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My Go-to Substitution List

After a discussion this weekend with a friend about food substitutions and alternatives for gluten free, lactose free and soy free food lovers, I got a chance to put together this personal list.

Living in a part of the world where food insensitivities are understood is truly a blessing. It has made dealing with these so much more tolerable, almost makes me feel "normal" :)

1) Earth Balance vegan soy free salted butter

Remember the pink box! This is almost like real butter, and is amazing for baking, spreads, cooking.

2) Daiya Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

This one goes so well as a cheese alternative. A popular item in our chili cheese dosas and chili cheese toasts among other things.

They also have "cheddar" shreds.

It is also available as the "vegan" cheese option in many pizza places around town. So thankful!

3) Nutritional yeast

Another cheese alternative to use in soups and other recipes you can find online. I have made yummy broccoli cheese soup with this a few times.

I typically pick up about 2 fists full at the bulk section of the grocery store.

4) Udi's gluten/dairy/soy free breads, rolls and hamburgers (freezer section)

Watch out as they do contain eggs.

The buns are the best and taste quite close to regular. The bread slices are on the smaller side but they are pretty good as well for sandwiches.

5) So Delicious cashew milk ice cream

Love their chocolate and salted caramel cluster pints, as well as their choco bar. A bit on the sweeter side but sooo good.

7) Namaste organic gluten free flour blend

This is perfect for making flat breads (tortillas, Indian rotis, etc), baking, soup thickeners and what not. Tastes delicious, especially if you have had to miss out on your favorite breads in the past.

Find it online (on Amazon or elsewhere)

8) Tinkyada brown rice pasta

Whether I'm craving Italian or Thai-style pasta, whether it's spaghetti or penne, this is the one that works best.

9) A Taste of Thai peanut sauce mix

If craving the above-mentioned Thai-style pasta, this is the companion spice mix which is mindblowing when combined with a big squeeze of Sriracha sauce and a cilantro garnish. Drool!

10) Coconut milk

A great base for soups, sauces and curries. Useful for both Indian and Asian food substitutions.

11) Lara bars (various flavors)

With just a few natural ingredients like cashews, dates, cocoa this is an awesome snack to carry around whether I'm traveling or need a backup plan when on the move and no options for an allergen-free meal.

12) Mission gluten free white corn/yellow corn tortillas

Works great for tacos, of course, and even substitutes for Indian rotis to eat with Indian side dishes in a pinch.

13) Glutenfreeda instant oatmeal

Tastes delicious with lactose free or any dairy free milk.

14) Lotus Organic Millet and Brown Rice ramen noodles

If you are missing out on Indian Maggi noodles or ramen noodles, this is the go to brand for some slurpy delicious awesomeness.

Will keep updating this list as and when I find new must-haves and favorites.

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Thai Vegetarian Red Curry Fried Rice (Version #2)

Alright, my old recipe for this still tastes great, but I just put together this new version today.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 45 minutes

What you’ll need

basmati rice - 1.5 cups (Jasmine rice should be ok too)

red onion - 1 medium-sized

garlic - 1 clove sliced thin

vegetables - 3.5 cups (a combination of carrots, green beans, broccoli, red peppers, a handful of peas)

thai basil leaves - 1 cup, torn up and packed

coconut milk - 1 and a 1/4 cans worth (I used the lite coconut milk by Thai Kitchen)

Thai Kitchen red curry paste - 3-4 tsp

Sriracha hot sauce - 4 tsp (optionally can be left to serve on the side)

salt - to taste

brown or regular sugar - 2tsp or to taste (optional)

oil - 3-4 tsp

What to do

1. While you get the curry going, pressure cook the rice separately with some salt, a tiny bit of oil and 1:1.5 ratio of water. Let it cool on a plate or whatever is your favorite way to get grains separated. 

2. Get a large-ish pan started and saute the garlic slices, followed by the onions in cooking oil. 

3. Once the onions turn pink, add the rest of the vegetables and saute until they are half cooked. 

4. Now add the coconut milk into the pan. Once it starts bubbling up a bit, add the red curry paste as well as the basil leaves. The curry paste lends the rich reddish color to the gravy and looks amazing :) 

5. Add salt and sugar and let the flavors come together. 

6. Add the optional sriracha hot sauce in at this time.

6. Once you’ve made sure the taste is all to your liking, pour in the cooled rice into the pan and gently toss everything together.

7. And voila, there we have it - the super easy Thai red curry fried rice! :)

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Date pancakes with chocolate date butter and maple syrup

I had the chance to try out a new dessert last week, as part of practice for a Thanksgiving potluck contest at work.

Sooo there was this Date + pear pancakes with banana syrup and whipped cream recipe that was a recent hit at a family lunch. I decided to try out a variation on that for the contest. Looking for ideas, I came upon this awesome Chocolate Date Butter recipe that looked way too good not to be experimented with. I mean, who doesn't love chocolate on things? [The coffee date pancake in the original recipe is something I'm saving to try for myself later, as a coffee lover. I didn't think that would have worked for a larger group which would include non-coffee drinkers].

This will make for a great breakfast, or an anytime sweet tooth solution for kids of all ages ;-) And the best part is that it is super easy!! Well no, the best part (for me) is that it's gluten free and vegan, but not any less SINFUL!!

Here goes...

Date pancakes with chocolate date butter and maple syrup

CHOCOLATE DATE BUTTER

I pretty much used the same ingredients as the original recipe. 

[You could try out the original proportions, and find that it works out perfect as it is. This was just my random experiment, and I hope I remembered the proportions correctly to write here!]

Ingredients

vegan butter substitute - 1/2 cup  (I used Earth Balance, same as the original recipe, which already has some salt. See my note below.)

unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 tbsp 

sugar - 2 tbsp

chopped dates - 1/2 cup

Method

Just blend all ingredients together in a food processor. You should have a creamy blend in a minute or so. 

Tip: if your ingredients aren't blending together easily, you could add some maple syrup now, instead of at the time of serving. 

THAT'S IT!! You can eat it straight up, or save it away in the fridge. It will harden up just like butter in the fridge, so if you need it in that creamy consistency, just leave it outside again, before you are ready to serve.

Note: To better match my taste, I increased the proportion of the dates, decreased sugar and tweaked the cocoa powder. Overall though, it was a teeny bit salty, but I personally thought that it brought out the flavor much better when paired with the maple syrup.

DATE PANCAKES

I took the easy route for this and simply grabbed a box of pancake mix and followed the recipe, except for adding chopped dates. At bite sizes, a cup of flour would make about 8 mini pancakes.

Ingredients

gluten-free pancake mix - 1 cup

chopped dates - 1/2 cup (use the food processor, makes it quicker)

almond milk / rice milk / regular milk - 3/4 cup

oil - 2 tsp

maple syrup - while serving

Method

Bind ingredients together into a thick batter with a whisk, and make your pancakes per usual.

Finally spread some of that delicious chocolate goodness on your pancake, drizzle some generous maple syrup and enjoy! :)

And do leave a note here to let me know how it turns out :)

[ellegconsistentlyinconsiste-blog]

Thai Vegetarian Curry Fried Rice

Hello there! Been wanting to get this journal thingie started ever since I came upon the world of gluten free AND dairy free cooking. When one of your favorite things in life is delicious (vegetarian) food, and you learn that you can’t have a lot of what you used to because it makes you sick, it’s time to step back and consider alternatives. Because eating out is not always an option. More importantly eating tasteless food is NEVER the solution!! :)

What this has led to is a lot of reading online, lots of experimentation and a renewed interest in cooking. And now I want to put it out there for my own benefit and for family and friends. This, along with pointers from the interwebs for foods to eat and avoid in general for a long term healthful living.

I love Thai food - it’s pretty much the safest cuisine for gf/df options. There’s curries made with coconut milk, rice noodles, vegetarian fried rice, white and brown rice, and there’s tofu that works for most people (but not me).

This recipe is mostly a mishmash of a few I read online so it’s a pretty standard one.

Thai Vegetarian Curry Fried Rice

Ingredients

rice - 2 cups (jasmine rice is best, but I used basmati with great results)

ginger - 1" piece finely chopped (optional)

garlic - 2-3 cloves finely chopped

onion - 2 large

red and green peppers, french cut green beans, peas, broccoli - 4 cups

coconut milk - 1 can

basil leaves - 1 packed cup

Sriracha hot sauce - 6-8 tsp (as needed)

gluten free soy sauce - 4 tsp (optional)

brown sugar - 2 tsp (or to taste)

salt - to taste

cooking oil - 3 tsp.

Method

1. Cook the rice with water (1:1.5 ratio), adding a little oil and salt. Once cooked, spread it on a plate and separate the grains. You can toss it in the fridge/freezer for a few minutes so it cools down and separates as well.

2. In a pan heat the cooking oil. Add the ginger and garlic while it’s hot, and immediately toss the onions in. Add the salt in as well.

3. When the onions are pink, toss in the rest of the vegetables and saute on medium-to-high heat for a few minutes. Putting the lid on the pan will help cook it faster with condensation. Keep checking so it doesn’t dry up and start burning at the bottom.

4. Turn down the heat. Add the sriracha hot sauce and soy sauce in. Stir a bit and let it cook for a minute.

5. Add the brown sugar, basil leaves and coconut milk and simmer for another 2 minutes. Based on your preferences for taste, feel free to add a bit more coconut milk, or less.

This is a good time to check the salt, spiciness and sweetness of the gravy. Keep it a bit saltier and spicier than you need, keeping in mind the 2 cups of rice that are going to absorb it, and still have a kick.

6. Finally stir in the rice and cover with the lid for a couple minutes.

And there you have it. A quick and easy curry fried rice. I add a side of more Sriracha on my plate. But you could just eat it plain.

Alternatively, you could make this as a curry and eat it with a side of rice as well.

Let me know how it turned out! :)