Well, the price of eggs is currently rocketing up, and it doesn’t look like they are going to come down for a while.

Now, eggs are marvelous things and it’s nearly impossible to replace them (over easy is my favorite way, and you can’t easily fake those), but for some things, you can use something else.

If you know me, you know I love my pulses. So I will let you know there is something lurking in a can of chick peas/ceci/garbanzo beans/ chana dal (I will never for the life of me know why the shortest names isn’t the one we settled on).

So get your can of ceci. Open it and strain it, SAVING THE LIQUID. That liquid is called ‘aquafaba’ or ‘bean water’. And 3 T of it will replace an egg in baking or cooking. Can you fry it over easy? No. Can you use it as a binder in your meatloaf? Yes. Can you use it in place of your egg bath when breading something? Yes. Can you use it in baking? Yes. Can you use it as an egg wash? Yes- but it will only brown, not get glossy.

Can you make angel food cake with it? Yes- but it will take a LOT of beating. But yes, meringues can be made out of it.

So, for scrambling and frying and dipping toast into, you’d have to splurge on real eggs. But for cornbread or brownies or breaded pork chops, you can use a little bean juice instead. And ceci just has no real color or flavor, so it works very well. It also freezes, so you can just pop a serving out when you need it.

And what to do with those beans (peas) that are leftover? Well, other than making hummus (who doesn’t love hummus?) I’m going to share with you a ceci salad and a ceci ‘scramble’— both good ways to eat them that are slightly eggy in their own way.

So get a medium sized fry pan and cook

      1/8 of an onion, diced

            1T oil

For about 3-5 minutes. Add

            2 cloves garlic minced

Cook about 1 minute. Add

1 cup ceci

            ¼ tsp turmeric

            Salt and black pepper

Mash and heat through. Add

            Pinch cayenne

            1 tsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp parsley, minced

Serve it up. A bowl of that is a large breakfast and a great way to get your pulses in.

And a ceci salad that is decent on crackers or as a sandwich filling:

2 cups ceci (about 1 can), slightly mashed

1 dill pickle, minced (or pickle of your choice)

¼ cup red onion, diced

Mix those in a bowl. Dress with a mixture of these, and serve.

            2T mayo (use vegan if you are)

            2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp prepared mustard

            ¼ tsp each salt and pepper

1/8 tsp turmeric

That’s that. Of course, trade out ingredients you hate or don’t have, but the turmeric does help the color and flavor. I made the salad the other day, so I have a photo of that.  

And here is hoping the prices go back down…