It’s Time to “Fall” in Love… with Good Nutrition
Focus: New Substitutes for Favorite Recipes
Have you ever been in the kitchen preparing a dish only to discover that you don’t have an ingredient needed for your recipe? I think we all have! Well, if that ingredient happens to be an egg (or two), then you may have some options!
Look at your recipe. What is the purpose of the egg in the dish? Is it acting as a binder, a provider of moisture, an emulsifier, etc. such as it would in a quick bread (banana bread, cornbread, etc.)? …or is it the star (scrambled eggs or a frittata)? If it falls within the first category then there are some easy substitutions, including one you may not have tried before. If, however, it is a star ingredient, thengo borrow from a neighbor, run to the store, or simply eat something else!
Egg Substitute (vegan):
For each egg that you wish to replace, mix 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal (simply ground flax seeds) + 3 tablespoons of water. Let this sit for one to two minutes. You can microwave this combination for 30 seconds, if you would like, to help set the mixture. Simply add to the recipe, as you would an egg!
You can actually plan to make this substitution! Flax seeds (and flax seed meal) store well. For longest shelf life, store in the refrigerator or freezer. By making this easy substitution, you are reducing the Calories, saturated fat, sodium and cholesterol, while increasing beneficial monounsaturated fats, fiber, and plant sterols.
Here’s an example recipe you can try with the egg substitute!
Jalapeño Cornbread
2 cups ground corn meal (whole kernel, not degerminated), like Bob’s Red Mill brand
2 cups 100% white whole wheat flour
1 tsp reduced sodium salt (or ¾ tspregular salt)
2 Tbsp + 2 tsp. baking powder
3 packets of Truvia ® (or equivalent amount of another non-nutritive sweetener of your choice)
2 egg equivalents (2 T ground flax seeds briefly cooked in 6 T water until gel like consistency)
2 cups fat free milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cans of no salt added creamed corn
4-6 diced jalapeño peppers (or to taste!)
Baker’s Joy (oil spray with flour already in it)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix the flax seed meal with the water & microwave for approximately 30 – 40 seconds. Stir, set aside, and let cool. Carefully chop jalapeño peppers. Combine all remaining wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Mix the dry into the wet until just combined. Do not over mix!
Bake in a greased 16 x 9 pan for 25+ minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.Cut into 32squares. Per serving: 115Calories, 18 grams carb, 4 grams fat, 3 grams of protein,256mg sodium, and 3 gmfiber
Modified from Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread Recipe