One of the foods I miss most since going vegan is without a doubt, the egg. I didn't just have one favorite way of eating eggs, I embraced them all: omelet, over medium, scrambled, Benedict... I went so far as to purchase my eggs from a local organic farmer to purchasing duck eggs from a farmer across the country when I learned I was allergic to chicken eggs. Then I learned I was allergic to all eggs, regardless of who laid it...sigh. But recently, I came across, The Vegg, a vegan egg yolk. I was intrigued, could this replace my beloved egg?
What is it...
It's important to remember, that this is only the yolk, that golden liquidy goodness inside the egg, so this product doesn't actually replace the entire egg experience.
It's made with minimal, 100% plant-based ingredients: fortified nutritional yeast (dry yeast, niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, thiamin hydrochloride, folic acid, B12), sodium alginate, black sea salt, beta carotene. The black sea salt, is what gives this products it's "egg" taste.
By blending (must use a mini-blender to get the correct consistency) 1/4 cup water with just 1 tsp of Vegg powder, you get 2-3 egg yolks, which doesn't actually look like a lot, but go with it.
What to do with it...
Back in the day I would have gleefully dipped bacon into straight up yolk. So, I wasn't actually sure what to do with just the yolk present day.First, I tried to make scrambled eggs, using just the yolk. It was, well...yolky and not that great. Then I did some research and learned that I was supposed to mix the yolk with some crumbled tofu in order to mimic scrambled eggs. The result, definitely looked like scrambled eggs in both color and texture. Actually smelled like eggs from the sulfur standpoint. But it was very runny, turns out I was supposed to add a thickening agent like Kuzu Root or Corn Starch.
While I will try again, I'm not sold on it's omelet enhancement ability, luckily there are a bunch of recipes to experiment with...perhaps a frittata?
Where is it...
I ended up getting my stash from Amazon for $11 bucks. A little pricey for a 1.56 oz package, but that will yield 30-40 yolks and 10% of the net sales goes to Compassion Over Killing (until 2014).
If Amazon isn't your thing, Vegg is also available here.
Try it...
Jury is still out for me, more experimenting is required before I can give this product the Healthy Hoff approval. But from a whole-foods, plant-based, oil-free perspective, this product is too legit. Give it a try, it could become a breakfast staple.
Check it out!
The Hoff
