‘Substitute’ foods are… certain other foods that can be used instead of a listed recipe ingredient when, “in a pinch”, you’re preparing something only to you find that you don’t have what you need. Here are some helpful ideas for when you don’t have time to run to the store for that missing ingredient.
Ø To thicken gravy when you’re out of flour – cornstarch works very well. Use half as much of it as you would have flour. Another idea is to use pancake mix as long as it is a small batch of gravy.
Ø Breadcrumbs – crumble ¼ cup broken salty crackers and ½ slice of bread together.
Ø Eggs – mix two tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons of flour and ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
Ø Baking powder – for each teaspoon of baking powder that you need, substitute ¼ teaspoon baking soda with ½ teaspoon cream of tartar and ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch.
Ø Brown sugar – for every cup of brown sugar needed, use white sugar 1:1 with 1 to 2 tablespoons of molasses added to it. Stir well with a fork.
Ø Red cooking wine – Mix1 cup of grape juice with 1 Tablespoon of strong tea and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar.
Living without dairy… cow’s milk in particular, can be an important health issue for many individual. I have had some familial problems with consuming dairy products, which is like sacrilege because I’m from Minnesota, which is a “dairy state’. My aunt and uncle ran a dairy farm. My second child was weaned at nine months and shortly thereafter he started having an ear infection about every four to six weeks. At the time I did not realize what was really happening. There would be a diagnosis, followed by antibiotics that would be taken for about ten days, and within two weeks he would start having symptoms again that indicated the illness had returned. A different doctor suggested I stop giving him dairy milk. This did the trick. He still ate pizza, ice cream etc., but instead of cow’s milk, he now had soy milk. Back then, a typical grocery store had very limited choices and availability of alternative products. My next child had a severe problem with dairy. As a nursing mother I had to not eat or drink anything that had cow’s milk in it or she was in pain with what is called colic. She has not outgrown that. It got better for a while in early childhood, but now she has to avoid all dairy products. When I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2002, people urged me to become a vegan and to give up sugar and wheat also. Meat, dairy, eggs, sugar and wheat are food categories that tend to cause internal inflammation. I couldn’t do it completely, because I found that I needed meat, eggs, and fish to satisfy my mental and emotional needs, as well as my nutritional ones. Dairy, however, was different. Maybe because I had done it before. Giving up dairy sounds formidable at first, but of the most common foods that people are sensitive to, dairy is the easiest to abstain from. Although it can make travel more challenging. I truly did notice I felt better when I stopped eating dairy products and have kept it up even though I have been cancer free since 2004. Most people follow the advice to drink lactose-free milk. That works for some people. If a person is no longer producing the enzyme lactase, then lactose-free milk will provide an easy solution. If lactose is not the only thing in the cow’s milk that is bothering that person though, it will not help. Something to be aware of and exercise caution about is the presence of whey in non-dairy products. Remember Little Miss Muffet, who sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey? Whey is a protein found in milk. Just a word to be wiser. Things like non-dairy whipped topping or non-dairy coffee creamer can still have dairy in them, and thus, can still cause digestive problems for those who are dairy-sensitive. In order to stop consuming dairy, you’ll need to look for dairy-free products. There is quite an abundance of choices and availability in our grocery stores these days compared to 2002, it is wonderful. Most dairy free products make a substitute milk that starts with nuts, like almonds, cashews, macadamia. There’s also coconut, oat, rice and soy milk. These beginner ingredients are crushed and mixed with water; the liquid is strained off no longer clear but “milk-like”, having the consistency of skim cow’s milk. They do not taste like cow’s milk, can’t even pretend to. The thing that helps makes them acceptable is that once you have sworn off cow’s milk, there is a need for something to pour over cereal, or to dip a cookie in or to mix with when baking. Cooking and baking are not a simple one to one transfer but with some experimentation it can be done. There are now several varieties of non-dairy ice cream options available. The best ones are made with the nuts that have a higher fat content. Macadamia, cashew and coconut based non-dairy frozen desserts are the most like “the real thing.” The same goes for imitation sour cream, coffee creamer, cream cheese, yogurt etc. There are two brands of whipped topping in the frozen food section of the grocery store, usually found by the ice cream and desserts. They are made with coconut that is substituted for cream. Non-dairy cheese is a challenge that I have yet to find a good replacement for. I have not found a nut-based sharp cheddar cheese that comes close to the real thing. Amy’s™ brand makes a non-dairy frozen pizza and the box tells you they figured out the crust had to be excellent and the pizza sauce superb to make up for not having the gooey strings of melted mozzarella cheese. I sometimes get a bag of shredded Italian mixed vegan cheese and my advice is to be sparing with it and to use your imagination. What I find is that if you have not had the real thing – as in real ice cream or real pizza – for a long time, the substitute version tastes pretty good. I won’t pretend that it comes close to the original, that should come as no surprise.
For me, feeling good is more important than the momentary pleasure enjoyed while eating it, but then feeling miserable for a long time. Speaking of a bad feeling… I tried not to join the hoard of people raising their prices but I see I will have to. Prices will be going up at the end of August.
