EGGS - PROTEIN OF THE WEEK

Happy New Month Loves! Let's kick of this month with one of my favorite ingredients I use in the kitchen many times. Eggs! I love eggs, if I could I would eat everyday which really is not recommended by nutritionists or dieticians. Every other day is cool though. I have cooked with eggs very many times, whether it is on their own like my tomato scrambled eggs and bacon cilantro scrambled eggs, my ugandan rolex which had fried eggs and used the eggs in pancakes or even baked goods. I just realized I haven't cooked with boiled eggs, coming soon later on this month. Eggs are the most nutritious good since they contain so many essential nutrients like Vitamin A B2 B5 B6 B12 E, Calcium and Zinc. They contain anti oxidants that help prevent mascular degenaration and cataracts. The high protein in eggs helps reduce calorie intake in the day because they are satiating.

There are so many ways to cook eggs. You can boil eggs, poach eggs, fry eggs, bake eggs, make scrambled eggs, make omelette or even microwave eggs. DO NOT microwave eggs with their shells on. Pressure will build inside and the eggs will explode. Personal experience here, let's just say I had a pretty bad experience cleaning out the microwave!

Among other uses of eggs, baking is one of them. But Why are eggs used in baking?

Binding

Eggs helps combine and hold ingredients together giving the food structure. This also prevents the baked good from falling apart

Leavening

Eggs trap air pockets in food which then causes the food to expand during heating. This then helps food to rise, puff up and give baked goods like meringue, souffle and angle food cake their lovely light air texture and volume

Moisture

Other ingredients in recipes absorb the liquid from eggs. This adds lots of moisture to the finisher baked goods

Flavor and appearance

Eggs help to carry the flavor of other ingredients and brown when exposed to heat. They do improve the taste of baked goods and contribute highly to their golden brown. That is why you brush egg wash on baked goods before baking

Though eggs are highly nutritious, there are those who do not eat eggs. It can either be that they are allergic to eggs or it is a personal choice like those who are vegan or vegetarian. It is great that there are egg substitutes available in the market for such people. You do not have to miss the delicious food that needs eggs especially baked goods. Even if you eat eggs, you can still try out some egg substitutes to see how the flavours would be. Read on to see the different egg substitutes you can use when cooking

  

Applesauce is a perfect egg substitute. It is pureed apples that you can flavour with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can use mashed banana as egg substitute. Though the finished good may have some banana taste, it is still great

Replace one egg with 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds or flax seeds and add 3 tablespoon water whisking till combined and thickened

Potato starch, tapioca starch and leavening agents are commercial egg replacer that you can also use 

Vinegar and baking soda is a great substitute. When the two are mixed they start a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide and water which makes baked goods light and airy

Use plain yoghurt or buttermilk to substitute egg in most recipes like pancakes or cake. They make the food moist

A new ingredient that I have lately been reading about is Aquafaba. This is liquid left over from cooking beans or legumes like chickpeas. This is best for recipes that call for just egg whites, for instance meringues, marshmallows or macaroons