I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been inspired to try a new recipe only to realize that I’m missing a key ingredient (or worse yet, when I’ve already started cooking and mid-meal I realize I don’t have everything I need).  Of course, a trip to the market would fix that, but if you can utilize other ingredients that you already have on hand, it’s even better.  Some substitutions that I make are to use what I have on hand, but I make other substitutions to healthy things up a little.  Next time you’re in the kitchen and you realize you don’t have an ingredient, check to see if there’s a substitution before you had off to the grocery. 

(I don’t discuss spices in this post; for information on spices blends and spice substitutions, see here.) 

• Salt (on finished dishes):  Fresh squeezed lime juice or fresh minced parsley
• Dried Bread Crumbs:  Crushed potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, crackers, or cereal; coarsely ground oatmeal

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• Mayo:  Sour cream or plain Greek-style yogurt
• Ricotta Cheese:  Pureed dry cottage cheese
• Mascarpone Cheese:  Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese

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• Half and Half:  Equal parts heavy cream and whole milk
• Cream:  3/4 c whole milk + 1/4 c butter = 1 c cream
• Buttermilk:  1 c milk (low fat is fine) left to sit with either 2 tsp lemon juice or 1 tsp vinegar = 1 c buttermilk; or plain yogurt (1:1, buttermilk to yogurt)
• Beer or Wine (in soups, stews, and braised dishes):  Broth or water

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• Broth:  1 bouillon cube + 1 c boiling water = 1 c broth
• Dried Lemon Zest:  Pinch nutmeg
• Leek:  Scallion or chive

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• Shallot:  1 clove garlic, 1 small onion
• Egg:  1 TB ground flax seed soaked in 3 TB water = 1 egg
• Cornstarch:  Arrowroot (1:1, cornstarch to arrowroot) or flour (2:1, cornstarch to flour)
• Baking Powder:  1/4 tsp baking soda + 1/2 tsp cream of tartar = 1 tsp baking powder
• Self-Rising Flour:  1 c all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp salt = 1 c self-rising flour
• Brown Sugar:  1 c white sugar + 1-2 TB molasses = 1 c brown sugar

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• Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar:  1 c white sugar processed with 2 TB cornstarch until it becomes powdery
• Honey:  Maple syrup or agave nectar

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• Corn Syrup:  Honey or golden syrup
• Unsweetened Baking Chocolate:  3 TB unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 TB vegetable oil or shortening = 1 oz unsweetened chocolate

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• Oil (in baked goods):  Applesauce, apple butter, mashed banana, pureed avocado, pureed pumpkin, or yogurt