Delicious Salt-free Recipes

We can't think of having any food that is not seasoned with salt. Salt adds flavor to food. Common salt has iodine, which is a vital ingredient, helpful in preventing thyroid problems and for promoting healthy skin, teeth, nails and hair.

But people who suffer from hypertension, cardiac diseases, kidney and liver diseases should control the intake of salt. Some of the best ways to incorporate sodium free recipes in your diet is by acquiring a taste for unsalted food.

Taking the salt shaker off the dining table during meals and reducing the consumption of packaged and processed foods like canned soups and tinned beans.

It might seem difficult to enjoy your meals when it does not contain any salt. But you can try to bring out the flavor of food with lime juice, garlic, ginger, spices and fresh and dry herbs.

Avoid the use of sodium rich products like soy sauce, monosodium glutamate, fish sauce, store-bought mustard sauce and all kinds of pickled gherkins, onions and peppers. You can also marinate fish, poultry, meat and vegetables overnight with yogurt and a blend of spices rather than salt.

Ingredients

• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 tomatoes, sliced roughly
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• ½ cup baby corn
• ½ cup mushroom, chopped
• ½ cup finely shredded cabbage
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ tablespoon allspice powder

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• Handful of fresh parsley

Method
In a medium-sized saucepan heat the olive oil and add the sliced onions and garlic. Add sugar and fry till the onions are caramelized. Now tip in the carrots, baby corn and shredded cabbage. When this is partially cooked, fry the mushrooms, tomatoes and ginger.

Add four cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Now add the freshly ground black pepper and allspice powder. Reduce the soup to a consistency of your liking. Adjust pepper seasonings according to your taste. Serve in soup bowls garnished with chopped parsley.

The robust seasonings in this shredded lamb salad compensates for the lack of salt. The addition of pomegranates, which is high in antioxidants makes it a very healthy salad.
Ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb
• 5 onions, halved
• 2 potatoes, quartered
• 1 medium carrot, diced roughly
• 1 whole garlic

• 2 tablespoons white pepper
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds
• Some freshly chopped mint
• ½ teaspoon paprika powder

Method
Sear the leg of lamb in a large roasting pan. Stir fry the onions, carrots and potato in a bit of butter. Now, tip in all these vegetables along with the garlic in the roasting pan containing the lamb.

Season the lamb with white pepper and paprika powder. Pour 2 cups of water over the lamb and cook it in the oven for half an hour at 180º C. Take the lamb out of the oven, cover it with aluminum foil and grill it for two to three hours.

Remove the lamb from the oven, place it on a chopping board and shred it with the help of a knife and fork. Now arrange the shredded lamb on a platter and sprinkle pomegranate seeds. Squeeze some extra pomegranate juice over the lamb and garnish with mint leaves.

This freshness of the watermelon is perfectly complemented by the slightly salty and tangy taste of feta cheese.
Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups watermelon, cut into chunks
• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes

Method
In a medium-sized bowl, tip in the watermelon chunks, making sure that there are no seeds remaining in it. Add the crumbled feta cheese into the bowl and season with coarsely ground black pepper and red chili flakes. Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spatula. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized squids, cut and cleaned
• 1 tablespoon szechuan peppercorns, coarsely ground
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Juice and zest of two limes
• 4-5 red chillies, sliced
• A few rocket leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
• A few dill leaves

Method
Slice the squid with a sharp knife into finger sized portion. With the tip of the knife make crisscross patterns on the squid so that it does not curl up when grilled or dropped into hot oil. Sprinkle the squid with ½ a tbsp of crushed szechuan peppercorns and dried ginger powder. Grill the squids, turning each side every minute, until fully cooked.

In a small bowl combine the extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice. Whisk in the red chillies, lemon zest, dill and the rest of the ground szechuan pepper. Drizzle this dressing over the grilled squid and serve immediately with rocket leaves on the side. The addition of szechuan peppercorn to this dish makes it one of the most delicious no salt recipes.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of seedless watermelon
• ½ cup ginger beer
• 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed sweet lime juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Mint sprigs

Method
In a food processor, puree the watermelon. Add the lemon juice and the sweet lime juice into this watermelon puree. Now slowly add the ginger beer.

Pour this mixture in an aluminum tray and freeze it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hrs. When it is partially set, remove it from the refrigerator and rake it thoroughly with a fork. Chill this again for another hour. Rake with the fork and serve in small shot glasses garnished with a sprig of mint.

There are many salt-free recipes that you can easily prepare at home to enhance the flavor of your soups, salads and appetizers. While you are dining out, always steer clear of recipes that contain Parmesan cheese, pickled fruits and vegetables, barbecue sauce and soy sauce, as these ingredients contain very high levels of sodium.

Substitute salt with different combination of herbs and spices to come up with tasty recipes. Once you get accustomed to food preparations that does not contain salt, you will notice that you do not miss the taste of salt at all.