Blue Dog’s Blog

When I first discovered that I was allergic to egg yolks & whites and whey, I set out to find replacements. Below are what I discovered through many different trials.

Egg Substitutes

The first thing to determine in your recipes is whether the egg is being used for binding, leavening (lift & lightness), and/or taste. Once you’ve determine that, you’ll have an easier time of determining a replacer.Here’s a table of egg replacers in baking that I’ve tried. One of my favorites is using soy lecithin. All entries below equal 1 whole egg. Other egg replacers are noted below the table.

What	Where	When
2 T flax seed and 3 T water. Grind the flax seed in a coffee grinder; mix the ground flax seeds with the water in a blender and blend until smooth.	Baked goods	Binding & Leavening
1/2 T tapioca flour, 1/2 T potato starch, 1/8 t baking powder, 1/16 t xanthan gum, 1/4 c water, and 1 t canola oil. Whisk all ingredients together.	Works well in baked goods, especially ones that are light colored	Binding & Leavening
2 T starch (potato, tapioca, arrowroot, corn, soy flour) and 1/4 c water.	Use in baked goods	Binding & Leavening
2 t baking soda and 2 T water	Use in baked goods	Leavening
1 t psylium seed husk and 1/4 c water. Let it stand for 5 minutes.	Use in baked goods	Binding & Leavening
1/4 c fruit puree (such as apple, pear, pumpkin, or bananas) and 2 t baking powder. Mix thoroughly.	Use in sweet baked goods. Each will leave a specific flavor so keep that in mind when choosing which fruit you want to use. If you are not concerned about the leavening, remove the baking powder.	Binding & Leavening
2 T soy lecithin (granules or liquid) and 1/4 c water. Blend well.	Use in baked goods	Binding & Leavening
1/4 c soy yogurt	Use in baked goods	Binding & Leavening
1/4 c whipped or beaten silken tofu	Use in place of a large number of eggs such as for a quiche; takes on the flavor of the other ingredients	Binding
3T okara and 1T water. Blend well.	Use in place of large eggs such as for a quiche; use to replace eggs in baking bread, brownies, cakes and cupcakes; takes on the flavor of the other ingredients	Binding
1 t Ener-G Egg Replacer and 2 T water. Mix thoroughly.	Works best in crispy baked goods such as cookies	Binding & Leavening
2 T water, 1 T canola oil, 2 t baking powder. Mix thoroughly	Baked books	Binding & Leavening
1/4 c mashed potatoes, tomato paste, or rolled oats	Vegetarian “meat” loaves or anything savory	Binding & taste
2-4 T water	Baked goods that are flat such as cookies and pancakes	Taste

Other substitutions for eggs:

• Egg Whites: Mix 1 T agar agar powder with 1 T water, whip and chill. Whip again.
  

  N.B.: I’m not a fan of powdered agar agar. While it does have 5x the gelling powder of flakes & bars, it’s also highly processed and tends to leave a bad taste in the finished dish. Whenever possible, I use bars or flakes instead but I have not have much luck in that regard in replacing egg whites.

• “Egg” Salad or Scrambled “Eggs”: Use 1/4 c cubed firm tofu or 1/4 c okara per egg in the recipe.

Dairy Substitutes

I’ve found that dairy substitutes are much easier to make than egg.

What	With	When
Butter or Margarine	Flax oil —OR— Udo’s Oil —OR— Nut butters —OR— Apple sauce —OR— Earth Balance	Whenever butter is called for except for Udo’s Oil which should not be heated
Buttermilk	1 T lemon juice or apple cider vinegar1 c plain warm soy or rice milk —OR— 1 c plain soy yogurt—OR—1 3/4 T cream of tartar1 c plain soy milk	Any time buttermilk is called for in a recipe
Cheddar, shredded	Vegan Gourmet brand “cheeses”	Whenever you need cheese to melt. No other vegan cheese melts like Vegan Gourmet.
Cottage Cheese	Crumbled Firm or Extra Firm Tofu or use Okara	In lasagnes and other dishes
Mayonnaise	Vegenaise if you prefer mayonnaise; Nayonaise if you prefer Miracle Whip	Whenever mayonnaise is called for in a recipe
Milk	Plain soy, rice or nut milk	Any time milk is called for in a recipe
Mozzarella, shredded	Vegan Gourmet brand “cheeses”	Whenever you need cheese to melt. No other vegan cheese melts like Vegan Gourmet.
Ricotta Cheese	Crumbled Firm or Extra Firm Tofu or use Okara	In lasagnes and other dishes
Shortening	Earth Balance shortening	Whenever shortening is called for in a recipe
Sour Cream	Tofutti Sour Cream —OR— Soy yogurt —OR— process 3/4 c silken tofu or okara, 2T lemon juice, 3T canola oil, 2t brown rice vinegar, and 3/4 t salt in a food processor until smooth	Any time sour cream is called for in a recipe
Yogurt	Soy yogurt	Any time yogurt is called for in a recipe

This post has also been made into a separate page on BlueDogBlog.com. It’s a question that I’m frequently asked by both vegans and people with allergies so I wanted to make it as easy as possible to find.

Today is a yecchy day outside. To top it off, I have either a bad cold or bronchitis. Either way, it’s one of those stay-in-bed-and-drink-soup sorta days. Below are two of my favorite soup recipes to get you started if you’re having that kind of a day, too.

Organic Produce

We’re often told that we should buy organic whenever possible, for both our own and the earth’s health. I once read that organic produce costs 150% more on average than non-organic produce in the Greater Seattle area. This makes it too costly for many to buy organic. Instead of giving up, be smart about what you purchase. Earth Easy has a list of which produce contains the highest and lowest levels of pesticides. They also provide a list of possible substitutes if you can’t find or afford organic for the produce on your grocery list. Another list is available from Environmental Working Group. They have a free wallet-sized list that you can carry with you when you shop or a grocery bag you can purchase that has the list on it.There is a definite difference in taste between organic and non-organic produce. The flavor is more intense. I find that I feel much better when I eat as much organic as possible, too, but YMMV.

Rebecca Novelli’s Lentil Soup

This soup is great when you are all stuffed up. The heat from the jalapenoes (or Anaheim’s for less intense heat) really clears out your sinuses! Garlic is also supposed to help with infections, especially chest problems. The soup is a pretty peach color and has a chowder consistency. It tastes wonderful served with mustard rye bread (recipe below). Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 c uncooked red lentils
• 8 c water (6 if using a pressure cooker)
• 1 large Sweet Vidalia onion
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large celery stock
• 1 large potato
• 2-4 jalapeno peppers (1-2 Anaheim for less heat)
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• Freshly ground salt & pepper to taste
• Balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Pick over lentils and wash. Put aside.
2. In a food processor, shred the onion, carrot, celery, potato and jalapeno peppers.
3. Place the shredded vegetables in a soup pot.
4. Place the 2 cups of uncooked lentils on top of the vegetables.
5. Pour in the water.
6. Add the garlic, bay leaves, salt & pepper.
7. Cook until the lentils have broken down and the soup has the correct consistency. (Approximately 1 hour on the stove top or 5-6 minutes high pressure with a pressure cooker)

Serve with a drop or two of Balsamic vinegar on top of each bowl of soup.

Tofu & Spinach Soup

This is a simple, tasty soup — especially when you’re not feeling well.Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 oz bean thread noodles
• 1.5 lbs fresh spinach (or one package of prewashed fresh spinach)
• 8 oz soft tofu
• 4 c vegetable broth
• 2 T light soy sauce
• 3 T rice wine
• 2 t date sugar
• 1/2 t salt

Directions

1. Soak the bean thread noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 15 minutes.
2. While the bean thread noodles are soaking, put the vegetable broth in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove the stalks from the spinach and wash the leaves. Be sure to wash away all of the dirt or your soup will be gritty.
4. Cut the tofu into 1-in cubes.
5. By now the noodles should be soft. Drain the noodles, discarding the water, and cut them into 3-in lengths using a knife.
6. Add the noodles to the vegetable broth and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Add the spinach, light soy sauce, rice wine, date sugar, and salt and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.
8. Add the tofu, taking care not to break the cubes, and let it simmer for 2 more minutes until the tofu is heated through.

Serve immediately.

Mustard Rye Bread

This is a moist, spicy bread that goes well with Rebecca Novelli’s Lentil Soup.Makes 1 large loaf.

Ingredients

• 1.5 c water
• 2T flaxseed ground and blended with 6T of water
• 1T and 1t canola oil
• 2T honey
• 1/4 c country dijon mustard
• 2/3 t salt
• 1 t mustard seeds
• 2 t caraway seeds
• 2 t fennel seeds
• 2-4T vital wheat gluten
• 1 c freshly ground rye flour
• 4 c freshly ground whole wheat flour (hard red wheat)
• 2.5 t yeast

Directions

For a bread machine, place the ingredients in the order prefered by your machine and press start.If doing it by hand:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Warm a cup by rinsing it with warm tap water and then measure 1/2 c warm water into it. The water should be 110º (just warm to touch). Sprinkle yeast into the water while stirring with a spoon until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.
3. Measure the dry ingredients (whole wheat and rye flours, vital wheat gluten, salt, mustard seed, caraway seed, and fennel seed) into a bowlmaking a well in the center.
4. Mix the remainder of the water, honey, canola oil, flaxseed mixture, and country dijon mustard in a separate bowl and then pour it into the well in the dry mixture.
5. Pour the yeast mixture on top of this.
6. Stir the liquid mixtures into the flour mixtures until you’ve created a soft, sticky dough.
7. Adjust the dough as necessary, adding more flour or more water until you’ve reached the correct consistency.
8. Knead the dough by hand or in your food processor.
9. Let the dough rise for 1.5-2 hours.
10. Deflate the dough and let it rise again for another hour.
11. Shape the dough and place it in a greased loaf pan. Let it rise for another 30-45 minutes.
12. Bake the bread checking at 30 minutes. Most breads take 60 minutes to bake but depending upon your oven, you may need to lower the temperature (if the crust is too brown) or bake for less time.

After the bread has finished baking, removing from the pan and let it cool before slicing.

I’ve been a busy beaver! I’ve been writing TESL lesson plans, working on the on-line loom< –>needle conversion app and finishing the knitting board section for Loom Knitting Help. I hope to have a beta of the conversion app available soon but in the meantime, you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of the knitting board section. For those of you looking for TESL lesson plans, they will be added to TESOL Help shortly. Stay tuned for the launching of ESOL Help for our local ESL Book Club.To make up for the time I’ve been away, I thought I’d post two fun ways to save money and be kind to the environment at the same time. Make your own laundry detergent! Both the liquid and the powdered version are gentle. For my loom knitting friends out there, they work great on knitted fabrics, whether you use synthetic or natural yarns. The cost comes out to about 3¢ per load and it’s very simple to make. Neither detergent “suds up” very much but don’t let that dissuade you. Your clothes will come out very clean, better than with commercial detergents. Combined with 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (or 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar and 1/2 cup baking soda) for your fabric softener during the final rinse and you have an earth-friendly, cheap way of doing laundry. This is also supposed to make a great dishwashing detergent but I haven’t had a chance to try it yet as I’m still working on the Seventh Generation that I currently have. I will post how it works after I’ve tried it. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t work in the dishwasher, though, since it doesn’t “suds up.” Add 1 1/2 cup to 2 cups white distilled vinegar in the bottom of dishwasher along with this soap and you’ll be all set.The two recipes below are sans frangrance. If you would like to add fragrance to your detergent, add 1t-2T of essential oil and stir/mix after step 6 for the liquid version and step 1 of the powdered version.

Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe

Ingredients & Tools

• 4 cups tap water and 3 gallons hot tap water
• 1 bar Castile or Marseille soap, grated
• 1 cup Sodium Carbonate (aka washing soda or soda ash)
• 1 cup Borax
• 5 Gallon Bucket with lid
• Old laundry bottles washed out well, enough to store 3 gallons of the final product
• 1 long wooden spoons
• Pair of rubber gloves (optional)

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups of water almost to a boil (do not let it boil).
2. Turn down the heat to low and stir in the grated soap with the wooden spoon. Congratulations, you’ve made very soapy water.
3. Pour the 3 gallons of hot tap water into the 5 gallon bucket.
4. Add the very soapy water and stir for about 5 minutes with the wooden spoon.
5. Add the sodium carbonate and continue stirring for 2 minutes.
6. Add the borax and continue stirring for another 2 minutes.
7. Cover the bucket with the lid and let it sit overnight (about 24 hours).
8. Mixture will thicken and will be a slightly lighter shade of whatever color the soap was that you used. Pour into the empty laundry detergent bottles for storage.
9. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load for a total of 48 loads.

I prefer to use filtered tap water for this recipe but you don’t have to.You can use any kind of soap that you’d like. I prefer all vegetable soaps since I’m vegetarian plus I try to buy soaps that are handmade locally (check out the PCC). I’m told that milk-based and tallow soaps work well too. If you use Fels Naptha, you should use only 1/3 bar instead of a whole bar due to its size. Sodium Carbonate (Washing Soda) and Borax can be found in the laundry section of the grocery store. Both can be used for cleaning around the house and their boxes can be recycled. By making your own detergent, you help cut down on the fossil fuel needed to make commercial laundry detergent and its packaging. Two boxes of Sodium Carbonate and one box of Borax will make about 12 recipes (a total of 576 loads)!

Powdered Laundry Detergent Recipe

Ingredients & Tools

• 2 cups Castile or Marseille soap, grated
• 1 cup Sodium Carbonate (aka washing soda or soda ash)
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 quart container with lid
• Rubber gloves (optional)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients and place it a container with a lid.
2. For light load, use 1 T. For heavy or very soiled load, use 2 T.

Like the liquid version, you can use any kind of soap that you’d like. You can also use 2 cups of soap flakes such as Ivory Snow those of you interested in making vegan/vegetarian products should avoid this.

For the past month, I’ve been using a Mrs. Pegg’s handy line to dry my clothes. It easily holds a large load of laundry and I’ve found that most things dry within 2 hours. The few that don’t (towels, very heavy blankets) are dry within 8. The added bonus is that I no longer have to worry about ironing. If you don’t take your clothes out of the dryer immediately, you know what a pain it is to deal with wrinkles. Now I no longer have any! Plus my clothes will last longer as a result of not using a dryer (what do you think makes the lint?).For those of you who aren’t quite ready to take that plunge, Care2 has Twelve Laundry Tips for Maximum Energy Savings that you may find useful for cutting down electric/gas costs and saving CO2 pounds. For those of you who’d like to take the plunge or at least look into it, here are two other links to get you started.

• Terrapass Energy Tip #4
• Project Laundry List

This isn’t something you have to wait for good weather to do. I live in a wet part of the US and I put my Mrs. Pegg’s handy line up in my living room or bathroom when I dry my clothes. For those of you who need to use a humidifier during dry times of the year, the moisture from the clothes drying in the house may eliminate the need. And during the summer, the cool moisture may help lower the overall temp in the house. For those of you working, hang your clothes before you go to bed at night to wake-up to wrinkle-free, dry clothes or hand them before you go to work to come home to the same. It’s a way to help the environment and your pocket book with little effort.

Vinegar

Looking for an environmentally friendly way of softening your clothes? Try adding 1/2-1 cup of white distilled vinegar to your rinse cycle. No joke! It does a great job of not only softening your clothes but also breaking down laundry detergent. Once vinegar dries that “vinegary” smell is gone too so you needn’t worry about smelling like a salad all day. This is also a great way for folks with sensitivities to detergents to keep their clothes nice and soft.Looking for other ways to use vinegar in the laundry or around the house? Check out The Vinegar Institute’s Uses & Tips.