The Great Vegan Butter, Cheese, and Eggs Debate

So what is the best vegan "butter"? Many people think it is Earth Balance, which I have successfully substituted for real butter in baked goods. Unlike most margarines, it contains no hydrogenated oils. Coconut oil also seems to work well. The creative Mel at A Virtual Vegan has come up with a recipe for Easy Vegan Butter that I need to try.

I have yet to taste a good non-liquid vegan cheese, but I haven't really experimented with many. I'll keep trying ...

I have, however, a recipe for cashew bechamel sauce that is to die for!

The very creative Mel at A Virtual Vegan just came up with a recipe for Vegan Cheese Sauce that sounds delicious. It includes tofu and nutritional yeast. I plan to try it out tonight with elbow macaroni. By hook or by crook, I'll sneak healthy ingredients down the gullets of my finicky family members!

Update: I made it, and it was good! I will probably add a little white miso if I try it again.

I also have a recipe for vegan mozzarella here. This one uses cashew nuts and vegan coconut yogurt. Shout out to Dana at Minimalist Baker for those recipes!

As for eggs, the only substitute I have tried (and it seems to work well in cakes) is 1/4 cup of applesauce per egg. One can also apparently substitute 1/4 cup of mashed banana or mashed silken tofu per egg. Other egg substitutes: mix 1 tsp of baking soda with 1 tsp of white vinegar; or mix 1 Tbsp of either flax meal or chia seeds with 3 Tbsp of hot water per egg. Then there are several commercial egg replacers one can buy at the supermarket.

An intriguing egg substitute is aquafaba, the brine from canned legumes. Usually chick pea brine is used. Three tablespoons of aquafaba is equivalent to one egg. Each can of chick peas produces 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup (or about eight to 12 tablespoons) of aquafaba.  One can also beat aquafaba with a little cream of tartar, sugar, and vanilla extract, to produce aquafaba meringue. I have to give that a try.

Update: There's a good discussion of egg substitutes at One Green Planet here.

Mel (again) has a fabulous-sounding recipe for Earl Grey Vegan Cake with Lemon Frosting that she bakes with aquafaba and her own vegan butter. I really have to try that one!