Weird substitutions that work...

Alatariel75
Alatariel75 Posts: 18,244 Member
edited November 15 in Food and Nutrition
and I'm not talking "Have cauliflower instead of mashed potato!" or any of that. Tell me about some strange substitutions you make (our of neccesity or mistake or sheer inventiveness) that have worked.

Me, I couldn't have milk as a kid but I liked cereal (particularly the grain/dried fruit type) so I started putting orange juice on it. I'm still weirdly partial to the occasional bowl of Just Right with OJ.

A little while back I was making mash for dinner and after the potatos were cooked I realised I didn't have milk/sour cream/cream cheese or anything I usually put in there to make it creamy. So I used Ranch dressing. Surprisingly good! It was like mashed baked potato.

My ex-sister-in-law made spring rolls once and grabbed the wrong bottle to top up the soy sauce bowl. To this day, my whole family prefers the half balsamic vinegar/half soy sauce mix she accidentally made rather than straight soy sauce! Her mistake lasted far longer with the family than she did ;)

Whatcha got?
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Replies

  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    I make batches of steel cut oats adding chopped walnuts. craisins, sweetener and cinnamon. I grabbed the wrong spice jar one morning and started shaking curry on it versus the cinnamon. I think it is delicious...cold...right out of the fridge.
  • jonjaxmom
    jonjaxmom Posts: 77 Member
    I use salsa instead of mayo when I make tuna fish to save calories. Tastes good now, first time I tried it wasn't so sure,
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Many years ago, I wanted a peanut butter snack, but there was no fruit, bread, or crackers to spread it on. So I spread the peanut butter on a slice of cold, leftover meatloaf. It was so good - and very low carb too! I still crave that sometimes.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,244 Member
    Oh another was the time we got all the fixings for burgers and the store was totally out of all bread. No rolls, loaves, anything. So we made them on croissants! Amazing!
  • Nikkei74
    Nikkei74 Posts: 48 Member
    You would not believe how creamy pumpkin soup is if you add cannelloni beans before you puree it. I threw them in once to try to get some extra fibre. Turns out it's creamier than if you add cream.
  • likehlikeo
    likehlikeo Posts: 185 Member
    Try peanut butter on french fries...you will never want anything else with your fries...
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,244 Member
    likehlikeo wrote: »
    Try peanut butter on french fries...you will never want anything else with your fries...

    Oooh... does it beat dipping them in a McDonalds choc sundae?
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    Alatariel75 wrote: »
    A little while back I was making mash for dinner and after the potatos were cooked I realised I didn't have milk/sour cream/cream cheese or anything I usually put in there to make it creamy. So I used Ranch dressing. Surprisingly good! It was like mashed baked potato.

    Ranch dressing is my condiment of choice on baked potatoes never tried it in mashed potatoes though. Might have to do that.

    I love ketchup on my fried chicken. I didn't even realize it was weird till I was in college.
  • denielle715
    denielle715 Posts: 101 Member
    edited March 2015
    I've used plain greek yogurt in place of mayo for chicken salad (no one even noticed).

    There's more, I just can't think of any right now.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    When I was a kid, I was trying to make a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I had the peanut butter on the bread when I realized we were out of bananas. I don't eat jelly, so I threw some lettuce in that sucker. It was good - nice and crunchy. I still do that sometimes.

  • denielle715
    denielle715 Posts: 101 Member
    edited March 2015
    My mom was making grilled cheese sandwiches when I was a kid, only she forgot to put cheese in it.
    So we ate grilled bread sandwiches. To this day I still crave them! Lmao
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    denielle715 wrote: »
    My mom was making grilled cheese sandwiches when I was a kid, only she forgot to put cheese in it.
    So we are grilled bread sandwiches. To this day I still crave them! Lmao

    This sounds suspiciously like toast :wink:
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    likehlikeo wrote: »
    Try peanut butter on french fries...you will never want anything else with your fries...

    Actually PB is AWESOME on pizza (melted). Crazy good.

    My grade school always served the rectangle plastic pizza with a piece of bread and PB... everyone just put the PB on the pizza... so there are many people who grew up doing it, not just me :)

    It helps to melt it first, spreads easier!
  • denielle715
    denielle715 Posts: 101 Member
    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    denielle715 wrote: »
    My mom was making grilled cheese sandwiches when I was a kid, only she forgot to put cheese in it.
    So we are grilled bread sandwiches. To this day I still crave them! Lmao

    This sounds suspiciously like toast :wink:

    Except it's not crunchy at all... And the butter has a chance to really melt into it. It's carb and fat heaven. Which is why I never eat them. Lol
  • cblue315
    cblue315 Posts: 3,836 Member
    Running really low on salad toppings one day and cut up a slice of cold pizza. I still do this when there is any available.
  • 81Katz
    81Katz Posts: 7,074 Member
    Cottage cheese mixed with salsa makes for a nice dressing/topping to a taco style salad.
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    denielle715 wrote: »
    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    denielle715 wrote: »
    My mom was making grilled cheese sandwiches when I was a kid, only she forgot to put cheese in it.
    So we are grilled bread sandwiches. To this day I still crave them! Lmao

    This sounds suspiciously like toast :wink:

    Except it's not crunchy at all... And the butter has a chance to really melt into it. It's carb and fat heaven. Which is why I never eat them. Lol

    I'm told that's how they make the really good toast at the diner. And now I want diner toast in the worst possible way.

    BTW, the reason I signed up for MFP in the first place? I gained 15 pounds over one winter, which shall forever be known as "the winter of grilled cheese."
  • denielle715
    denielle715 Posts: 101 Member
    Here's one from the other day.

    I wanted to make stuffed Jalapeños but not just with cream cheese (and I use greek cream cheese). So I added mashed avocado and diced tomato to the mix. They were delicious.

    The next morning, I wanted a spicy omelette, but didn't have cheese or any leftover jalapeños, but I DID have a few leftover stuffed jalapeños in the fridge. So I sliced them up into tiny pieces and threw them in my eggwhite omelette. Problem solved! And quite delicious.
  • denielle715
    denielle715 Posts: 101 Member
    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    denielle715 wrote: »
    PeachyPlum wrote: »
    denielle715 wrote: »
    My mom was making grilled cheese sandwiches when I was a kid, only she forgot to put cheese in it.
    So we are grilled bread sandwiches. To this day I still crave them! Lmao

    This sounds suspiciously like toast :wink:

    Except it's not crunchy at all... And the butter has a chance to really melt into it. It's carb and fat heaven. Which is why I never eat them. Lol

    I'm told that's how they make the really good toast at the diner. And now I want diner toast in the worst possible way.

    BTW, the reason I signed up for MFP in the first place? I gained 15 pounds over one winter, which shall forever be known as "the winter of grilled cheese."

    Hmmm... I didn't know that.
    I've got to stop thinking about the grilled bread. Sigh. I'm getting a craving! Lol
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Nikkei74 wrote: »
    You would not believe how creamy pumpkin soup is if you add cannelloni beans before you puree it. I threw them in once to try to get some extra fibre. Turns out it's creamier than if you add cream.


    I do that with my broccoli cheese soup. I don't have to add any milk or cream, and I can use less cheese.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    I don't know if this is weird or not, but I use uncooked oatmeal in my meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs. Delish!
  • mysticlizard
    mysticlizard Posts: 896 Member
    When we need to make a box cake mix, we use unsweetened apple sauce instead of oil. It doesn't taste like apple and it comes out really moist. It saves a few calories :)
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    denielle715 wrote: »
    Here's one from the other day.

    I wanted to make stuffed Jalapeños but not just with cream cheese (and I use greek cream cheese). So I added mashed avocado and diced tomato to the mix. They were delicious.

    The next morning, I wanted a spicy omelette, but didn't have cheese or any leftover jalapeños, but I DID have a few leftover stuffed jalapeños in the fridge. So I sliced them up into tiny pieces and threw them in my eggwhite omelette. Problem solved! And quite delicious.

    That sounds delicious! A friend of mine makes the usual jalapeno poppers for summer bbq's (jalapenos with cream cheese wrapped in bacon). I think we'll add your avocado recipe to the mix1
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    plain greek yogurt for sour cream is about as wild and crazy as I get.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    cblue315 wrote: »
    Running really low on salad toppings one day and cut up a slice of cold pizza. I still do this when there is any available.

    Salad topped with pizza! Genius.
  • mrsswisspea
    mrsswisspea Posts: 51 Member
    I made this recipe (out of boredom and interest): http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/12/05/deep-dish-cinnamon-roll-pie/

    No flour. The main ingredient in this sweet, delicious, amazing cake is mashed white beans and oats. It's amazing. And the frosting is made from silken tofu and powdered sugar.
  • jigglyjessica
    jigglyjessica Posts: 58 Member
    My nephew is 3 and says he doesn't like most veggies so I'm trying to be creative and sneak them in lol Today I'm going to put some pureed carrots in his mac n cheese and see if he notices >:)
  • x_tina324
    x_tina324 Posts: 37 Member
    healthygreek wrote: »
    I don't know if this is weird or not, but I use uncooked oatmeal in my meatloaf instead of breadcrumbs. Delish!

    I use French fried onions.
  • theston412
    theston412 Posts: 47 Member
    I like to dip cold (next day) fried chicken in Miracle Whip. Not mayo, Miracle Whip.

    Also, when I make tuna and noodle casserole, I use cheese-itz instead of crackers or bread crumbs for the topper while I'm baking it.
  • theston412
    theston412 Posts: 47 Member
    CyberTone wrote: »
    Many years ago, I wanted a peanut butter snack, but there was no fruit, bread, or crackers to spread it on. So I spread the peanut butter on a slice of cold, leftover meatloaf. It was so good - and very low carb too! I still crave that sometimes.

    A spoon would have sufficed. lol
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