It’s crucial to make informed choices when it comes to our well-being. The decision to buy organic may cost a bit more, but you are making an investment in your health, that of your family, and the environment.
Interacting with hundreds of students regularly has helped me understand the challenges that allergies and dietary intolerances impose on the home cook when planning a meal that needs to accommodate the whole family. The recipe codes here are provided at the top of each recipe to help you quickly know whether that recipe fits your needs. That said, whenever possible, for the recipes in this book I have provided substitutions for several common allergens, such as gluten and dairy, and for dietary preferences, such as vegetarian or vegan.
I have been asked for a substitution for literally every single ingredient I have ever used from the most common allergens, including gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, and eggs, to seemingly innocuous foods, such as olive oil and peaches. I am very aware that there are many people who need to know basic substitutions due to intolerances, but it’s good to know these swaps in the event you are out of something.
Butter. Butter does add a unique flavor to recipes and helps to promote browning. But if you are dairy-free, you can use unrefined virgin coconut oil or vegan organic butter, such as Earth Balance, in any recipe. Keep in mind that coconut oil may impart a slight coconut flavor to the recipe. Earth Balance contains some salt, so you may consider reducing the salt slightly in the recipe.
Buttermilk. I do like using buttermilk occasionally since it provides acidity that helps keep such things as pancakes and muffins tender, and can lend creaminess and tang to some salad dressings.
1 cup of buttermilk
Swap: ½ cup of plain, unsweetened whole yogurt (dairy or nondairy) + ½ cup of milk (dairy or nondairy)
or 1 cup of plain, unsweetened kefir
or place 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar in a 1-cup measuring cup and add dairy or nondairy milk to make 1 cup
Egg. Eggs that are used as a binder in baked goods or to add leavening can go with these substitutes:
1 egg
Swap: 1 flax or chia egg: 1 tablespoon of flax meal or ground chia seeds + 3 tablespoons of warm water
In a small bowl, combine the chia seeds or flax meal with the water and stir. Let the mixture sit and stir it occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture has the consistency of a raw egg white.
Or swap: aquafaba (a.k.a. liquid from cooked white beans or chickpeas—the thicker, the better)
Use 3 tablespoons of liquid for each whole egg, 2 tablespoons for each egg white, and 1 tablespoon for each egg yolk.
In the case of actual eggs in a frittata or a scramble, there are substitutes for that, too:
For every 2 eggs, sub 7 ounces of extra-firm tofu, preferably organic and sprouted
+ 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast + ¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric
For 1 egg in custard or in the cheesecake recipe, swap ¼ cup of silken tofu, pureed.
Flour. Flours, such as wheat or spelt, are used in baking, for pancakes and waffles, or for coating meats, just to name a few examples. If you have a gluten-free flour blend that you find consistently works one for one in place of gluten flours, it should work in the recipes in this book.
1 cup of gluten flour, such as wheat
To make a recipe gluten-free, I recommend substituting 1 cup of King Arthur Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Flour for the original flour. I also recommend adding xanthan gum. Xanthan gum mimics the elasticity of gluten and will help provide structure to your batter. Refer to the package instructions for how much xanthan gum to add per cup of flour because it varies according to what you are making. You do not need to add xanthan gum to gluten-free pancake or waffle batter, or if the flour is being used to thicken a pie or for dredging meat.
If you are wheat-intolerant, but not gluten-free, you can substitute spelt flour one for one for wheat flour. The only exception is pancake batter, which can take about ⅞ cup of spelt flour for 1 cup of wheat flour.
If a recipe calls for oat flour, you may use a gluten-free oat flour.
You cannot substitute a nut flour or coconut flour for a grain flour.
Honey. Honey is not vegan nor should it be given to babies under the age of twelve months because it can cause a rare type of botulism (food poisoning). Maple syrup may be substituted in equal amounts in any recipe in this book.
Milk. Nut or seed milks can be substituted for dairy milk in any recipe in this book. You may also substitute half culinary coconut milk and half nut milk for dairy milk. See specific substitution suggestions for buttermilk.
Nuts. If you have a nut allergy and a recipe contains nuts, you have a couple of options. With respect to any recipe in the Salad or Vegetable chapter, you can either omit the nuts altogether or substitute seeds such as pumpkin or sesame seeds, or crunchy chickpeas. For pesto recipes, replace nuts one for one with sunflower seeds.
If you are allergic to a specific nut, feel free to substitute another nut in its place.
Almond extract may be omitted in every recipe.
Red Pepper Flakes, Cayenne, Hot Sauce, Sriracha, or Fresh Chiles. If you cannot tolerate any heat or spiciness, just omit any of the above, or reduce the amount. They are not equal in terms of heat level, so you cannot substitute them one for one with each other.
Shoyu/Soy Sauce. Gluten-free tamari can be substituted one for one for shoyu if you are trying to avoid wheat. If you are trying to avoid soy, you can substitute coconut aminos one for one.