Eating Well on Dialysis

Green Beans with Savory

Adapted from Cooking Light, October 2008. The recipe also works well with asparagus, sugar snap peans or broccoli florets.

2 lbs. green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried savory
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Cook beans in boiling water 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

2. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 1 minute or until lightly browned. Add beans, juice and savory to pan, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Makes 8 servings.

Spicy Corn on the Cob

From Cooking Light, September 2008. This would make a great side dish with the Quick Barbecue Chicken. Or any other grilled meat you may like.

Combine 2 teaspoons butter, a pinch of kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chile powder and 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Place 2 ears of corn on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Spread butter mixture evenly over hot corn until melted.

Sichuan Green Beans

Adapted from Cooking Light, September 2008. I omitted 1/2 teaspoon of added salt, figuring even the low-sodium soy sauce would be salty enough.

1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1. Cook beans in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water; drain. Pat beans completely dry with paper towels.

2. Heat a 14-inch wok over high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to wok, swirling to coat. Add green beans to wok; stir-fry 3 minutes or until browned. Spoon green beans into a bowl.

3. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to wok, swirling to coat. Add shallots, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper; stir-fry 15 seconds or just until garlic begins to brown. Return green beans to wok. Add vinegar and soy sauce to wok; toss to combine. Makes 6 servings.

Specialty Green Beans

From "Low Fat Living."

1 lb. whole green beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sugar

Steam the beans for 5 minutes, or until bright green and partially cooked. Drain well. Warm the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the beans, soy sauce, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste, and sugar. Toss until the beans are well-coated. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the beans are tender. Makes 4 servings.

Honey-Glazed Baby Carrots

From "Low Fat Living." Carrots are a moderate potassium vegetable, with 177 mg K in a 1/2 cup serving.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margarine
2 tablespoons minced shallots or onions
4 cups baby carrots (1 1/4 lbs.)
1 cup nonfat chicken or vegetable broth
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of salt (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots or onions. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the carrots and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the carrots are just tender. Raise the heat to medium high. Add the honey, nutmeg, parsley and salt (if using) and pepper to taste. Stir until the sauce becomes syrupy. Makes 8 servings.

Marinated Zucchini

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." Summer squash such as zucchini is a moderate potassium vegetable, with 173 mg in 1/2 cup. If you have fresh basil and oregano from your garden, use 1 tablespoon of each instead of 1 teaspoon.

4 medium zucchini
1/8 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup vinegar

Cut zucchini into 1-inch slices. Saute in hot oil until light brown, and drain on paper towels. In a casserole, place one layer of zucchini, Dot with chopped garlic, basil, oregano and parsley. Sprinkle with pepper. Repeat until all zucchini are used. Boil vinegar 5 minutes and pour over squash. Let marinate at least 12 hours. Drain and serve. Can be kept for over a week in refrigerator. Makes 8 servings.

Herbed Peas

Adapted from "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." Peas are a moderate potassium vegetable (134 mg in 1/2 cup).

2 lbs. frozen peas
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
6 green onions
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons non-dairy creamer, such as Coffee Rich

Melt butter or margarine in heavy skillet. Add peas, onions and all ingredients except creamer. Cook covered until peas are tender. Add creamer and heat thoroughly. Makes 4 servings.

Glazed Onions

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt."

3 lbs. small white onions, peeled
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Paprika

Cook onions until tender (20 to 30 minutes), drain, put in shallow baking dish. Combine sugar, mustard, butter or margarine, and thyme. Spread mixture on onions. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 20 minutes, basting occasionally. Makes 8 servings.

Baked Onions and Apples

From "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt."

2 medium to large onions, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 cups apple rings, 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine

Place a layer of sliced onions in an oiled baking dish, cover onions with a layer of apple rings, which should be cored but not peeled. Mix together the sugar, nutmeg, thyme and lemon rind, and sprinkle over the apples. Repeat the process until onions and apples are used up. Pour over the top the lemon juice and melted butter or margarine. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Makes 4 servings.

Corn Curry

Adapted from "Cooking Without a Grain of Salt." I've reduced the amount of sour cream from the original recipe. Corn is lower in potassium when cooked from frozen.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons sour cream
Pepper to taste

Melt butter or margarine in skillet. Add vegetables and curry. Cover. Cook over low heat until vegetables are just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream, season with pepper. Makes 4 servings.