Thursday, January 19, 2012

Healthy Substitutions

At That's Vegetarian we are encouraging healthy eating and one way is to incorporate one vegetarian meal a week. Another way is to use substitutions to lower the fat and cholesterol in recipes.

Here is a list of some common that you can substitute with healthier and/or vegan alternatives.

Calls For
Substitution
Beer (1c)
Mushroom stock for heavy beer (1c)
Non alcoholic beer (1c)
Vegetable stock or ginger ale for lighter beer (1c)
Butter (1c)
Avocado (1c) (In baked goods, substitute 1/2 the amount of butter, plus reduce temperature by 25% and Increase baking time)**
Margarine (1c)
Vegan butter (1c)
Vegetable oil (3/4c)
Buttermilk (1c)
Soymilk (1c) + lemon juice (2T), let sit 5 minutes
Egg (1)
Leavening
Apple cider vinegar (1T) + Warm Water (1T)
Baking powder (1T) + Oil (1T) + Warm water (1T)
Baking powder (1T)
Soymilk (1/4c) + Lemon juice (1T)
Egg (1)
Binding
Applesauce, pureed banana, squash or pumpkin (1/4c)
Avocado (2T – 1/4c) (Good for custards)
Ground flax seed (1T) + Water (1/4c), let sit for 5 minutes.
Pureed tofu (3T) + Cornstarch (2T) (Good for quiches and custard pies.)
Gelatin – powdered (1T)***
Agar-agar  (2t) (Seaweed)  (See package for instructions)
Arrowroot (Tuber)                                       Carrageen (Seaweed)
Guar gum (from East Indian seed)             Kudzu (Tuber)
Pectin (Plant walls)                                     Xanthan gum (from corn)
Ground Beef (4oz)
Tofu (4oz) – frozen then thawed, squeeze water out and crumble
Heavy Cream (1c)
Evaporated milk (1c)
Mayonnaise (1t)
Avocado (1t)
Milk – Whole (1c)
Fat-free/nonfat/skim milk (1c) + unsaturated oil such as safflower or canola (1T)
Milk (1c)
Soy, almond, or coconut milk (1c)
Oil (1c)
Applesauce/fruit puree (1c)
Ricotta cheese (1c)
Mashed soft or silken tofu (1c) + lemon juice (1/4t)
Sour cream
Avocado                         Fat free sour cream or plain yogurt
Sugar
In most recipes, you can reduce the sugar by 25% with minimal effect. Add fruit – banana, raisins, cranberries, apple sauce, and prunes for a more natural source of sweetness.  Use fruit zest or vanilla for extra flavor.
Stevia or Splenda (Follow the instructions on the package)
Honey               Molasses             Brown Sugar
Wine (1c)
Fruit juice mixed (1c) + 2 t vinegar                   Non alcoholic wine (1c)
Vegetable or mushroom broth (1c)                   Water (1c)                                                        


Read more:
**http://www.californiaavocadosdirect.com/13/use-avocado-as-a-healthy-butter-substitute.aspx
***Follow the instructions on the package.  This link helps guide which substitution you should use based upon what you are creating: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Gelatin-Substitutes-for-Vegetarians
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/resources/ingredient_sub_list/
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/low-sugar-baking-tips.htm