By Katy Wilkens

There are many ways to add sparkle to your meals without using salt. What else can help flavor your food? Sweet things!

Sweet is an inborn taste all humans have from birth, while the taste for salt is learned. Honey, sugar, molasses, sweet fruits, maple syrup or simple syrups can build big, bold flavor so you don’t need that extra salt that is so harmful to hearts and kidneys.

You don’t need a lot of sweetness to flavor foods. Add a tablespoon of sugar to homemade tomato sauce to bring out the ripe, sweet flavor of the tomatoes. Add strawberries to a salad, or drizzle honey over homemade granola. You can brush maple syrup on chicken during the last five minutes of cooking for a sweet, smoky flavor.

Try these recipes to help cut the salt in your diet. Remember, the goal is to consume less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium a day, and these sweet and simple recipes will do the trick!

Infused Honey or Sugar
1-2 cups honey or 1-2 cups sugar, white or brown
2-3 sticks cinnamon, or a vanilla bean, split into fourths, or
Finely grated peel from one orange or lemon, or
Dried food-grade lavender flowers, or cayenne pepper, or saffron, or any spice you enjoy (or a combination of any of the above)

For honey: Put honey and flavorings in a large glass or ceramic bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave for one minute, then stir and check the temperature using a thermometer. Continue until honey reaches 185 degrees. Let it sit until cool. Put in a jar or bottle and store in a cool, dark place.

For sugar: Put sugar and seasonings in a closed container and let sit one week, shaking occasionally.

Also try infusing honey or sugar with other fruits, or even hot pepper, to add depth and complex flavors to your cooking.

Honey Lemon Dressing
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon dried basil and crushed pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in small bowl until well blended. Yield: ½ cup.

Nutrition information:
Calories: 96, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Protein: 0 g, Fat: 3 g, Sodium: 1 mg

Spicy Honey Mustard Chicken
Makes six 4-ounce servings
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 56 minutes

1.5 pounds chicken pieces, skinless
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy Seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken pieces on a large baking sheet. Mix mustard, honey and Mrs. Dash in small bowl. Brush each chicken piece with mustard mixture. Cover pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and brush with the remaining mustard mixture. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes longer, or until chicken juices run clear.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 211, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Protein: 29 g, Sodium: 232 mg

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.]