Some of my staples...

 Here are a few items I keep on hand, and what they are substituted for.

--Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (for white flour)

--Arrowroot Flour (acts as a thickener in place of corn starch)

--Rice Milk (used in most every recipe in place of dairy milk)

--Almond Milk (used for non dairy ice cream)

--Soy Milk (used in recipes that call for a thicker consistency than rice milk)

--Honey, agave nectar, pure maple syrup (NOT regular syrup) & molasses –all are natural “sweeteners” that  are not processed.

--Turbinado sugar and sucanat (I use them sparingly, but they are safe for me--better than white sugar, as they are right off of the cane, and not processed) for baking. Turbinado sugar has a courser consistency than white refined sugar. Sucanat replaces brown sugar.

--Cashews. They make a fabulous substitute for dairy whipped cream, and can also be used to make a non dairy ricotta cheese.

--Organicville Ketchup. No high fructose corn syrup or sugar. Sweetened with agave nectar.

--Bragg’s Organic Healthy Vinaigrette. No HFCS or sugars.

--Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother. I drink 2-4 tablespoons of this daily, either as a straight shot, or mixed with 100% grape juice. It has allowed me to quit my prescription proton pump inhibitors.

--Archer Farms casing free chicken sausage. To be used in place of pork sausage in things such as spaghetti sauce and calzones.

--Turkey bacon. Can’t have pork—‘nuff said.

--Earth balance vegan butter. Tastes the same, without the potential to hurt ya.

--Sweet potatoes. You can make everything from mashed spuds to fries to biscuits and pancakes. Not in the same class of carbohydrate as white potatoes—therefore safe.

--Wild rice. It’s a grass, not a grain. Safe carbs, and delicious.

--Quinoa (Keen-Wah). Also a safe grain, and a complete protein.

--Daiya cheese, both Italian and Cheddar blends. It looks like cheese…it melts like cheese…but it’s so not dairy…

--Ezekiel bread. Whole grains baby…whole grains.

--Wizard’s organic vegan Worcestershire sauce. No HFCS, no sugars, no anchovies.

I will add to this list as the mood strikes. I find new products all of the time, and learn more and more about safe substitutions as I go. In the recipes I post, I will try to remember to reference what the ingredients are substituting. That way if you are able to tolerate something I can’t, you can still salvage the recipe.

I eat as a vegetarian/vegan 98% of the time. I am allowed very lean meats in small quantities, but I have found my body remains in better balance if I simply forgo meat as much as possible. Accordingly, my recipes may tend to have a vegetarian/vegan bend.