These days we take a lot of shortcuts trying to save time in the kitchen, but we can cook our foods with natural ingredients and put healthier food on our table without sacrifices. We show you here how to substitute some pre-made ingredients commonly used in Dominican recipes with some you can prepare at home.

Chicken and beef broth
Buy a whole chicken and use legs, wings and breast for other dishes. Skin the remaining meat. In a pot boil parsley, garlic, onion and pepper and the chicken leftovers for about an hour adjusting water when necessary. Strain and let the liquid cool to room temperature and chill. Get rid of the fat that congeals at the top and freeze. You can use this broth to add to your soups and stews or use it in lieu of chicken broth cubes.
To make beef broth follow the same process as described above using beef soup bones.

Vegetable broth
In a pot boil parsley, onion, green peppers and celery for 30 minutes. Strain and freeze. You can use this broth to add to your soups and stews or use it in lieu of vegetable broth cubes. Also use it as a substitute when the recipe calls for chicken or beef broth if you want to adapt the recipe for a vegetarian diet.

Seasoning powder
Make your own seasoning by mixing pepper, oregano, garlic and coriander in the food processor to obtain a paste. Keep refrigerated.

Tomato paste
Puree skinned tomatoes in the food processor. Add some olive oil and salt and refrigerate.

Liquid seasoning
Use one of our recipes for sofrito here.

Hot sauce
Why not substitute for the very authentic and most delicious agrio de naranja, the Dominican equivalent?

Do you have any other healthy substitutes? Let us know.

I don't usually take the time to make my own stock, but I do substitute lower sodium broths. I can't really taste the difference; plus, you can adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Also, sea salt is tasty and lower sodium, though it is expensive.

On my part, every time I make something out of the recipes in this website, I use the light/fat free versions of everything I can.

For example, fat free milk (also the evaporated and condensed versions), fat free whipped cream... most of these things are almost the same price as the full versions, but are way healthier. Some others, it depends on whether I am willing to spend the money on it, like organic eggs and such.