Low Sodium Chili

Doing this low sodium diet can be such a challenge especially when dining out.  Most often, I will simply order a green salad with vinaigrette dressing.  That's usually the safest route.  I get really excited if the restaurant offers the option of a fruit side dish.  Sometimes I will add grilled chicken breast to the salad and hope that it's not too salty.  Mostly, I just compensate by balancing the daily sodium intake.  That means I eat almost no sodium before I dine out so that I can eat the foods with the extra salt.

I like chili but I will almost never order it from a restaurant because I have no idea how much sodium is in it.  I do make it at home fairly often because it's so easy to make and saves well.  I found a recipe I like and I altered it to keep the sodium low.  It's also low fat if you use lean meat.

This recipe is not too spicy because I don't like hot chili.  Add more spices if you do, but this is a good basic chili recipe.

LOW SODIUM CHILI:

Ingredients:
1 pound ground meat
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can (14 oz) low sodium diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) low sodium red kidney beans
1 can (8 oz) low sodium tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
In large saucepan, cook meat, onions, and pepper and drain.  Stir in tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, and spices.  Bring to boil and reduce heat.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes.  Makes 5 cups.