The "New" Way or A New Name for an "Old Way"

  I am learning....always learning.  Since my daughter is a vegan, I have taken it upon myself to learn to cook in her preferred style.  Not that she asks me to do such or that I must do this, I just do.  I feel that if I can create dishes that are delicious enough for my non-vegan family members, perhaps holiday meals will be simpler.  Yes, I will still prepare some meat courses for those who refuse to do without but I want to be able to offer her some special dishes as well.  So...I am learning.  

  First, there is a vast difference between being vegan and being vegetarian.  Darling Daughter dabbled in the vegetarian mode for a few years due to stomach problems.  It helped tremendously with her ailments and then one thing led to another and she became vegan.  She eats no meat or dairy which includes eggs.  No eggs!  I am a baker of sorts.  Nigh on every week, I bake at least five out of the seven days. Sometimes, I get oven happy and bake two or three times during a day just because the notion strikes me.  It was hard for me to find anything that I could bake for her.  Most every baked good has eggs or at least the recipe calls for eggs...along with butter, cheese or milk.  None of which are included in a vegan diet.  This called for a bit of improvising.  

  Today's dessert was made entirely vegan. I made a cake topping for some blackberries that I had on hand. I used applesauce instead of butter, almond milk instead of dairy milk and an egg replacement instead of eggs.  It turned out delightfully delicious!  Now before you go thinking that I rushed to the store to buy an egg replacement product, let me assure you that I am not one to dash off to the store when I am in need of something.  I "make do".  This bit of substitutions is not new by any means.  Our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents (and so on) all did it when times were lean.  They just did not have ready-made products to use.  Instead they experimented with what worked and made use of everything.  This idea is something we should all try.  Nowadays, we have all become so accustomed to having everything handed to us that we cannot think on our own.  Hmmm...that, my friends, is not a good thing.  

   Instead of some prepackaged product, my egg substitute was aquafaba.  What, may you ask, is that? Well, my friends, aquafaba is most likely a name create by someone who thought the term "bean juice" had a nasty ring to it.  Well, I do suppose if you are going to market something, it needs some fancy-smancy name.  However!  Here is the beauty of aquafaba!  There is no real reason to buy it if dried or canned beans (not green beans) are in your pantry. A can of white beans or chickpeas can yield quite a bit of the bean juice.  I suppose other beans can be used if you do not mind the color.  You can also cook up a pot of the lighter colored dried beans (think white beans, lima beans, navy beans or chickpeas.).  Before...BEFORE...you add any seasoning that makes those beans tasty, scoop out a good bunch of the water or juice.  It will seem thick and cloudy but that is a-ok! It is not the prettiest thing in your larder but that is a-ok!  It is something that you normally discard and using it is quite a-ok!   After you snag your bean juice, cool and store in the fridge (for up to a week) until you need an egg for baked goods.  Three tablespoons of the juice will make a fine substitute for each egg in a recipe.  Or, if you make hummus with canned chickpeas, save the juice when you drain the peas!  Perfect! Bean juice...errr...aquafaba does not change the taste of cakes, muffins, pancakes, waffles, puddings or anything else that calls for an egg. To be honest, you can even make fluffy meringue with the stuff!  (That is the true test of an egg replacement, now isn't it?) It does the same thing as the egg but is vegan-friendly.  It can also save you a mad dash to the store if you are short of eggs and you just have a craving for some tasty treat.  If you have a can of beans, make hummus to snack while you bake with the bean juice!  Now you know....the "new way" has been around for quite some time!