No salt chili

I made a wonderful ground chuck chili tonight with no salt. Lots of peppers (poblanos, yellow and orange, one large jalapeno with seeds), tomatillas, red onions, limes, cilantro, coarse ground black pepper, cumin.

Sprinkled a little shredded cheddar on top, that's the only salt in the serving,

Salt is my enemy. It makes me swell up and turn into Sponge Marc Roundpants.

Left over pot roast is a good chili starter. I just need to figure out how to make a GOOD chili with it !

Marc, these recipes are great. We both have to watch salt intake but it's not quite as severe as NO salt. But we cook with less and then yesterday did a London Broil which is a rough piece of meat to cook. (there are recipes but I hate cooking and Don's not good with spending time and prep) so..... then after a sear and short cook on the stove, it was tough and dry and it went in the slow cooker for overnight. Now it's tender and WAY better tasting. I'm fine with some of the canned chilis but again, sodium isn't our total enemy.... yet. So now the meat is tender and wonderful but I'm thinking that maybe once we've had our fill...... dice it up and dump it in some of my "customized canned" with all the sauteed veggies I put in it, you know? More volume, less salt per pound? Anyway, it's good for all of us to cut down on our sodium intake...... so thanks for these tips!!

I have a 2000mg/day sodium restriction, so it takes some work to limit my intake, but I've learned some great substitutes. I buy salt-free butter, and instead of adding salt to my recipes I use stuff like Mrs. Dash, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, and lime juice.

^ I've always thought that the proper use of the spices from around the WORLD, should be enough to not need salt. I just need to start experimenting.

I don't eat much in the way of processed food and don't use a lot of salt....but I can tell the next day if I ate a lot of sodium.

I was home alone yesterday and between shoveling episodes I was rummaging through the freezer and found some Thanksgiving stuffing and a small container of gravy from my aunts kitchen.

A few minutes in the microwave and viola!....Comfort food on a 20 degree day.

This morning? My fingers look like cocktail wieners and my wedding ring is wedged on pretty good.

London Broil. Brown it up. Throw it in a pressure cooker with some carrots, onion, celery, parsley, crushed garlic, peppercorns and cook for about 45 mins then a natural pressure release. Delish. I am the primary cook in our family and I use a pressure cooker all the time. Quick-Easy and no such thing as a tough cut of meat.

Sounds wonderful, Mark. I use my Instant Pot quite a bit. I am also the chef at our house, so in the words of Chris Stapleton: "Nobody to blame but me."

davismanLV said:

But we cook with less and then yesterday did a London Broil which is a rough piece of meat to cook.

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I grill London Broil all the time. I start with a nicely marbled example, salt and pepper both sides, and let it sit out for about 45 minutes. Pre-heat grill on high for about 15 minutes, and sear both sides extremely well. Move to indirect heat and cook to final internal temperature of about 135 degrees (I use instant read thermometers and other grilling gear from these guys). Remove to a platter, tent loosely with foil and LEAVE IT ALONE for another 15 minutes. Slice across the grain. Great summer dinner with fresh vegetables and no starches.

Leftovers make a killer sandwich on toast with mayo.

Zero salt is hard to achieve and not very flavorful. On the other hand, it's not hard to reduce sodium drastically and still have delicious food. I use very little added salt these days and I don't miss it at all. The only problem is that other peoples cooking often tastes noticeably too salty now. :bi_polo:

dreadnut said:

Sounds wonderful, Mark. I use my Instant Pot quite a bit. I am also the chef at our house, so in the words of Chris Stapleton: "Nobody to blame but me."

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The instant pot opened up the world of pressure cooking to a lot of folks. Many folks were/are afraid of stovetop units. I have been using Presto Stainless Steel Stovetop pressure cookers for 42 years with no issues. But whichever device one selects they do the same thing. Cook up fast, flavorful and tender. As I age it is used more and more as I am less inclined to stand over the stove or a grill when I can pop it in the pot set a timer and then eat!

dreadnut said:

I have a 2000mg/day sodium restriction, so it takes some work to limit my intake, but I've learned some great substitutes. I buy salt-free butter, and instead of adding salt to my recipes I use stuff like Mrs. Dash, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, and lime juice.

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I'm on 1500...at least I recently discovered the joy of microwave baked potatoes, only drawback is the skins aren't quite as "crusty" as traditional, but definitely very bit as fluffy when done right,
I use a dash of curry powder, unsalted butter, and sour cream to dress 'em up.
But for the first couple of months I was starving all the time while trying to stay under limit.
NO more canned soup or canned/processed meat. When it says "low fat" or "low calory" you can bet it's gonna be a sodium bomb. (Check out the new "vegan burgers" like the impossible burger).
Almost any slice of bread you can name is at least 120mg, bagels as much as 500 (!)
Just about any condiment you can name, around 150mg for 2 tablespoons
SO a simple hamburger with 2 tbs mayo and 2 tbs catsup comes in around 640mg with bun and burger, no matter how much tomato and onion and lettuce you add.
Nutrition labels are my friends, now.

beecee said:

I don't eat much in the way of processed food and don't use a lot of salt....but I can tell the next day if I ate a lot of sodium.
I was home alone yesterday and between shoveling episodes I was rummaging through the freezer and found some Thanksgiving stuffing and a small container of gravy from my aunts kitchen.
A few minutes in the microwave and viola!....Comfort food on a 20 degree day.
This morning? My fingers look like cocktail wieners and my wedding ring is wedged on pretty good.

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For me it wasn't for heart health but rather to lower the blood pressure in one inner ear, it was causing vertigo attacks.
And yes, too much sodium was causing that ear to feel like it was full of water all the time, too.
Meniere's Disease.

davismanLV said:

I'm fine with some of the canned chilis but again, sodium isn't our total enemy.... yet.

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Right, in fact a lot of variables come into play, too, like how much you exercise (Salt loss through sweat)

davismanLV said:

So now the meat is tender and wonderful but I'm thinking that maybe once we've had our fill...... dice it up and dump it in some of my "customized canned" with all the sauteed veggies I put in it, you know? More volume, less salt per pound? Anyway, it's good for all of us to cut down on our sodium intake...... so thanks for these tips!!

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True dat about reducing the sodium hit by adding volume.
I too used to "customize" canned chili with a lot of added veggies, and maybe some leftover meat (plain old beef BTW is very low sodium, less than chicken) but have you looked at the total sodium "per serving" in most of 'em (and note the typical serving is only 4 oz)?
Just a suggestion, it's...."sobering"...no drinking joke intended.
:friendly_wink:
Oh PS: I even used to add shredded carrots to my chili. After sufficient simmering you can't even tell they're there!
But sweetens it up a little bit too.