Healthy Recipes - Substitutions
Our editors try to be very meticulous when publishing recipes to substitute non-healthy foods with healthy ones; however, recipes with ingredients we do not recommend occasionally slide past us. We want to thank you for bringing those to our attention and are always so pleased to know that you are reading the newsletter. While we don't advocate any particular diet such as weight loss, diabetic, vegetarian, or low "fat", we most certainly advocate eating healthy, nutritious foods. One of the most important points we make is that cooking meals at home is paramount. We try to provide our readers, all of you, a wide variety of recipes to provide you with opportunities to broaden your food repertoire and to enjoy eating healthy foods.
We try to replace any incident of sugar with "raw, unprocessed sugar", but you can feel free to replace sugar with "honey", "molasses" or whatever natural sugar you wish. We try to replace all incidents of margarine/oleo with "butter." But, please excuse us if we let an occasional no-no foods slip past.
We also understand that some of you may be novices in the kitchen and may not know about how to substitute one food for another. So in lieu of healthy recipes this month we are providing some useful substitutions for you. We hope you find them useful.
We promise to have more yummy recipes in October.
| SALT SUBSTITUTIONS |
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| Keep the flavor without the burden of excess sodium by cutting back on condiments that contain salt and sodium, substituting herbs, spices or vinegars. When salt is used, grind fresh sea salt crystals.
A mistake some cooks make is to omit salt without adjusting for flavor loss. One teaspoon of salt contains about 2,000 milligrams of sodium, an amount close to the Dietary Guideline for an entire day (2,400 milligrams) for a healthy American. Cutting the salt in half on vegetables, meats and main-dish items is a reasonable start. Or, go for broke and omit all of the salt.
Either way, try these ideas for enhancing flavors: |
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| Add chopped fresh herbs. |
| Try using dried herbs. Rub them between your fingers to release the flavor-packed oils before adding them to recipes. |
| A splash of balsamic or another flavored vinegar can boost something that's ordinarily bland. |
| A sprinkle of ground spices such as cumin, chili powder, curry powder or cinnamon -- or a blend -- can enhance many dishes. Try these with sweet potatoes. |
| Squeeze fresh lime or lemon juice onto foods for a new flavor dimension. |
| Remember, dried herbs will retain their potency for about 6 months if stored in airtight containers at a cool room temperature. If your spice rack is displayed over the range and the bottles were a long-ago wedding gift, consider replacing them. |
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| Low Fat Substitutions for High Fat |
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| If you need to trim fat from your diet, you can still keep food exciting. Try these tips for replacing favorite, ingredients with lower-fat alternatives. |
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| Instead Of | Use
|
| 1 cup of butter in baking | 1 cup applesauce
|
| 8 ounces of cream cheese | 8 ounces of yogurt cheese
|
| 1 cup creme fraiche | 1 cup yogurt cheese made from low fat or nonfat yogurt
|
| 1 cup heavy cream (in recipes, not for whipping) | 2 teaspoons cornstarch or 1 tablespoon flour whisked into 1 cup nonfat milk
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| 1 cup sour cream | 1 cup low fat cottage cheese + 2 tablespoons skim milk + 1 tablespoon lemon juice
|
| 1 cup fat for sauteeing | 4 cups low fat stock, fruit juice or wine and sauté until liquid evaporates
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| 1 egg | 2 egg whites
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| 1 cup oil or fat for basting | 1 cup fruit juice or low fat stock |
| Herb Substitutions |
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| Instead Of | Use
|
| Basil | Oregano or thyme
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| Chervil | Tarragon or parsley
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| Chive | Green onion; onion; or leek
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| Cilantro | Parsley
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| Italian Seasoning | Blend of any of these: basil, oregano, rosemary, and ground red pepper
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| Marjoram | Basil; thyme; or savory
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| Mint | Basil; marjoram; or rosemary
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| Oregano | Thyme or basil
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| Parsley | Chervil or cilantro
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| Poultry Seasoning | Sage plus a blend of any of these: thyme, marjoram, savory, black pepper, and rosemary
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| Red Pepper | Dash bottled hot pepper sauce or black pepper
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| Rosemary | Thyme; tarragon; or savory
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| Sage | Poultry seasoning; savory; marjoram; or rosemary
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| Savory | Thyme; marjoram; or sage
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| Tarragon | Chervil; dash fennel seed; or dash aniseed
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| Thyme | Basil; marjoram; oregano; or savory |
| Spice Substitutions |
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| Instead Of | Use
|
| Allspice | Cinnamon; cassia; dash of nutmeg or mace; or dash of cloves
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| Aniseed | Fennel seed or a few drops anise extract
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| Cardamom | Ginger
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| Chili Powder | Dash bottled hot pepper sauce plus a combination of oregano and cumin
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| Cinnamon | Nutmeg or allspice (use only 1/4 of the amount)
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| Cloves | Allspice; cinnamon; or nutmeg
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| Cumin | Chili powder
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| Ginger | Allspice; cinnamon; mace; or nutmeg
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| Mace | Allspice; cinnamon; ginger; or nutmeg
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| Nutmeg | Cinnamon; ginger; or mace
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| Saffron | Dash turmeric (for color) |
| Other Common Substitutions |
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| Instead of | Qty | Use |
| Baking Powder | 1 tsp double acting | 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 cup buttermilk
|
| Baking Powder | 1 tsp double acting | 1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
|
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 1 Tbsp vinegar + sweet milk to make 1 cup
|
| Buttermilk | 1 cup | 2/3 cup plain yogurt + 1/3 cup sweet milk
|
| Chocolate | 1 ounce | 3 Tbsp cocoa + 1 Tbsp butter
|
| Corn Starch | 1 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp flour
|
| Cream | 1 cup | 1/2 cup butter + 3/4 cup milk
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| Egg | 1 whole | 2 egg yolks
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| Flour | 1 cup all purpose | 1 cup + 2 Tbsp cake flour
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| Flour | 1 cup cake flour | 7/8 cup all purpose flour
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| Flour | 1 cup self-rising flour | 1 cup flour (omit baking powder & salt)
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| Garlic | 1 small clove | 1/8 tsp garlic powder
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| Herbs | 1 Tbsp fresh | 1 tsp dried
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| Honey | 1 cup | 1 1/4 cups unprocessed, raw sugar + 1/4 cup liquid
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| Milk, fresh whole | 1 cup | 1 cup reconstituted dry milk + 2 tsp butter
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| Milk, whole | 1 cup | 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water
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| Milk, sour | 1 cup | 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar + sweet milk to make 1 cup
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| Minced Onion | 1 Tbsp, dehydrated | 1 small fresh onion
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| Molasses | 1 cup | 1 cup honey
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| Mustard, prepared | 1 Tbsp | 1 tsp dry mustard
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| Ricotta Cheese | 1 cup | 1 cup cottage cheese + 1 Tbsp skim milk
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| Sour Cream | 1 cup | 1 cup yogurt
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| Sugar, Brown | 1 cup | 3/4 cup unprocessed, raw sugar + 1/4 cup molasses
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| Yogurt | 1 cup | 1 cup buttermilk |
| Allergies |
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| Allergic to Milk, try | >Allergic to Eggs, try | Allergic to Wheat flour, try | Allergic to Chocolate, try |
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| Water | Commercial egg replacements, e.g. Ener-G Egg Replacer | Oat flour | Carob Powder
|
| Rice milk | Flax seed; for every egg white, use 1 tbsp of flax seed and 3 tbsp water | Rice Flour | |
| Almond milk | Tofu | Rye Flour | |
| Pecan milk | 1 Banana = 1 egg in cakes | Barley Flour | |
| Cashew milk | 2 tbsp potato starch = 1 egg | Teff Flour | |
| Brazil nut milk | 2 tbsp arrowroot powder = 1 egg | Buckwheat Flour | |
| Walnut milk | 2 tbsp water + 1 tbsp oil + 2 tsp baking powder | Quinoa Flour | |
| Fruit juice | For substituting up to 3 eggs: for each egg, use 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp liquid, and 1 tbsp vinegar | Amaranth Flour | |
| | Kamut Flour | |
| | Spelt Flour | |
| | Garbanzo Flour | |
| | Soy Flour | |
| Allergic to Corn, know that |
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| 1/2 cup honey = 1/2 cup light corn syrup
|
| 1/2 cup raw, unprocessed sugar + 2 tbsp water = 1/2 cup light corn syrup
|
| Arrowroot powder = cornstarch
|
| Tapioca powder = cornstarch |
| Sugar Substitutes |
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| Brown sugar
|
| Maple sugar
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| Maple syrup
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| Honey
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| Concentrated fruit juice
|
| Rice syrup
|
| Molasses
|
| Date sugar |
Posted September 2008
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