Simple Substitutions!

So often we find ourselves in the middle of baking or cooking or just fussing in the kitchen only to realise we either we have forgotten something or can’t use a certain ingredient and we have to abort our little creation.  That in mind I have compiled a simple substitution list which may make those little mishaps a thing of the past!  Hope it helps

SUBSTITUTION CHART

Ingredient	Amount	Substitution
Baking powder	1 tsp	¼ tsp baking soda plus ½ tsp cream of tartar
Buttermilk	1 cup	1 cup plain yogurt or 1 tbsp vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup, or 1 tbsp lemon juice plus milk to equal 1 cup
Cake Flour	1 cup	1 cup minus 2 tbsp sifted all purpose flour
Chocolate	30grams	3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tbsp butter or margarine
Cornstarch	1 tbsp	2 tbsp all purpose flour
Corn syrup	2 cups	1 cup granulated sugar
Cream, light	1 cup	1 ½ tbsp butter plus whole milk to equal 1 cup
Cream, whipping or heavy	1 cup	½ cup butter plus whole milk to equal 1 cup
Egg, yolk	2 yolks	1 whole egg (can be used for baking but not for piecrust or a sauce)
Egg, whole	1 egg	2 egg yolks (for baking, 2 egg yolks plus 1 tbsp water) OR if just one egg short for a recipe substitute 1 tsp of cornstarch
Garlic	1 clove	1 tsp chopped garlic, ½ tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp garlic flakes = ¼ tsp granulated garlic, ½ tsp garlic juice
Herbs, fresh	1 tbsp	1 tsp dried herbs
Honey	1 cup	1 ¼ cups granulated sugar plus ¼ cup liquid
Lemon juice	1 tbsp	1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
Milk, skim	1 cup	1/3 cup nonfat dry milk plus ¾ cup water
Milk, whole	1 cup	½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water
Molasses	1 cup	¾ cup granulated sugar
Molasses	1 cup	1 cup light corn syrup (makes light coloring)
Mushrooms, fresh	1 punnet	370g canned mushrooms, drained
Mustard, dry	1 tsp	1 tbsp prepared mustard
Sour cream	1 cup	3 tbsp butter plus buttermilk or yogurt to equal 1 cup
Sugar, brown	1 cup	1 cup granulated sugar
Sugar, granulated	1 cup	1 ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar (do not substitute for baking)
Tomato juice	3 cups	1 ½ cups tomato sauce plus 1 ½ cups water or 85g tomato paste plus 3 cups water, dash salt and dash sugar
Tomato sauce	1 cup	85g tomato paste plus ½ cup water
Yogurt	1 cup	1 cup buttermilk

And on that note fellow foodies…..

Happy Cooking

Ingredient	Amount	Substitution
Baking powder	1 tsp	¼ tsp baking soda plus ½ tsp cream of tartar
Buttermilk	1 cup	1 cup plain yogurt or 1 tbsp vinegar plus milk to equal 1 cup, or 1 tbsp lemon juice plus milk to equal 1 cup
Cake Flour	1 cup	1 cup minus 2 tbsp sifted all purpose flour
Chocolate	30grams	3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa plus 1 tbsp butter or margarine
Cornstarch	1 tbsp	2 tbsp all purpose flour
Corn syrup	2 cups	1 cup granulated sugar
Cream, light	1 cup	1 ½ tbsp butter plus whole milk to equal 1 cup
Cream, whipping or heavy	1 cup	½ cup butter plus whole milk to equal 1 cup
Egg, yolk	2 yolks	1 whole egg (can be used for baking but not for piecrust or a sauce)
Egg, whole	1 egg	2 egg yolks (for baking, 2 egg yolks plus 1 tbsp water) OR if just one egg short for a recipe substitute 1 tsp of cornstarch
Garlic	1 clove	1 tsp chopped garlic, ½ tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp garlic flakes = ¼ tsp granulated garlic, ½ tsp garlic juice
Herbs, fresh	1 tbsp	1 tsp dried herbs
Honey	1 cup	1 ¼ cups granulated sugar plus ¼ cup liquid
Lemon juice	1 tbsp	1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
Milk, skim	1 cup	1/3 cup nonfat dry milk plus ¾ cup water
Milk, whole	1 cup	½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water
Molasses	1 cup	¾ cup granulated sugar
Molasses	1 cup	1 cup light corn syrup (makes light coloring)
Mushrooms, fresh	1 punnet	370g canned mushrooms, drained
Mustard, dry	1 tsp	1 tbsp prepared mustard
Sour cream	1 cup	3 tbsp butter plus buttermilk or yogurt to equal 1 cup
Sugar, brown	1 cup	1 cup granulated sugar
Sugar, granulated	1 cup	1 ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar (do not substitute for baking)
Tomato juice	3 cups	1 ½ cups tomato sauce plus 1 ½ cups water or 85g tomato paste plus 3 cups water, dash salt and dash sugar
Tomato sauce	1 cup	85g tomato paste plus ½ cup water
Yogurt	1 cup	1 cup buttermilk

Back 2 School!

As a mother of two children with vastly different tastes in food I often find myself staring blankly into my refrigerator with no idea on what to give them for lunch.   Having done a bit of research and obviously taking into consideration the amount of physical activity, focus in class as well as plain and simply whether or not they would enjoy the food I give them, I have come up with a few suggestions and what I find useful information.

Firstly the SANDWICH ON A STICK – *this novel idea is so much fun for the kids especially the ones who don’t enjoy eating!*

Ingredients:

Cold meats of choice

Cheese

Grape tomatoes

Pickles of choice

Olives

*really anything you know your child will enjoy*

Method:

Cut them into kebab size pieces, place onto the stick, ensure to send a small container of mayonnaise or pink sauce (mayo & tomato sauce mixed) and  voila!

LUNCH WRAPS – So versatile and light as well as a healthy alternative to bread!

This is one of my favourites, purely because all you need is salad greens, cold meat / cold chicken/ savoury mince / tuna, some mayo and grated cheese and wrap away!  The kids absolutely love this change in their lunches, its healthy and you can disguise the greens which makes it that much easier for them to munch!

MINI PIZZA

To make this easier moms & dads, all you need to do is buy ready made dough from your local spar / pick n pay, then roll it out, using a tomato and onion mix with a bit of fruity chutney some cheese, ham and pineapple, pop it in the oven for about 15min and you’re done.

Some other topping ideas:

Savoury mince

Chicken

Bacon & banana

CHICKEN / FISH BITES & DIP

Again this is so awesome for the kids for lunch and can be served with carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, a pasta salad.  What’s more is you are able to make a whole lot of them on a Sunday evening and freeze them, then whip out the required amount or even a mixture of them for school on the morning!  Easy, healthy, and enjoyable!

For the Bites you will need:

Chicken or Fish cut into 4cm chunks

flour for dusting

egg for dipping

bread crumbs *I like to either make my own with some spices or use the Kelloggs crumbs with herbs*

Then dust the chicken in flour dip into egg and then into the crumbs.

Deep fry till golden brown, leave on paper towel to remove excess oil and they are ready to serve!  For freezing do not cook, dust dip and crumb then place into a freezer bag till required.

MINI PIES

No pastry is not the healthiest option, however with a homemade filling with no preservatives these little pies are fantastic for lunch!

What you need is:

2 Rolls Puff Pastry

Filling of your choice eg:  Chicken and Veg / savoury mince / chicken and mushroom / spinach and feta / beef stew

1 Muffin pan

Mini foil pie cases

Then roll out your pastry, cut out the base for the casings, place the pastry base in the casings fill 1/2 way with filling cover with pastry.  Ensure to poke a fork in the top to allow the steam to escape, brush with egg and bake for about 20min on 180 degrees.

These are also awesome to make ahead of time and freeze till required!

MINI QUICHE

Start with 3 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 1/4 cups Half and Half or Heavy Cream. Whisk these together and add Coarse  Salt and fresh Ground Pepper to taste. From there you simply add the desired filling of choice to 40 baked tiny tartlet shells and pour in a small amount of the above egg mix. Place the tiny tartlet shells on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until the egg mixture is set. Usually about 8 minutes.

Great fillings are:

Ham & Cheese

Chicken

Mushroom & bacon

Butternut & Feta

Spinach & Feta

ADDED EXTRAS!

Try filling your child’s lunch boxes with the “healthy stuff” rather than sweets and cakes.  Some great options are the following:

Dried fruit

Fruit

Healthy Muffins

Vegetable sticks

Nuts

Biltong / Dried Wors

Yoghurt

Happy Cooking!

PS: send me any ideas or recipes that you would like posted

Tickle the tastebuds with these fantastic starters…

Stuck for what to make as a starter?  These awesome ideas will tickle your tastebuds and add that WOW factor to your dinner party!

First up we have the old time favourite:

Salmon Mousse

1 envelope (15 ml) gelatine
4 T (60 ml) cold water
½ cup (125 ml) boiling water
1 x 220g tin pink salmon, skin and big bones removed but retaining juices
½ packet (100 ml) Tomato and Chilli Sauce (use the remaining sauce as a garnish)
½ cup (125 ml) grated cucumber, peeled
1 T (15 ml) lemon juice
1 T (15 ml) fish paste
1 cup (250 ml) fresh cream
2 t (10 ml) Lemon & Black Pepper seasoning to taste

GARNISH
Olive oil
Remaining Tomato and Chilli Ready to Serve Sauce
100g Salmon trout ribbons
Onion sprouts
Dill or fennel

To Make:

Sprinkle the dry gelatine powder over the cold water. Leave to sponge. Then add the gelatine sponge to the boiling water and stir gently until dissolved. Mix all the ingredients except the cream and Lemon & Black Pepper seasoning in a food processor or liquidizer until smooth. Stir and chill over ice water until beginning to set. Whip the cream and fold lightly into the mousse. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Using a brush, oil the mould lightly with Olive Oil or Canola Oil. Pour the mousse mixture into the mould/s. Allow to set in the refrigerator overnight.  When ready to serve, turn out onto your plate garnish and voila!  Another great tip I love to do is simply set the mousse in a normal bowl, then serve on savoury biscuits with cucumber, dill and a dash of squeezed lemon!

This next starter is a little different but if you love good cheese and good venison then its an absolute must try!

Halloumi and Smoked Venison

What you need:

1 pack Halloumi cheese
100g Rannoch Smokery Cold Smoked Venison
1 ripe pear
basil leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

• Cut the cheese into 12 slices and place a slice of pear as well as a basil leaf on each slice and wrap in a slice of smoked venison.  Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, some shredded basil and a good grind of black pepper in a bowl.  Brush the wrapped halloumi slices with the dressing and cook under a hot grill, turning at least once and basting as they cook.  Cook until golden and serve with lemon wedges and basil garnish.

Another winning starter is crostini elegantly placed on the table so that guests may nibble as they like.  Not to mention the flavour toppings you are able to come up with!

What you need is the following

• 1 loaf of ciabatta bread, cut into 1cm/½ inch slices
• 1 large clove of
garlic, peeled and cut in half
• good-quality extra virgin olive oil

Then for the topping you can literally go buck wild!  Have fun with colours, flavours, herbs – just talking about it gets me all excited!

A few examples I have tried are the following:

From Jamie Oliver – Absolutely d’vine!

Prosciutto, Figs, and Mint

Get yourself six large ripe figs, 12 slices of prosciutto, and a small bunch of fresh mint. Tear the figs in half, then drape a piece of prosciutto over each of your hot crostini and squash a piece of fig on top.  Finish with mint leaves and serve drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil, a drop of balsamic vinegar, and some freshly ground black pepper.

Cream Cheese, Capers, Smoked Salmon and Dill (one of my fav!)

Roasted Peppers, aubergines, whole garlic drizzled with olive oil.

A good cream cheese with homemade pesto (another fav)

You really can have fun with these and just see what you enjoy and what goes well together.

Well on that note I’m officially starving!  Bon appetit!