It’s seasoned.

    I can add cayenne when I want some heat.

    I can throw the leftovers in the air fryer the next day and crisp them right back up.

    And I’ve eliminated ingredients that were adding sodium without giving me anything I couldn’t get another way.

    That’s really becoming my approach to low-sodium cooking:

    Don’t automatically give up the food.

    Look at the recipe.

    Look at the labels.

    Figure out where the sodium is coming from.

    And then ask:

    Can I change that ingredient without ruining what I actually like about the food?

    In this case?

    Absolutely.

    Panko for the crunch. Spices for the flavor. No added salt needed.

    Original Recipe

    This recipe is my lower-sodium adaptation of the Baked Chicken Tenders recipe by Holly Nilsson at Spend With Pennies. For the original ingredients and complete preparation instructions:

    View the original Baked Chicken Tenders recipe at Spend With Pennies

    Medical & Nutrition Disclaimer

    This article describes how I personally modify recipes to reduce sodium in my diet. It is not medical or nutritional advice. Sodium content varies considerably between brands, so always check the nutrition labels on the ingredients you actually use. Follow any dietary recommendations provided by your own healthcare team.

  • Why We Finally Bought a Rice Cooker

    Why We Finally Bought a Rice Cooker

    Sometimes the best helpful finds aren’t complicated.

    They’re just things that make everyday life a little easier.

    We eat quite a bit of rice in our house. Since I’ve been following a low-sodium diet, rice has become an easy base for a lot of the meals we make at home.

    Plain rice is naturally very low in sodium as long as you’re not adding salt, salty broth, or other high-sodium ingredients while cooking it.

    There’s just one problem.

    You still have to cook it.

    Making rice on the stove certainly isn’t difficult, but you have to watch it, get the water-to-rice ratio right, make sure it doesn’t overcook, and hopefully end up with rice that’s neither crunchy nor mushy.

    Eventually we decided there had to be an easier way.

    So we bought a rice cooker.

    And I’m glad we did.

    Set It and Forget It

    The biggest reason we bought a rice cooker was convenience.

    Put in the rice and water, turn it on, and let the machine take care of the rest.

    There’s no standing over the stove or wondering whether I should turn the heat down.

    Set it and forget it.

    Once the rice is finished, our cooker automatically switches to a keep-warm mode. That means we don’t have to perfectly coordinate the rice with everything else we’re cooking for dinner.

    That may seem like a small thing, but when you’re preparing several things at once, having one less pot to worry about is pretty nice.

    The Rice Comes Out Right

    This might be my favorite part.

    The rice comes out consistently good.

    I’ve made plenty of rice on the stove that was still a little hard when dinner was ready. I’ve also gone the other direction and cooked it too long.

    With the rice cooker, there’s much less guesswork.

    Put everything in, start it, and when it’s finished, we have rice ready for dinner.

    Brown Rice, White Rice and Carbohydrates

    We make both white and brown rice.

    I’ve been using brown rice quite a bit because it provides more fiber than white rice. But that doesn’t mean we’ve eliminated white rice. We still enjoy both depending on what we’re making.

    For me, the bigger consideration is portion size.

    Rice may fit nicely into my low-sodium diet, but it still contains a significant amount of carbohydrates. Because I also have diabetes, I have to pay attention to how much rice I put on my plate.

    That’s an important distinction I’ve learned along the way:

    Low sodium doesn’t automatically mean something is unlimited.

    A food can work very well for one part of my diet while still requiring some thought because of another health condition.

    So I enjoy my rice.

    I just don’t fill half my plate with it.

    Great for the Meals We Make at Home

    Rice has become the base for quite a few meals around here.

    The steak and shrimp rice bowls I recently mentioned in my Daily Journal are a perfect example. We can control the seasoning on the steak, choose our vegetables, pay attention to the sodium in the shrimp, and serve everything over a measured portion of rice.

    I’ll be sharing my version of that recipe on the site soon.

    That’s the kind of cooking I’ve been trying to embrace.

    Instead of focusing entirely on foods I can’t have anymore, I’m finding meals we enjoy and figuring out how to make them work for me.

    The rice cooker simply makes that easier.

    It Doesn’t Take Over the Kitchen

    Another thing I like about rice cookers is that you don’t need a giant appliance.

    They come in several different capacities, so you can choose one based on how much rice you normally make.

    We went with a medium-sized model, which gives us enough capacity without taking up a ridiculous amount of counter or cabinet space.

    If kitchen storage is limited, that’s worth considering.

    Cleanup Takes Almost No Time

    Convenience doesn’t mean much to me if an appliance takes forever to clean.

    Fortunately, ours doesn’t.

    The cooking pot has a nonstick interior, so cleanup is extremely easy. Once we’re finished, it takes very little time to clean the pot and have it ready for the next meal.

    Simple to use.

    Simple to clean.

    And consistently good rice.

    That’s pretty much what I wanted.

    ❤️ Greg’s Take

    Do you absolutely need a rice cooker?

    Of course not.

    You can make perfectly good rice on the stove.

    But that’s not really why I bought one.

    I bought it because it makes life easier.

    Living with chronic illness has made me appreciate things that save a little time and effort. If an appliance can take one job off my plate while we’re making dinner, that’s valuable to me.

    I can put the rice on, walk away, and concentrate on preparing everything else—or just sit down until I need to do something again.

    When dinner is ready, the rice is ready.

    And it’s cooked right.

    Sometimes a Helpful Find doesn’t have to change your life.

    Sometimes it just has to make one little part of it easier.

    The Rice Cooker I Use

    If you’d like to see the rice cooker we purchased, you can find it here:

    See the rice cooker I use on Amazon

    There are different sizes available, so I’d choose the capacity that makes sense for the amount of rice you normally prepare rather than automatically buying the largest one.

    Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase something through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share products that I personally use or believe may be helpful.

    Health Disclaimer: I’m sharing my personal experience and how rice fits into my own eating plan. This is not medical or nutritional advice. Rice is a carbohydrate-containing food and can affect blood glucose. If you have diabetes or another condition requiring dietary management, work with your healthcare provider or dietitian to determine the types and portions of foods that are appropriate for you. Always check nutrition labels and ingredients, particularly on seasoned or prepared rice products.