{"id":8196,"date":"2011-12-13T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-13T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=8196"},"modified":"2013-11-03T11:29:30","modified_gmt":"2013-11-03T19:29:30","slug":"mushroom-apple-and-sage-stuffed-onions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/mushroom-apple-and-sage-stuffed-onions\/","title":{"rendered":"Mushroom, Apple and Sage Stuffed Red Onions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mushroom,<\/a><\/p>\n

While everyone’s been baking their little hearts out; tempting readers with homey gingerbread cakes, elegant pavlovas, and every deletable cookie imaginable, I’ve been busy experimenting with low-sodium, heart healthy, savory side dishes that will flatter the main attraction at your holiday table.<\/p>\n

Always mindful of making meals that delight your taste buds while nurturing your body, this is the first time I’ve had to prepare a holiday dinner that doesn’t include sausage, bacon, pancetta, or cheese. I know we’re not alone in our gustatory passion for cured pork delicacies, unfortunately, these foods have no place in a low-sodium diet! And cheese –\u00a0it’s practically a food group in itself! Rarely have we met a cheese we didn’t like –\u00a0 whether goat, sheep, or cow’s milk, fresh, aged, brined, herbed, rolled in nuts, or sprinkled with berries –\u00a0 and all have been sorely missed as I master the art of flavorful, low-sodium cooking to keep my man ticking.<\/p>\n

Baking is a real challenge as baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and baking powder (calcium phosphate and sodium bicarbonate) are essential. But, together, we’ve found a number of low-sodium products at Trader Joes (including no salt added chips that aren’t half bad) and online, including baking powder and baking soda that contain no sodium, but rather potassium as the active ingredient, and many other products that I’ll talk about in future posts.<\/p>\n

\"Mushroom,<\/a><\/p>\n

Bread has a surprising amount of sodium, anywhere from 160 mg in a slice of whole wheat to 320 mg or more in a piece of cornbread, focaccia, pretzel bread, etc. Naturally, so do bread crumbs, even if homemade. Fortunately, I’ve always preferred Japanese-style panko for a crisp coating on my coconut shrimp or baked chicken and I was thrilled that the sodium content of Kikkoman’s Panko bread crumbs<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/a> is only 40 mg per 1\/2 cup serving. Other brand name bread crumbs had to be tossed, but the panko is here to stay \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Which brings us to this earthy mushroom, tart green apple “stuffing” made with panko bread crumbs that I’ve served up several ways. Brimming with seasonal flavors, it takes succulent baked stuffed pork chops to another level and has garnered rave reviews when presented as vegetarian\u00a0 stuffed mushroom appetizers, redolent with umami, it was easy to forget the sausage \ud83d\ude42 Here, I stole the idea of stuffing red onions, instead of mushrooms, that I spied in November’s Martha Stewarts Living<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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