All In Good Taste / May 2006
Substitutions Allowed
Some times, like when there’s a class reunion on the horizon, every calorie counts.
To squeeze excess ounces from a recipe, substitutions may be in order. If the recipe calls for bacon (ninety calories a strip), consider using Canadian bacon, turkey bacon or lean ham. Exchange butter with reduced-calorie margarine or margarine made with safflower, soybean, corn, canola, or peanut oil.
Rather than an ounce of unsweetened chocolate in the cake, (no one gives up cake), try three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa plus one tablespoon of margarine instead. And, sacrifice the fudge sauce and grab a bottle of lowfat chocolate syrup for topping.
For the ubiquitous cream cheese recipes that are the basis of virtually all appetizers in the universe, try nonfat or light processed cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese. Use yogurt instead of sour cream for the dip.
When the recipe calls for an egg, try a quarter cup of egg substitute or two egg whites instead. Keep only nonfat or lowfat frozen yogurt, sherbet or sorbet in the freezer instead of ice cream. Instead of whipped cream, chill a 13 ounce can of evaporated milk for twelve hours. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and whip until stiff.
Exchange ground beef for ground turkey. Toss in a couple beef bouillon cubes to add flavor.
Try safflower, soybean, corn, canola, or peanut oil in reduced amounts and use them in place of shortening reduced in amount by one third
Some substitutions won’t help the calorie count, but they can give the process a more cosmopolitan air. In a pinch or a fit of pique, the creative cook can use brandy instead of vanilla extract and Amaretto instead of almond extract.
And when it isn’t the calories being counted but the time it will take to go to the store, substitute honey for the corn syrup that isn’t in the pantry. If the brown sugar has turned to rock or vapor, use a cup of granulated sugar with one tablespoon of molasses. For a recipe that calls for buttermilk, take one cup out of a mixture of one cup of plain yogurt or sour cream with 1⁄4 cup skim milk. If the can of Cream of Tartar has petrified, use 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of lemon juice for every 1⁄2 teaspoon in the recipe.
*And if the recipe demands wine and there’s none in the cellar, use 1⁄4 cup of wine vinegar (red or white wine vinegar depending on what the recipe calls for) mixed with one tablespoon of sugar and 1⁄4 cup of water.
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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