They call it the S’alternative Choice. It’s lemon juice, an excellent substitute for salt.

The average American consumes twice the amount of recommended sodium daily. Uh oh.

Even if you’re in great shape now, as you hit middle age, the excess sodium can create serious problems.

While much of the salt we consume is in prepared and processed foods, you can reduce the salt in recipes—including proteins, grains, soups, salads, rubs and seasoning mixes—up to 75% without compromising flavor.

Sunkist commissioned a study at Johnson & Wales University to explore how to reduce salt with citrus. Global Master Chef Karl Guggenmos worked with Sunkist to develop what they call the “optimal blend”:

In everyday cooking, use 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon zest before/during cooking. Finish cooked food with 2-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice.

Here are other ways to substitute for salt:

> August 29th is National Lemon Juice Day.

> The year’s 40+ citrus holidays.“>

> The history of lemons.

> The different types of lemons: a photo glossary.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the USDA Center For Nutrition Policy And Promotion recommend that Americans consume less than:

 
How much sodium is in your daily diet? You’d be shocked. For just one day, write down everything you eat. Packaged foods will have the sodium on the nutrition label; you can look up other foods online.

Excessive sodium intake has been linked to health problems such as high blood pressure, cancer and osteoporosis. According to a 2010 study by Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, director of the University of California Center for Vulnerable Populations at San Francisco General Hospital:

If every American reduced his or her daily sodium intake by 400 milligrams, 32,000 heart attacks, 20,000 strokes and 28,000 deaths could be prevented each year.

This is not just a warning for adults: The habits kids develop for stay with them for life.

Get the facts on sodium, learn helpful tips and discover healthy the alternatives. Visit SunkistSalternative.com.
 
 

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[2] You can make pesto from scratch with this recipe, or buy a jar (photo © DeLallo).

How about marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and pesto?

That’s the suggestion from target=”_blank”>Jennie-O, maker of turkey franks.

Prep time is under 15 minutes, total time is 30 minutes. The recipe follows.

> National Italian Food Day is February 13th.

> Check below for all the hot dog holidays.

> 30 more hot dog recipes.

> The history of hot dogs.

Plus:
> The difference between rolls and buns.
> Hot dog vs. wiener vs. frank.
> Hot dog vs. sausage: the difference.
> How hot dogs are made.
> Nitrates and nitrites.
> Why there are 10 dogs in a package but only 8 rolls.
> Organic hot dogs vs. conventional hot dogs.
> A & H Glatt Kosher Hot Dogs, one of our favorite brands.
> Field Roast Great Vegan Hot Dogs.
> Wagyu hot dogs from Snake River Farms: We love them!
 
 
RECIPE: ITALIAN HOT DOGS

Ingredients For 4 Servings

1. PREPARE the grill for medium heat. Grill the franks according to package direction.

2. GRILL the buns, cut side down, until golden brown. Spread the inside of tje buns with marinara sauce. Add mozzarella and bell peppers. Place on the grill and close the lid.

3. GRILL for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the grill. Add the franks. Top with pesto.
 
Perhaps you should serve these with a glass of Chianti instead of a beer?
 
 
HOT DOG HOLIDAYS

 
Plus:

 
 
________________
 
*Hot dogs and hamburgers are both sandwiches: meat in a roll.
 
 

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When we look at zucchini prices in the winter months, we think ahead to the summer months and all the zucchini dishes we’re going to make.

This weekend, we’re serve these zucchini crisps with Prosecco, although they go with any wine, beer or cocktail and make a fine side dish or snack-in-front-of-the-TV.

They’re baked, not fried; and combine the best aspects of cheese and salty snacks in the form of a serving of green vegetables. Yes, it’s another way to trick the veg-resistant into eating more veggies!

The zucchini crisps (chips) are also easy to make. Thanks to XBar at the Hyatt Regency, Los Angeles, for the recipe.

The better the Parmesan cheese you use, the tastier the crisps. If you’re a fan of panko, Japanese bread crumbs, you can use them to amp up the dish.

RECIPE: PARMESAN ZUCCHINI CRISPS

Ingredients For 2 Servings

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 450°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. SLICE zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Toss the zucchini with olive oil in a medium bowl.

3. COMBINE the cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Dip the zucchini rounds into the cheese mixture, coating each side. Place the rounds in a single layer on the baking sheet.

4. BAKE the rounds until browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature.

When it comes to soft serve ice cream, some fans say that the best is at Dairy Freeze in Boston. Others cite Christy’s Tasty Queen in Kansas City.

Without going to those establishments or any others, we opine that the best soft serve ice cream is at Godiva Chocolatier boutiques.

Godiva has launched a premium soft serve ice cream, and it is spectacular.

First, chose your flavor: Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate Vanilla Bean or Swirl. The softserve is made with Godiva chocolate, which makes it more intensely, more deliciously flavored right off the bat.

Godiva designed custom soft serve machines to deliver the densest, creamiest mouthfeel.

And it gets better: There are crunchy Belgian waffle cones. Choose from plain, dipped in either milk or dark chocolate, or our favorite, dark chocolate with praline almonds (shown in the photo).

Don’t like cones? You can have your softserve in a five ounce cup.

We had the opportunity to try all three flavors recently at the Godiva boutique in Rockefeller Center (52 West 50th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenues). What happiness!

And it doesn’t break the calorie bank. A large waffle cone with softserve is 380 calories in a plain cone, 470 in the almond praline cone. It’s worth every calorie.

Bring A Friend To Happy Hour

During Godiva Happy Hour, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily, the second cone is half price.

We also noted on the company website that there are punch cards for the soft serve and the Trufflelata shake: Buy six in any combination, the next one’s free.

What better way to celebrate National Ice Cream Month than with a great new soft serve ice cream?

Go for the Godiva, ladies and gents! Go often!

Use this store locator to find the Godiva store nearest to you.
 
  

Today’s tip was inspired by The Strawberry Barbara, a sundae from McConnell’s Ice Cream in Santa Barbara.

McConnell’s marries strawberry ice cream, house-made rhubarb sauce (think rhubarb pie filling), and pie crust crumbles, topped with whipped cream.

You can build the sundae in a bowl or a sundae dish, on a dessert plate, or even in a large wine goblet.

You can also use the topping on puddings and yogurt.
 
 
RECIPE: PIE DOUGH CRUMBLES VERSION 1

Ingredients For The Pie Dough Crumbs

 
 
RECIPE: PIE DOUGH CRUMBLES VERSION 2

If you’d like crumbles with a deeper flavor, use this recipe, which substitutes some of the white sugar with brown sugar.

Ingredients For The Pie Dough Crumbs

 
Preparation For Both Versions

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F.

2. MIX the ingredients together to form large, moist clumps form (we tend to like them in the larger size, about 1/2 inch diameter). If the ingredients stick together too much to make crumbs, add a bit more flour and sugar in a 2:1 ratio until the mixture becomes crumbly.

3. BAKE on a sheet for 10-15 minutes until golden (but not brown). Let cool; store in an airtight container until ready to use.
 
 
ASSEMBLING THE SUNDAE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SCOOP ice cream onto a plate. Top with pie crumbles.

2. ADD garnishes and serve.
 

[1] Strawberry ice cream with pie dough crumbles (photo © McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams).

[2] Key lime ice cream on a bed of crumbles (photo © McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams).

[3] You can also make cinnamon-accented streusel crumbs to top your ice cream (or cake, cupcakes, and single-crust pies. Here’s the recipe (photo © Frosting & Fettuccine).

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