Since we brought Laura home, we have been doing our best to follow a reduced sodium, heart healthy diet. It is important for us not to sacrifice meals that we have always loved and we have been doing loads of experimenting in finding just the right substitutes for our favourites.
I’ve always loved a good salad here and there and making your own dressing is really the only option if you’re trying to cut back on sodium! Here is a recipe I figured out for a delicious honey mustard vinaigrette!
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
2 Tbs Whole Grain or Dijon Mustard
2 Tbs Red Wine Vinager (or whatever you have lying around)
2 Tbs water
1 Tbs creamed honey (or 2 Tbs liquid – it has less flavour)
1 Tbs canola oil (or another oil with minimal flavour)
1 Tbs walnut oil (flaxseed, almond, etc work as well but aren’t as nutty and rich in omega 3)
Heart health benefits:
Low in sodium
0 trans and saturated fat
High in monounsaturated and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids (walnut oil is great for this!) which help to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol!
High in antioxidants (from the red wine vinager)
Why it’s good for a transplant patient: transplanted hearts can easily develope CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) – a dietlow inLDL cholesterol and trans and saturated fats can help to reduce the chances of developing CAD.
Try this dressing on salad greens with strawberries, blueberries and almonds for added vitamins, antioxidants and iron!
As it turns out, it works really well in 3 bean salad as well! (If you look in the naturally sourced foods section of your grocer you should find no salt added canned beans – I like black beans and navy beans with nice fresh green beans)
Our Transplanted Life 