Fried Cheese Sticks

You can also make this with fresh mozzarella, which is much lower in sodium than the regular kind. A number of stores, including Food Lion and Giant Food here in the Washington DC suburbs, carry blocks of no salt added Swiss cheese, with 10 mg per serving.

1/2 c Flour
1 lb Swiss Cheese,No Salt Added
1/2 c Skim Milk
1/4 c Egg Substitute,Or One Whole Egg
2 t Sodium Free Baking Powder

Cut cheese into 1/2 inch sticks. Heat oil in deep fryer or saucepan to 375 degrees. Combine flour and baking powder. Beat 1 cup of flour mixture, milk and egg with fork until smooth. Coat cheese sticks lightly with dry flour mix and insert round wooden pick in each cube. Dip into batter, covering cheese completely. Fry several sticks at a time, turning carefully until golden brown (1 to 2 minutes). Drain on paper towel.

Yield: 12 Servings

Sodium Category: VeryLowSodium

Diabetic Exchanges
0 Starch
0 Fruit
1 Milk
0 Other Carbohydrates
0 Vegetable
0 Lean Meat
0 Very Lean Meat
2 Fat

Sodium 21 mg

Mexican Grilled Shrimp

We've made this recipe as a main dish a few times and I'm planning on doing it for New year's Eve. Shrimp has a fairly high natural sodium count, so you'll want to be careful not to overdo it.

1 lb Large Shrimp,Peeled
2 T Lime Juice
1 T Honey
1/2 t Cilantro
1/2 t Cumin
1/4 t Garlic Powder

Combine all ingredients in a zipped plastic bag. Turn to coat shrimp well. Marinate at least 2 hours. Grill or saute until done.

Yield: 8 Servings

Sodium Category: LowSodium

Diabetic Exchanges
0 Starch
0 Fruit
0 Milk
0 Other Carbohydrates
0 Vegetable
3 Lean Meat
0 Very Lean Meat
1.5 Fat

Sodium 169 mg

Multilayered Mexican Dip

This is similar to the 7 layer dip, but with less layers. If you can find low sodium cheddar cheese, use that, otherwise let people who are less concerned with their sodium have the center section.

1 cn Refried beans, Unsalted
1 1/4 c Sour cream
1/4 t Cumin,Ground
1/4 t Tabasco
1/3 c Onion,Finely Chopped
1 t Lime juice
1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes
1/3 c Green onions
2 Tomatoes,Chopped
1 c Cheddar,Shredded

In bowl, blend together beans, 1/4 cup of sour cream, cumin and hot pepper sauce. Spread evenly on tray 12" in diameter and at least 1 1/2" deep. In bowl, mix remaining sour cream, chopped onion, lime juice and red pepper flakes; spread over refried bean layer. Garnish with rings of green onions on outside, tomatoes and cheese in center. Cover and refrigerate till serving time.

Yield: 8 Servings

Sodium 123 mg