Over the years, I’ve discovered many handy substitutes. Some make for healthier recipes and some are just to fill in during those ‘emergencies’ or when you want to know ‘how much’ you have on hand. Hope you enjoy.

Apples: 3 medium = 1 LB = 3 cups sliced

Lemon: 1 medium – 2-3 TBL juice, 2 tsp lemon zest

Peach: 1 medium – 1 ½ cups sliced

Pear: 1 medium – 1 ½ cups sliced

Grain equivalents:

Oats: 1 cup dry = 1 ¾ cups cooked

Rice: 1 cup dry = 3-4 cups cooked

Vegetable:

Cabbage: 1 pound – 3 cups shredded

Onion: 1 medium – ½ cup chopped

Pepper, green/red: 1 large – 1 cup diced

Potato (sweet): 1 medium = 1 cup sliced

Potato (white): 3 medium – 2 cups cubed = 1 ¾ cup mashed

Baking:

Chocolate chips: 12 oz. = 2 cups

Coconut: 1 pound = 5 cups flaked or shredded

Raw cheese: 1 pound = 4 cups shredded

Pasta: 4 oz. = 1 cup = 2 ¼ cups cooked

General:

Buttermilk: 1 cup = 1 cup ‘milk’ (have used almond, rice, etc.) minus 1 TBL milk – – replace that 1 TBL with lemon juice or vinegar

Cream Cheese: (called ‘yo’ cheese) strain yogurt through coffee filters for 4 hours. Use the same amount of the ‘yo’ cheese as called for in cream cheese.

Sour cream: use the same amount of unsweetened Greek yogurt

Eggs: in baking you substitute –

– 1 TBL water with 1 TBL powdered soy lecithin

– Half of a ripe banana (about ¼ cup)

– ¼ cup applesauce

– ¼ cup Greek Yogurt or ‘yo’ cheese

Brown sugar: ¾ cup maple syrup and reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees

White sugar:

– 1 cup Sucanat

– ¾ cup maple syrup (use 2 TBL less liquid in recipe and reduce temp by 25 degrees)

– ¾ cup honey (use 2 TBL less liquid in recipe and reduce temp by 25 degrees)

– 1 cup brown rice syrup

– 1 cup molasses plus ½ tsp baking soda (use ¼ cup less liquid in recipe)