Substitution Ideas (Gluten, Milk, Shortening, Sugar, Butter, Flour, Etc.)...

I never follow a recipe to a "T". I experiment and I substitute not only to be healthier, but for what I have in my cupboard, and for my food intolerance issues!

For sugar:

• I'll use the same amount of Splenda in substitution for Sugar.
• You can substitute honey or agave nectar for about 1/2 or more of what it says for sugar.
• Other people have suggested applesauce (but I have yet to try this method).
• For brown sugar: I'll use Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

For Shortening:

• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil , personally I like organic but doesn't need to be (this does not go rancid, it is healthy for you, anti-bacterial/microbial/anti-yeast properties in it, works much like shortening, tastes good (with a light taste), it has good oil for you, rather than say vegetable shortening). Coconut oil works GREAT in cookies and pie crusts (like a graham-type crust, but I make it with almond flour).

For soups:

• Try coconut milk. Trader Joe's carries it by the can for a great price. I like 100% pure, sometimes they add guar gum or something to them. Preference for full fat, for the good oil in it. Makes great lemon/thai soups (recipe soon), curry/coconut soups and so on.

Instead of a Graham-Crust Pie Crust: (For gluten-free eaters):

• Make it with Almond Flour (see below under "flour" for a quick recipe).

Instead of Peanut Butter:

• Try Cashew or Almond Butter (or Macadamia Nut Butter). You can get these at Trader Joe's for a good price, or you can put these nuts in a blender with or without some added sea salt and with or without added oil and grind up, it makes peanut butter (stir often in blender).

For Crunch on Salads:

• Try Broken up Tamari Rice Crackers (from Trader Joe's or other grocery store) Or their Flax Seed Rice Crackers.
• Try making your own croutons with brown rice bread (Trader Joe's is the cheapest).
• Sunflower Seeds.
• Pecan Pieces (are awesome on salads!).
• Organic corn chips, crunched up (in a pinch, they are not entirely totally healthy, but a good substitute).
• Macadamia nuts crunched up.
• Walnut pieces.
• Crunchy gluten-free crackers with flax (I forget the name at this time, but they do have lots of these wafer type crackers).

In place of FLOUR:

• Almond flour. This works good in place of Graham crusts (try mixing melted extra virgin coconut oil with splenda, dash of sea salt and almond flour and pack like a crust).

In place of milk for cooking or baking (or drinking/over cereal):

• Vanilla Rice Milk (also rice milk), fortified, sometimes there are organic versions. Works well in cooking say macaroni and stuff (the regular, not vanilla). Good over cereal and in oatmeal. Keep on hand at all times.
• Almond milk, or vanilla almond milk. Great for cornbread muffins or cornbread. Great for baking, period.
• There is also hazelnut milk, I prefer almond, though. I keep on hand at all times.
• Hemp milk: has great omegas in them, tastes good and has amino acids, protein, good fats and carbs! Great to drink, but not sure about cooking/baking.
• Skip the soy milk (too allergenic, and too many hormone disruptors in it), plus it doesn't cook/bake as well. Skip oatmeal milk, too, it's not very good. They also have cashew milk (?) and dairy-free replacer milks which all that is is cashew, mixed with almond milk.
• Coconut milk is good to keep on hand...for some thai-type meals or asian-inspired. Or pineapple/type meals/drinks.

Eggs:

• To skip all the cholesterol and fat, try 100% pure egg white beaters without fillers.

Flours:

• Almond flour (ground) you can do yourself in blender (be careful not to overblend or you get almond butter). Or Trader Joe's sells this for a very nice price! You can make cookies with it, and lots of goodies (just google almond flour recipes!).
• Gluten-free flour blend (without soy flour in it). Great for baking, breads and so on.
• Gluten-free bread making blends (for bread machines, or by hand).
• Gluten-free pizza dough blends (or find recipe that works for you).
• Brown rice flour
• Masa Flour (I've made handmade corndogs out of this) it is a form of corn flour. Think tamales!
• Pancake gluten-free flour mix. Great to have on hand to make pancakes, biscuits and/or waffles.
• Cornbread muffin (gluten-free) mix.
• I like to have gluten-free brownie and cookie mixes on hand, and/or cake mixes (and frosting mixes). But you can find all these ingredients from scratch, too.

Sour Cream or Cream Cheese:

• Greek yogurt or greek yogurt cheese at Trader Joe's (or there are recipes to make your own on the 'net). Thicker one: Greek yogurt Cheese for Cream Cheese.
• Try making waldorf apple/pear/cranberry salad with greek yogurt and walnuts. You can use ranch dip to mix in with greek yogurt for veggies (very good by the way), I mix in Organic Taco Mix with Greek yogurt, for topping on tacos and taco salads. Try with crepes (use splenda to sweeten).

For salt:

• Sea Salt
• Celtic Sea Salt
• Himalayan or Himalayan Pink Salt
• Blue Kalamath Salt/Ancient Sea Salt
• Pink Salt or Crystal Salt
• But SKIP the regular table salt!!!

For Broth:

• Skip broth because of many reasons: msg, salt, yeast (which made from soy really disrupts hormones), so a good substitute is some vegetable broth (organic) without the added yeast. Mushroom broth makes awesome soups if you love mushrooms! Vegetable broth is VERY tasty. And if you must, if you make some sort of meat or chicken (boil) then save the broth with garlic, sea salt and pepper in a container in the freezer for later use. Sometimes I will use an organic over the counter type of broth (msg-free), but it still isn't as healthy as homemade. Bone marrow from the chicken and beef (that makes broth) is excellent for health.

For Butter:

• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (great for shortening replacer).
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I use this ALL the time for baking, and it is good. Makes gooey gluten-free brownies and moist cornbread).
• Soft butter blend (canola oil mixed with butter, or olive oil mixed with butter).
• 100% whipped butter, no additives. Adds fluff, but less calories, and less weird ingredients.

For Chocolate:

• 100% dark cocoa powder mixed with Splenda

I still haven't figured out a substitute for cream for "Clam Chowder" or "Creamy Tomato Bisque" or other soups like Cream of mushroom/broccoli. And I have more ideas, I can't think of them all at this time, I'll add them later : )