Vegan Barbeque Sandwich

I had a craving and satisfied it with a vegan barbeque low sodium (as low as I could get it) sandwich.  Here is the fixing for two sandwiches.

1/2 cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) braised (see Braising in the Grass blog) with vegan beef bouillon, 1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet, 1/2 chopped onion and 1 cup water

Low sodium French roll (I found a 290 mg sodium French roll as a no-name brand at Bottom Dollar Foods.  Regular French rolls, sandwich rolls or Hoagie rolls are about 500 mg sodium.

1/4 cup Furmano’s Original Pizza Sauce with Sea Salt = 25 Cal / 80 mg Sodium

1 Tbs sugar

1/2 onion sautéd

While the TVP is braising, cut the other 1/2 onion into open rings and sauté (its OK to burn them a bit).  When the liquid has mostly absorbed into the TVP, add 1/4 cup of the Pizza Sauce and a tablespoon of sugar.  Bring the whole thing back to a boil and pour into the rolls.  Add the sautéd onions on top.

1/2 Cup TVP = 90 Cal / 0 mg Sodium

Vegan Beef Broth = 5 Cal/ 123 mg Sodium

Kitchen Bouquet = 15 Cal / 10 mg Sodium

Onion = 64 Cal / 6 mg Sodium

Pizza Sauce = 25 Cal / 80 mg Sodium

1 Tbs sugar = 45 Cal / 0 mg Sodium

French Rolls = 190 Cal / 290 mg Sodium each

Total for each sandwich = 312 Cal / 399.5 Sodium

The Amazing Ever Increasing List Of Low Sodium Vegan Foods: Part One

Here is a list of off-the-shelf vegan foods, most of which are low in sodium.  Most are based on less than 1 mg of sodium per calorie.  Some are higher than 1 mg sodium per calorie, but they are either far less than the regular sodium versions of the same product, or can be used as an ingredient in a low sodium recipe.  You should double check the ingredients and nutritional table before you buy, in case things have changed.

Bread

Stroehmann Dutch Country 100% Whole Wheat Bread: per slice = 90 Cal / 200 mg sodium *

Crackers

Ritz – Hint of Salt – Crackers:  per 5 crackers = 80 Cal / 35 mg Sodium

Noodles

Roland Organic 100% Organic Traditional Udon Noodles:  per 2 oz. serving = 190 Cal / 170 mg Sodium

Pizza Sauce

Furmano’s Original Pizza Sauce wit Sea Salt: per 1/4 cup serving = 25 Cal / 80 mg Sodium

Note *: Not low sodium, but can be part of a low sodium recipe.

Some of these may be local brands in the greater Philadelphia area, but there should be equivalents in your area.

Also Ran: High Sodium Vegan Foods – approach with caution

Heart Smart Bisquick: per 1/3 cup dry = 140 Cal / 340 mg Sodium

Giant brand Pitted Ripe Olives Large: per 4 olives = 25 Cal / 115 mg Sodium

Brookdale brand Vegetarian Chili with Beans: per 1 cup = 170 Cal / 400 mg sodium

Vegan Milk Revisited

In my previous blog “Milk: Soy vs. Almond vs. Rice” I declared the winner of the calories vs. sodium war to be rice milk.  While at the grocery store I found a fourth contender – Coconut.

“So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage” has 50 calories per cup and 15 mg sodium, which makes it the winner.  But, I really don’t like its taste as much as some of the others. 

I tried cooking waffles with it.  Since it seems to have fewer solids, it took longer to cook the waffles in order to steam off the liquid portion.

So the new standing is:

So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage: 50 Cal / 15 mg Sodium

Rice Dream Enriched Refrigerated Original:  120 Cal / 80 mg Sodium

Silk Soy Milk Plain:  100 Cal / 120 mg Sodium

Silk Pure Almond Original Almondmilk:  60 Cal / 150 mg Sodium

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original:  40 Cal/ 180 mg Sodium

Unfortunately, the one with the highest sodium is also the one I think tastes the best.

Braising in the Grass

In a previous post I blogged on how to use TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) by boiling it in a microwave using vegan chicken bouillon broth and then sautéing it with onions.  This is a variation on that, but on the stove top with a covered pan.  And, this time with vegan beef bouillon broth.

Put one cup of water and the suitable amount of vegan beef bouillon into the pan.  Add 1/2 onion, diced, 1 cup TVP chunks and 1 teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet, or similar browning sauce, and bring to a boil.  Stir to dissolve the bouillon.  Reduce the heat and cover.  It should still be boiling. The point here is to braise the TVP in the bouillon covered until the water mostly steams off.  The covered steam will impregnate the TVP with the vegan beef flavors.  The onion will cook down and add some stickiness and body.

Stir occationally and keep an eye out to make sure the liquid doesn't boil completely off.

Stretching a Recipe for Lower Sodium

Jell-O Fat Free Rice Pudding, one of their Cook & Serve puddings, is a vegan treat that is also low in sodium.

The initial dry mix is 90 Calories and 100 mg Sodium per serving.  Add in ½ cup of rice milk per serving (60 Cal / 40 mg Sodium), and its 150 Calories and 140 mg Sodium.

To stretch it out some, follow the package instructions (but of course using rice milk) and add 1/4 cup of raisins and bring the whole thing to a boil.  Then add in a cup of fully cooked white rice and bring to a boil again.

Again following the package instructions, cool for 15 minutes, stirring twice and pour into a bowl, or bowls.

It can be served hot or cold.

The extra rice and raisins should stretch the recipe to at least five if not six servings, depending on generosity.

At six servings the count is approximately 160 Cal and 100 mg Sodium

Milk: Soy vs. Almond vs. Rice

… and the winner is … rice.

Milk is a common beverage and an equally common ingredient, and although it may fit in a vegetarian’s refrigerator, it has no place in a vegan’s.

In comparing three milk alternatives, soy, almond and rice, rice may be the highest in calories, but it is also the lowest in sodium.

Here are the nutritional stats for one cup of each:

Rice Dream Enriched Refrigerated Original:  120 Cal / 80 mg Sodium

Silk Soy Milk Plain:  100 Cal / 120 mg Sodium

Silk Pure Almond Original Almondmilk:  60 Cal / 150 mg Sodium

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original:  40 Cal/ 180 mg Sodium

The rice milk is the only one of the mix that has less than one mg of sodium per calorie.

Low Sodium Vegan Breakfast On The Go

On their own, some ingredients that go into a meal are high in sodium.  But adding low sodium ingredients can lower the calories-to-sodium ratio down to an acceptable level.  This fast breakfast is an example.

1 Thomas’ Original English Muffin:  120 Cal / 200 mg Sodium

2 TBS Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese:  60 Cal / 120 mg Sodium

12 fl. oz. Orange Juice:  165 Cal / 0 mg Sodium

1 cup Coffee, black:  0 Cal / 0 mg Sodium

Total = 345 Cal / 320 mg Sodium

If you are substituting brands, make sure to consult your choices’ nutrition labels.