When you visualize a garden, you might think of carrots planted in straight rows, lettuce all lined up and rectangular planting beds keeping your veggies in order. Shall we say that my garden is not exactly like that?
Get creative!
I plant vegetables and herbs in unexpected places all over my yard. I have basil in with my petunias in pots on the deck, and tomatoes growing with the dahlias and strawberries in the flowerbed by the road, so people can pick a few as they walk by.
Plant in pots
You don’t need room for a full, regimented garden. Try tucking vegetables into pots and place them on a deck, your front porch or a window sill. Cherry tomatoes thrive in pots.
Plant vegetables in flower beds
Growing veggies in your flower beds is just as easy and a lot more fun. Spinach is as pretty as any begonia and will thrive in about the same amount of sunlight and water. The flowerbed in my backyard mixes pumpkins, cucumbers and squash with gladiolas in the summer and purple asters in the fall. A feast for the eye and the taste buds too.
Lettuce is one of the best candidates for tucking in a corner of the garden. It doesn’t need much care and it looks pretty, especially if you plant bright, electric green leafy types next to a beautiful bronze variety. The lettuce you grow yourself is so tender and flavorful – not tough, like varieties sold in grocery stores two weeks after being picked.
Use your homegrown lettuce to create these low-salt wraps. This recipe uses pineapple juice to minimize the soy sauce needed, lowering the salt content – important for kidneys and blood vessels – and adding a sweet and sour taste to pump up the flavor.
Lettuce Wraps
24 large leaf lettuce leaves
1/4 pound rice noodles (py mei fun)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for deep frying
1 chicken breast, microwaved and diced
1-2 pork chops, microwaved and diced
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon pineapple juice
1 small onion, diced
4 mushrooms, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
8 water chestnuts, diced
1/2 cup diced bamboo shoots
1/2 cup green peas
Thickening:
1 tablespoon water or pineapple juice
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sherry or rice wine
Mix soy sauce, pineapple juice, egg yolk, sugar, sesame oil, black pepper and cornstarch. Add steamed chicken and pork and marinate for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, break apart rice noodles and deep fry a small amount at a time in oil ½ inch deep or less, at 350 to 360 degrees. Noodles will fry within seconds and will be white and crispy when done. Drain and arrange on large platter.
Mix thickening in small bowl and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil until hot, then add the meat mixture, onions, vegetables and mushrooms, and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add thickening and cook another minute or two. Remove from pan, put on a platter and serve with lettuce leaves. Let guests add filling and noodles, wrapping in leaves. Makes about 20 wraps.
Nutrient Information per serving of 2 wraps
Calories: 168
Carbohydrates: 17 g
Protein: 13 g
Fat: 5 g
Sodium: 70 mg
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.
