ALTERNATIVES FOR FANCY PANTS INGREDIENTS .(1)

Here are some easily accessible substitutions with day to day ingredients and ways to make simple ingredients rather than buying them. 1. Always buy generic brands. 2.Bacon is a great substitute for ham, smoked sausage or pancetta. 3.Breadcrumbs , these are easy to make . If you only have fresh bread, place slices of bread in a preheated oven 180 deg C for 15 minutes, then tear up the dried slices and pulse in the procesor. Cornflakes and rice bubbles can be crushed up. Rolled oats can be processed to a fine crumb. Also use crushed potato chips , crushed dry crackers, desiccated coconut, finely crushed nuts. 4.An obvious substitue for butter is margarine. 5.If a recipe requires buttermilk, mix 1 cup of milk with 1 dsp of lemon juice or vinegar. 6.Cauliflower is a great substitute for brocoli in texture, flavour and vitamins. 7.Coconut , flaked , dried or shredded is a great substitute for fresh coconut . 8.You can make your own condensed milk by combining 1 cup of powdered milk with 3/4 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix well until well combined and store in the refrigerator, this makes the equivalent of 1 x 395 gm can of condensed milk. 9.Cream can be replaced with evaporated milk, thickened with a little cornflour. Another substitute for cream is 3:1 ratio of full cream milk and butter/marg. Other cream replacements could be, sour cream, Greek yoghurt, cream cheese. 10.Cream cheese can be substituted with cottage cheese or ricotta and can be beaten to desired texture. 11.Eggs can be substituted with 1 tbs of custard powder (per egg)or 1 small mashed banana in sweet recipes. For savoury dishes substitute eggs with 2 tbs of cornflour ( per egg), chia seeds are a great substitute for eggs in either sweet or savoury dishes .( Combine 1 tbs of chia seeds in 1 cup of water and let it sit for 15 minutes, this makes a perfect 1:1 egg ratio ). 12.You can substitute evaporated milk with light cream. 13.Fresh garlic / ginger can be substituted with a dry powder or in a minced form. 14.Honey can be substituted with golden syrup , treacle or molasses. 15.Fresh herbs can be substituted with dry or packaged herbs. 16.Substitute mayonannaise with sour cream of plain yoghurt.