The old switcheroo - substitutions for ingredients - includes recipes

Vegetarian Times, August, 1996 by Gigia Kolouch

The next time you want to substitute an ingredient in a recipe, don't panic. The originator of the recipe will never know! When you substitute, you improvise; you create; and you are the artist in charge.

Of course, you'll have to adjust your expectations. When you substitute one ingredient for another, the dish will not taste exactly the same. And although you're taking a risk when you leave the beaten trail, there's a lot of incentive to stray. For example, you might need to improvise because a certain ingredient is unavailable, or you don't want to go to the store for the 18th time that day. Or you might like the basic recipe but loathe a particular ingredient. Or you may have health considerations for avoiding particular foods. Whatever the reason, cooking is much more enjoyable and satisfying if you are in control of the process, not the recipe writer.

Before you improvise on a recipe, you need to figure out what purpose the missing ingredient has in the dish. The change you make to the dish will have to provide the same function. For example, if you don't want to use eggs in a recipe, you need to ask yourself why they are in the dish. Are they holding the ingredients together or are they acting as a leavening agent? What kind of flavors do they add? If the eggs are acting as binder, you can use crumbled tofu, soymilk or pureed fruit or vegetables. If the eggs are acting as a leavening, you can use baking soda, yeast or a non-dairy egg replacer. Eggs also add a rich flavor to most dishes. A creative way to add richness without eggs, is to use nuts, either ground up or in "butter" form, or seeds.

Use the accompanying list as a starting point for brainstorming alternatives. The process might look a bit intimidating but is easy once you dive in and start asking questions such as: What do I really want this dish to taste like? What textures do I like? Why did the recipe writer put all of these things in here, anyway?

Here are some general guidelines about making substitutions in recipes.

* Try to keep ingredients within the same ethnic category. Ethnic flavor combinations have been developed over centuries and blend together naturally. If you are making a Mexican dish and don't want to use meat, use traditional Mexican proteins and starches such as posole (hominy), pinto beans and black beans, not Asian mung beans or Indian lentils.

* Dissect the basic flavors of the dish. If you don't have a certain flavoring, ask yourself if it is basically sweet, salty, sour, bitter or spicy? Think of something in your cupboard from the same category.

* Substituting starches and proteins make less of a difference in overall taste than spices and flavorings.

* Try the pantry approach to cooking. If you find yourself continually missing key ingredients, analyze your pantry and consider restocking it. (See "Your First Vegetarian Pantry," January, 1996.)

* Assemble herbs, spices and flavorings which are complementary in groupings in your pantry. That way, when you are experimenting with a dish, Italian, for example, your Italian seasonings such as basil, parsley, garlic and oregano will be grouped together, and you can substitute accordingly.

* Keep staples such as flours, oil, beans and grains on hand so you don't have to run out to the store at the last minute.

Anasezi Bean Stew

When taking fat out of a recipe, you need to add extra spices to round out the flavors. You can make dishes taste more complicated and intense by including all of the four basic flavors: sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Try to guess which ingredients in the following recipe fulfill which flavors.

2 cups anasezi beans (or half pinto beans and cranberry beans, soaked overnight (see glossary, p. 102) 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 onion, chopped 2 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. ground coriander seed 2 tsp. dried oregano 2 Tbs. chili powder 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground allspice 2 Tbs. cocoa powder 1 Tbs. finely ground coffee beans 2 cups corn kernels 3 poblano chilies, roasted, seeded and peeled (see glossary, p. 102) 2 tsp. salt 32-oz. can chopped tomatoes, with juices 1 cup beer

Place beans in large soup pot with 8 cups of water; bring to boil. Add garlic, onion, dry spices, cocoa and coffee; simmer briskly over medium-low heat with lid ajar until beans are fork tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

Add corn, chilies, salt, tomatoes and beer; simmer for 20 minutes, adjusting liquid and seasonings if needed. If desired, garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro and lime wedges and serve over rice. Makes 8 cups or 8 servings of about I cup each.

Helpful Hint: DO not add salt or acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, citrus juice or vinegar until the end of the cooking time as these ingredients can toughen beans. PER SERVING: 278 CAL.; 14G PROT; 2G TOTAL FAT (0.3G SAT. FAT.); 55G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 1,161MG SOD.; 13G FIBER. VEGAN

Chickpea B'stilla

B'stilla is a traditional Moroccan savvy pastry made with chicken or pigeon and eggs.. In this vegetarian version, chickpeas substitute for the chicken and crumbled tofu for the eggs.