Most substitutions that are of the same food category are pretty decent. For example, yogurt instead of sour cream or buttermilk, soured milk (regular milk + lemon juice) instead of buttermilk, low fat milk instead of whole milk, milk and butter instead of half and half, etc.
There are some substitutions of dissimilar categories that work pretty well, such as apple sauce, tofu, or yogurt in place of vegetable oil in baked desserts.
There is a substitution, however, for lemon juice which calls for an equal amount of vinegar. I'm sure that the type of vinegar used impacts the taste quite a lot. I tried a more mild tasting vinegar (apple cider vinegar) as a substitute and well, the eggplant dip which relies on lemon juice to marry the flavors of the eggplant and tahini together came out tasting terrible.
Note to future self: do not use vinegar in place of lemon juice when making baba ganoush. Ugh, what a disaster.
Pumpkin Potage
"Potage (from Old French pottage; "potted dish") is a category of thick soups, stews, or porridges, in some of which meat and vegetables are boiled together with water until they form into a thick mush." --Wikipedia
This recipe comes from the Cooking with Dog video series on YouTube. It can be made in just under an hour, prep and cooking time; and it is really easy to make. I used a whole kabocha squash that was just under a pound. I also used turkey broth since it was available that day; you can also use chicken broth, water + a chicken bouillon cube, or vegetable stock.
Also called: kabocha squash soup
Ingredients
One medium kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and diced
One yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 c. broth
3/4 c. whole organic milk
2-3 tbsp heavy cream
Directions
1. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Carefully peel the green rind from the kabocha squash using a sharp knife and vegetable peeler. Cut squash into chunks.
2. In a skillet, add butter, onions, and squash. Sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are about to caramelize. Add broth and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
3. When the squash is fork-tender, use an immersion blender to blend the squash and onion into a thick mixture. Add milk. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Bring potage up to a boil over medium heat. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream.
Serve while hot.
This recipe comes from the Cooking with Dog video series on YouTube. It can be made in just under an hour, prep and cooking time; and it is really easy to make. I used a whole kabocha squash that was just under a pound. I also used turkey broth since it was available that day; you can also use chicken broth, water + a chicken bouillon cube, or vegetable stock.
Also called: kabocha squash soup
Ingredients
One medium kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and diced
One yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tbsp unsalted butter
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 c. broth
3/4 c. whole organic milk
2-3 tbsp heavy cream
Directions
1. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Carefully peel the green rind from the kabocha squash using a sharp knife and vegetable peeler. Cut squash into chunks.
2. In a skillet, add butter, onions, and squash. Sauté over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are about to caramelize. Add broth and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
3. When the squash is fork-tender, use an immersion blender to blend the squash and onion into a thick mixture. Add milk. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Bring potage up to a boil over medium heat. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from heat and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream.
Serve while hot.
Sun-dried tomato hummus (without tahini)
Ever since I tried making hummus from scratch (a culinary disaster), I have avoided the chickpea (commonly referred to as the garbanzo bean). That is, until now. This variant of hummus uses sun-dried tomatoes as its flavoring agent instead of ground sesame seeds. The recipe makes roughly two cups of hummus. It is almost enough for a standalone appetizer for a potluck. The ingredient ratio can be halved or doubled.
Use with: fresh pita bread or crackers
Ingredients
2 cans (15 oz each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
juice from 2 small lemons (about 1/3 cup)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. In a food prep: blend together garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
2. Add garbanzo beans and run the food prep until no bean chunks are visible.
3. Empty puréed mixture into a bowl suitable for dipping chips, crackers, or pita wedges. Can garnish (optional) with finely chopped fresh parsley, paprika, and/or a drizzle of olive oil.
Use with: fresh pita bread or crackers
Ingredients
2 cans (15 oz each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2-3 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
juice from 2 small lemons (about 1/3 cup)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
1. In a food prep: blend together garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
2. Add garbanzo beans and run the food prep until no bean chunks are visible.
3. Empty puréed mixture into a bowl suitable for dipping chips, crackers, or pita wedges. Can garnish (optional) with finely chopped fresh parsley, paprika, and/or a drizzle of olive oil.
Sun-dried tomato spread
Made this one up as I was adding ingredients to a mini food prep. Some days I just want to eat chicken cold cuts with a sauce other than the one that soy sauce-based one I normally use. I used a lightly seasoned rice wine vinegar because it's not as sharp-tasting as balsamic vinegar. Anyhow, this came out tasting really good and now I'm finishing it off with those multi-seed flatbread crackers from Trader Joe's.
Ingredients
4 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh thyme leaves (1 sprig)
fresh rosemary leaves (about 1 tsp)
Directions
In a mini foodprep, pulse together all ingredients until tomatoes are finely chopped and blended.
Ingredients
4 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
fresh thyme leaves (1 sprig)
fresh rosemary leaves (about 1 tsp)
Directions
In a mini foodprep, pulse together all ingredients until tomatoes are finely chopped and blended.
Rosemary Vinaigrette
Ingredients
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 oz olive oil (6 tbsp)
Directions
Combine lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, mustard, and rosemary in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 oz olive oil (6 tbsp)
Directions
Combine lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, mustard, and rosemary in a bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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