Swap-Friendly Recipes
We’ve all been there: a recipe that you’re dying to make calls for an ingredient that you don’t have. Maybe your grocery store shelves are sparse, or maybe you just don't want to waste emissions driving to the store again. Whatever your situation, every baker needs to stray from their original recipe at some point. In this post, I'll tell you all about my most substitute-friendly recipes.
vegan plum scones
Necessary ingredients: all-purpose flour or spelt flour, milk of choice, baking powder, salt, and coconut sugar or granulated cane sugar
Swappable ingredients: aquafaba, coconut oil, plums and lemon
Although the recipe will no longer be vegan with these changes, you can use 2 egg whites in place of the aquafaba and butter in place of the coconut oil. You can also use almost any fruit (including dried fruits or frozen fruits) instead of plums, and any citrus fruit juice, or even apple cider vinegar, instead of lemon juice.
kitchen sink spring pasta
Necessary ingredients: oil, pasta of choice, salt and pepper
Swappable ingredients: beets, radishes, asparagus, leafy greens, goat cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest
Any spring vegetables work well in this pasta, so don't feel confined to my combination of beets, radishes and asparagus. And if you don’t have leafy greens, feel free to omit them. You can also play around with different cheese and citrus combinations like blue cheese and grapefruit, parmesan and lemon or feta and orange. Just use your best judgment and your tastebuds before committing to a risky combo.
spring vegetable, mascarpone and harissa galette
Necessary ingredients: flour, butter, mascarpone, and salt
Swappable ingredients: asparagus, potatoes, fennel, radishes, lemon juice and zest, and harissa
For the dough, you can use any acid, like orange juice or apple cider vinegar, in place of the lemon juice. For the filling, you can flavor the mascarpone with any combination of your favorite herbs or spices instead of using lemon juice and harissa. And any spring vegetables work well in this galette as long as they add up to about 3 cups when chopped.
chai-spiced buckwheat granola
Necessary ingredient: vanilla extract and salt
Swappable ingredients: oats, groats, nuts, spices, coconut oil and egg whites
Granola is one of the most swap-friendly foods out there. You can easily replace the oats and buckwheat groats with other grains, like barley flakes, puffed kamut, millet or puffed amaranth. I opted for chai-spices and maple in this granola, but any combination of spices and sweeteners would do. And if you don’t have eggs, it’s no biggie — you can omit the egg whites entirely if you don't mind looser granola.
apple and sweet potato french toast bake
Necessary ingredients: milk of choice, at least 3 of the 7 eggs, vanilla extract and salt
Swappable ingredients: whole wheat bread, butter, sweet potatoes, apples, 4 of the 7 eggs and maple syrup
This recipe has tons of potential swaps. It calls for day-old whole wheat bread, but any loaf you have would work well here. The apples and sweet potatoes can also be swapped out for your favorite fruits, fresh or frozen. Instead of eggs, you can use flax eggs (a combo of 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons water) for up to 4 of the eggs. You can also use coconut oil in place of the butter and another sweetener, like honey, instead of maple syrup.
nutty banana bread
Necessary ingredients: whole wheat or white whole wheat flour, eggs, bananas, milk of choice, baking soda and salt
Swappable ingredients: coconut oil, maple syrup, almond extract, and nuts
You can replace the melted coconut oil with melted butter, vegetable oil, avocado oil or any other neutral oil. For the maple syrup, almost any sweetener, like granulated sugar or honey, can be used instead. The almond extract can also be swapped for vanilla, while the nuts can be omitted.
caramelized onion and parsnip frittata
Necessary ingredients: oil, eggs, milk of choice, salt and pepper
Swappable ingredients: onions, parsnips, parmesan and thyme
If you don't have onions or parsnips, any vegetables would be delicious in this frittata. You can also sub the parmesan for any other firm or semi-soft cheese, and the thyme for your favorite herb.
cozy roasted potatoes with tomatoes and greens
Necessary ingredients: canned or fresh tomatoes, oil, onion, oil, salt and pepper
Swappable ingredients: sweet potatoes, russet potatoes and kale
The original recipe calls for russet and sweet potatoes, but any root vegetable will do. Rutabagas, carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets and celery root are all great options. Just use about 4 pounds total of whatever root veg you can get your mitts on. For the kale, you can use any hearty green or omit it entirely. If you omit the greens, I recommend using a variety of root vegetables to give the dish more interest.
5-grain porridge with blueberry, peach and cardamom
Necessary ingredients: water, milk of choice and salt
Swappable ingredients: pearled barley, farro, steel-cut oats, polenta, buckwheat groats, rolled oats, cardamom pods, blueberries, peaches and maple syrup
This porridge was destined to be customized. You can swap all the grains for other grains. If you use thinner grains (like quick oats), you may have to reduce the water and cooking time slightly. If you use heartier grains (like barely or amaranth), you may have to crush them slightly more and increase the water and cooking time. Use the grains’ packaging as a guide and taste-test the porridge often to achieve your desired consistency. For the cardamom, fruit and syrup, you can use any combinations of spices, fruits and sweeteners.