Kitchen guide
Recipes
House rule
Cook neutral, season at the table
Draft · dietitian review pending
One rule runs my kitchen: cook neutral, season at the table.
No salt in the pot. No salt in the dressing. The flavour comes from lemon, garlic, pepper, dried shiitake, smoked paprika, cumin and a good olive oil. For packaged spices and oils, check for added salt. Anyone who wants salt adds it to their own plate.
That way one pot can feed a mixed household. Everyone can season their own portion without cooking a second meal.
It makes added salt easier to track. Ingredients can still contain sodium, even when none goes into the pot.
A few things that make it work:
- Taste before anyone reaches for the shaker. Neutral isn't bland if the lemon and garlic are doing their job.
- Put the salt on the table, not in the recipe. It's a choice, not a default.
- Pink salt is still salt. Lower sodium only by volume, because the crystals are bigger; by weight, it's no better.
All recipes
Batch BBQ chicken breast
Whole pack grilled, tray-frozen in portions; the weekly protein backbone.
About 90 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Bircher muesli
Rolled oats only; steel-cut won't cold-soak.
About 60 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Bohnensalat, low sodium
German bean salad cooked neutral; others salt at the table.
About 10 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Cold pasta salad
Re-dress the next day: yogurt, acid, garlic oil, Dijon.
About 80 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Home shrimp noodle bowl
The grab-and-go Asian bowl rebuilt at about 300–400 mg sodium instead of 2,000+.
About 380 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Lemon-garlic grilled chicken
Salt dropped: saves about 1,400 mg sodium per batch.
About 90 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Mushroom-barley soup
High fibre, low sodium, freezes well.
About 10 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Ninja CREAMi banana ice cream
Greek yogurt, ripe bananas, a little peanut butter, guar gum; no added sugar.
About 40 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Sheet-pan chicken and vegetables over grain
Grain base plus 15 g EVOO lifts calories with little saturated fat.
About 110 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Shiitake-lentil ragu
Mushroom soaking water replaces bouillon cubes.
About 20 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Slow-cooker chicken and shiitake
About 250 mg sodium per serving.
About 250 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Sous vide chicken breast
64 °C, finished in the air fryer; same-texture portions all week.
About 90 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Yogurt dressing base
Replaces mayo and bottled dressings everywhere.
About 10 mg sodium per serving (estimated)
Yogurt-avocado breakfast wrap
Corn tortillas, egg, spinach, black beans; about 350 mg sodium per wrap.
About 350 mg sodium per serving (estimated)