Whether you practice a vegan diet or you simply want to reduce harmful fat and calories from your meals, cutting out butter is a healthy food choice. These simple butter substitutes will enable you to eat the foods that you love in a healthier manner, and they’ll taste just as delicious.

1. Olive oil. While olive oil is also high in calories, it has a number of other health benefits that butter doesn’t. For every cup of butter, you can easily substitute 1/4 cup of olive oil plus two tablespoons in order to maintain the same texture and consistency. Olive oil is also completely vegan, and it can be used to grease pans as well.
2. Commercial butter substitutes. Your local grocery store likely sells a wide variety of commercial butter substitutes and margarines that can be used in place of butter. These products usually have the same look, feel and taste, but they have much less fat and calories. Brands like Earth Balance and Smart Balance taste very similar to real butter, but unlike butter they’re completely vegan. Most chefs advise against browning commercial butter substitutes, however, because they burn very easily and don’t achieve the same effect.

Common Ingredient Substitutions [All Recipes]
Top 3 Ingredient Substitutions [The Kitchn]

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If you’re interested in learning a new skill or hobby but don’t want to commit to a set time for a class, Austin’s CRAFT might be just the place for you. At any time during business hours, you can come into CRAFT and grab a workstation for a very reasonable rate of just $10 an hour. That rate includes access to a staggering amount of materials, including paint, paper, ribbons, stamps and ink, both air dry and polymer clay, collage materials, screenprinting screens, and much more. They also sell additional supplies, including canvases and frames, at a very reasonable rate.

If you’re not the free-form type, CRAFT hosts a wide variety of events and workshops throughout the week. Some of the most popular include the weekly Intro to Screenprinting class, which gives you everything you need to print t-shirts, tote bags, and other fabric projects, as well as the Hearts & Crafts workshops on Wednesdays that focus on crafting as a means of personal development and self-expression.

CRAFT
1632 S. 1st Street
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 900-9957
craft-austin.com
www.yelp.com/biz/craft-austin

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Lemonade is a summertime favorite that you’ve loved since you were a kid, but it may be time to update the cool beverage to suit your adult tastes. If you’re searching for new recipes for your old favorite lemonade, these three might do the trick!

Honey Basil Lemonade [Serious Eats]
The warm, sweet taste of honey is offset by flavorful basil in this unique lemonade recipe. The base is made from the juice of 12 fresh lemons, and a pinch of salt really helps to bring out the flavor of each individual ingredient. Garnish with more basil leaves to create a drink that’s just as attractive as it is delicious.

Vodka Lavender Thyme Lemonade [Saveur]
Turn your favorite childhood drink into your new favorite cocktail with this lemonade recipe that’s all grown up. Dried lavender gives it a fragrant, floral taste that really complements the tart lemon, while vodka and earthy thyme add an extra kick of flavor.

Thyme Lemonade [Martha Stewart]
If you haven’t yet experienced the wonderful combination of thyme and lemon, this lemonade will make you a believer. All it takes is a few sprigs of the simple herb to create a fresh, pretty drink that’s perfect for dinner under the stars.

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/bertholf