By Katy Wilkens, MS, RD

I like to think I am an adventurous cook. Then someone gave me a huge, restaurant-sized container of Chinese five-spice powder. I must admit, I was stumped for a while, but there is nothing like a challenge to bring out some tasty and low-salt recipes.

Five-spice powder is a staple in Chinese cooking. It’s used to season duck, chicken and sometimes fish. You can easily make your own powder to season chicken – see the recipes below.

Another spice mix I have been experimenting with is from the Middle East. Like five-spice, it’s an ancient seasoning. Called Za'atar, it is a mix of thyme, dried sumac, sesame seed and, often, salt.

Dried sumac is a bit hard to find so homemade salt-free Za’atar might be a bit tricky. But it is available online. One local source is Seattle’s World Spice Merchant shop, which offers a prepared Israeli Za’atar that has less than 140 milligrams of sodium per half cup. The shop’s Syrian Za’atar is about five times more salty, so stick to the Israeli style to keep your kidneys and heart healthy.

For a salt-free snack, soak, cook and bake garbanzo beans, then toss with a little olive oil and Za’atar. Or drain yogurt in a coffee filter, sprinkle with Za’atar and serve with toasted pita chips. Or spray French bread with olive oil, add minced garlic and sprinkle with Za’atar for a flavorful garlic bread.

Experimenting with a new taste combination is always fun, so try five-spice powder and Za’atar in your cooking.

Five-spice powder

5 star anise
1 tablespoon peppercorns
10 cloves
2 sticks cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger

In blender, food processor or coffee mill, grind first four ingredients into a fine powder. Add powdered ginger and store in cool, dry place, covered.

Nutritional information:
Calories: 52, Carbohydrates: 12 grams, Protein: 1 gram, Sodium: 29 milligrams

Chicken with five-spice

2 teaspoons five-spice powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package low-sodium beef or chicken broth
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon wine or cooking sherry
3-pound chicken

In large bowl, add all marinade ingredients, stirring to mix. Add whole chicken and turn to coat with marinade. Cover and let stand, refrigerated, one hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a shallow pan with aluminum foil, add chicken and place pan on rack. Keep marinade chilled.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees and roast chicken about 1 hour or until juices run clear. Baste often with marinade. Remove skin and cut chicken in bite-size pieces, skim fat off pan juices and serve remaining sauce on the side. Serve with stir-fried veggies and brown rice.

Nutritional information (per 4-ounce serving):
Calories: 216, Carbohydrates: 1 gram, Protein: 18 grams, Sodium: 147 milligrams

Yogurt dip with Za’atar

2 cups plain yogurt
Coffee filter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Za’atar

Thicken yogurt by straining it through a paper coffee filter. Put the paper filter in its regular holder, fill it with yogurt, and let the liquid whey drain into the coffee pot. Let the yogurt sit in the fridge for several hours.

Put yogurt in a shallow bowl, and sprinkle with Za’atar. For a bit more zip, try adding minced garlic and fresh thyme. Drizzle yogurt with olive oil and serve as a dip with cucumber wedges, salt-free crackers or triangles of pita bread.

Nutritional information (per serving, two tablespoons):
Calories: 68, Carbohydrates: 4 grams, Protein: 3 grams, Sodium: 43 milligrams

The recipes in this column are meant for people who want to keep their kidneys healthy and blood pressure down by following a low-sodium diet. In most cases, except for dialysis patients, a diet high in potassium is thought to help lower high blood pressure. These recipes are not intended for people on dialysis without the supervision of a registered dietitian.

[Katy G. Wilkens is a registered dietitian and department head at Northwest Kidney Centers. She has a Master of Science degree in nutritional sciences from the University of Washington. See more of her recipes at www.nwkidney.org.]

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