Trying out different diet modifications for yourself or for a close loved-one can be a headache, but it doesn’t have to be! After years of experimenting with complicated dairy-free recipes, I have discovered some easy swaps, that you can use 1:1 in place of dairy for any recipe. Sidenote: the flavor and/or consistency can be slightly different, but give it some time to get used to the change, and your expectations will adjust. Here are my healthy swaps with limited additives
- Melted butter —> for extra-virgin olive oil:
For cooking and baking, I will add. I used to use coconut oil but after seeing my cholesterol levels spike to borderline high, I swapped to a fresh light olive oil and never looked back. Avocado oil is my second choice, but I prefer filling up a jug of fresh pressed olive oil at the market with high polyphenol count, and using that wherever I can. Myself or anyone I have served ‘sweet’ foods to have never detected a vegetable taste.
2. Browned butter or baking with butter —-> for Myokos Cultured Butter (unsalted)
You can also swap it for butter when baking or when a recipe calls for browned butter.
3. Hard butter —> for Myokos Cultured Butter (salted)
Slather this goodness on toasted breads, griddled pancakes or waffles or desserts from the oven.
4. Greek Yogurt —-> for Culina coconut yogurt
It’s so thick and creamy I love it for sweet and savory dishes. I scoop some in smoothies, top it off on a dessert masked as a whipped cream, use it as an icing topping. For savory uses I mix some with aleppo chili oil on turkish eggs, as a labneh substitute or a tzatziki.
5. Soy milk with 1 tablespoon of vinegar —> for buttermilk
I’ve used this to make Irish soda bread multiple times and have had great success!
6. Frothed milk —> for oatmilk
Makes great lattes!
7. Cashew milk —-> for iced lattes
Makes the lattes extra creamy
8. Dairy Milk —-> Almond Milk
This is what I used in my most day-to-day for cereal, oatmeal, etc.
9. Mozzarella or Melted cheese —-> for Trader Joe’s Mozzarella Cashew Cheese d cheese
Don’t let mozzarella fool you, you can use it in quesadillas on baked italian dishes, pizzas
10. Fresh Cheese—-> for Kite Hill Ricotta
This is great for topping on on salads, in shakshuka, in vegan lasagna, etc. I also love eating it on it’s own with crackers!
11. Crême fraiche—> coconut milk
12. Aged Cheese —> Treeline cashew cheese (I like the garlic herb flavor)
13. Creamy dressings (vegan ranch, Caesar salad dressing)—> silken tofu or tahini
14. Creamy smoothies or chocolate mouse—> avocado
15. Sour cream—> cashew sour cream