Zukkini to tamago, feta chiizu no pan / zucchini, egg and feta cheese pastry

This is another savory pastry we like. Sauteed zucchini is paired with fluffy fried or microwaved egg and feta cheese. Dill makes this combination truly savory.

1 pastry (1/9 piroshki-style dough recipe and 1/3 of filling recipe):
266 calories; 12.9 g protein; 12.8 g fat; 25.5 g carbohydrate; 20.9 g net carbs; 151 mg sodium; 89 mg cholesterol; 4.6 g fiber

Feta chiizu no shionuki / desalinating feta cheese

Long before we started reduced-sodium cooking, I learned to avoid feta cheese at restaurants and delis in this country, as feta makes dishes uncomfortably salty (partly because way too much cheese is used). At home, you can choose feta cheese with lower sodium content (although still high compared to most other cheese) and use the amount you need. Better yet, desalinating can easily solve the issue.

Test results from my kitchen experiments show that soaking feta cheese in a mixture of milk and water for 3-4 hours lowers sodium content by 35-50%.

Desalination speed mainly depends on the proportion of cheese and liquid as well as on the size of cheese chunks, The more liquid (milk + water) you use, the faster cheese desalinates. Also, when cheese chunks are smaller, they desalinate faster than when soaking a larger block.

Fudanso to feta chiizu no taruto / Swiss chard and feta cheese tart

I like to serve this savory tart as an appetizer or snack for a small gathering. It doesn't look glamorous, but it does appeal to your taste buds, and your stomach -- probably because of the potatoes. Adapted from the Torta Verde recipe originally found in a Saveur magazine website years ago. 

1/8 of recipe (when made with sheep milk feta cheese with 270 mg sodium/28 g):
109 calories; 4.1 g protein; 4.2 g fat; 12.7 g carbohydrate; 11.6 g net carbs; 108 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol; 1.1 g fiber