The egg is an animal product that has incredible nutritional properties as well as a variety of uses in many savory and sweet dishes.
Among the most valuable qualities of eggs is that they are extremely rich in protein, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc, vitamin A, B vitamins (B12, B1, B2, B3, B6), also vitamins D and E, fatty acids and beneficial cholesterol.
Unfortunately, despite the listed benefits and qualities, some allergens are present in eggs, which certain people have an intolerance to and this forces them to exclude this product from their menu.
The proteins that cause allergic reactions are ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, ovomucoid and lysozyme - in the egg white.
In the yolk, these are apovitelenis 1, apovitelenis 6, phosvitin.
For people who are allergic to eggs, there is good news - they can be successfully replaced in many recipes with other products having a similar nutritional bouquet, which eggs possess.
Most of these egg substitutes can also be used by people who have chosen not to consume animal products - vegans.
Here's how to replace eggs in desserts
Depending on the type of dessert we want to make, we have to choose what to use.
With fruit purees
For example, to make biscuits or pancakes, use fruit purees instead of eggs. The most suitable ones are banana or apple. It is only necessary that the fruit is well ripe and that you mash, puree or grind it in a blender. 65 g of fruit puree corresponds to 1 medium-sized egg.
With yogurt
In sponge cakes, yogurt replaces eggs perfectly, regardless of whether it is of plant or animal origin. Soy milk is very suitable, because of its high protein content, which will replace those in the egg. On the other hand, animal yogurt supplies us with the necessary calcium for the body.
With seeds
As strange as it sounds, we can also replace eggs with seeds like chia and flaxseed. But how?
Flaxseed instead of eggs - grind a spoon and a half of the seeds and dissolve them in 60 ml of boiling water. Leave the mixture for 5 minutes and this amount is equal to 1 medium-sized egg (M size). Flaxseed is rich in fiber, but also many of the minerals found in eggs, magnesium, B vitamins and fatty acids.
Chia instead of eggs - also contains known doses of fatty acids, calcium, potassium and iron, so in addition to the close consistency achieved with it, it also has almost the same nutritional value. To use chia instead of 1 egg, hydrate 1 and 1/2 tbsp. of the seeds in 65 ml of water or liquid and use as appropriate in sponge cakes and puddings.
Chickpea water instead of egg white
Another thing that might surprise you is that we can replace egg whites mostly with chickpea water known as aquafaba. If you noticed, in the tins with this product, the liquid is slightly runny, similar to egg white. You can even make a vegan meringue from it.
You can easily prepare such water at home if you don't have a tin of chickpeas.
For this purpose, put 1.5 kg of chickpeas to soak in 2 liters of water for a minimum of 8 hours. Strain and boil the chickpeas in 1 liter of water for about 2 hours, then leave them for at least an hour.
Other ideas that replace eggs
- To make your breads shiny and beautiful, brush them with olive oil instead of egg;
- In savory dishes, replace eggs with tofu;
- For breading, use tempura, it does not require the addition of eggs;
- For mayonnaise - replace with vegetable or animal milk. To prepare dairy mayonnaise, mix 100 ml of oil, 45 ml of milk, 2 tbsp. of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Everything is pureed or blended. The difference is that it just takes a little longer to emulsify than with regular mayonnaise.
