MORE NATURALLY COLOURED EASTER EGGS

Continued from my previous post....
I've done more egg colouring myself and what I've come up with are some interesting results.
I tried the beet dye with 1-1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar and left the boiled eggs in the dye for about 24 hrs.

The eggs did take on some dye, but more of a brown-pink color. Unlike the actual deep burgundy colour of the dye itself.

This was the red cabbage leaf dye.  I made it by boiling about 3 large cabbage leaves in 2 cups of water and letting them soften.  After cooling a bit I poured only the dye into a jar and added the boiled eggs and 1-1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar.  They were in the dye for about 24 hrs.






This one is my favourite.   Wouldn't have believed that purple cabbage could make such a nice  blue. When the eggs first came out of the dye, they were the bright blue colour like the egg to the bottom left of the bowl.  As I let them sit out to dry, they took on more of a teal shade, which I find to be very nice, and interesting that they could even change colours after merely drying. Really cool!

Such a nice yellow tone the turmeric makes.  In this jar is 2 Tablespoons of  turmeric I boiled in 2 cups of water.  I added 1-1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar to  the dye into a glass jar, and placed the boiled eggs in too.  The turmeric settled to the bottom of the jar, so every time I went into the fridge, I gave the jar a twist and gentle shake to move around the colour.

This jar has been moved and shaken so the turmeric solution is all over the eggs.








The eggs were in this jar for about 24 hours and took on a pale yellow hue.  Not as dark as the colour in the jar itself, but still a nice yellow.
I actually expected more of a brighter colour.  These turned out more pastel.

This jar has the about half package of frozen spinach leaves that were boiled with 1 Tablespoon of greens+ powder. I poured the whole works into the jar with the boiled eggs and 1-1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar. These were in the fridge for about 24 hours too.  As you can tell, the eggs still seem very white.

The eggs out of the jar have a very pale dark green colour.  I didn't think the eggs would pick up the dark green of the spinach, as it hadn't dyed the water very much anyway.
But the eggs did still take on a bit of the green.






Here's my bowl of naturally coloured Easter eggs.  Blue, yellow, pinky-brown and pale green.  I guess not too bad considering these are all naturally made.  I really love the blue/teal colour the best.  It came out the most vibrant of all of the colours.  The yellow I like the second best as the color did take quite nicely.
Maybe next year I'll have to try something different to get more vibrant colours to adhere to the eggs. Any suggestions are welcome.

I think that's enough eggs for this year.  Lots to eat!
Hmm.... devilled eggs, egg salad sandwiches, sliced eggs on a spinach salad....
...no problem,  they'll all be gone in no time.

Eat Well.

NATURALLY COLOURED EASTER EGGS

Whether you scramble them, beat them or color them, eggs are actually beneficial for you. They've gotten a bad rap in the past for their bad cholesterol, but eggs also contribute to your bodies good cholesterol.
Being a lacto-ovo vegetarian myself,  I do eat eggs and reap the benefits from them.

Benefits

Eggs are an excellent source of protein.
They contain B vitamins, including vitamin B12 (essential for proper nerve function),
vitamins A and D, zinc and iron.
They are also a source of  the antioxidant lutein (linked to a reduced risk of macular degeneration - leading cause in blindness in older adults)
They contain lecithin which is a good source of choline. Choline helps metabolise fat, is an essential component of cell membranes and nerve tissue.  It helps rid the accumulation of fat in the liver and even helps repair some types of neurological damage. Good for early brain development and memory later in life.

The Cholesterol Issue
A large egg contains about 70 calories.
6 grams of protein
5 grams of fat (less than 2g is saturated fat)
190 mg cholesterol
In most healthy people, it is the total fat that has the most affect on cholesterol levels. These include the saturated fat (found in fatty meat, chicken skin, full fat dairy products, coconut and palm oil) and trans fat (found in processed and snack foods).
Those people who already have high cholesterol levels it is suggested to limit egg yolk consumption to 3-4 a week max.  Only the yolks of the eggs contain the cholesterol.  The egg whites don't need any restriction.  The egg whites can replace a whole egg, with a 2 to 1 ratio.  2 egg whites to 1 whole egg.  These can be used in baked goods and omelets. Egg whites instead of a whole egg can be beaten  to coat fish or meat for breading before frying or baking.

Omega 3 eggs (the ones I eat) come from chickens who are fed a high flax seed diet.  The yolks are rich in omega 3 polyunsaturated fats associated with lower risk of heart disease and stroke. These eggs are a better source of vitamin E than regular eggs.  Great for beautiful glowing skin.

There is a myth in the grocery world stating that brown eggs are more nutritious than white shelled eggs.  This is exactly that, a myth.  The only reason the shells are different colours is that different breeds of chickens lay different coloured eggs, that's it!

Speaking of coloured eggs.  Easter is fast approaching and I would like to share some information I found regarding colouring eggs naturally.  Follow this link         http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidayhowtos/a/eastereggdyes.htm
 and the information is yours.

Add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cups of natural liquid dye.  The Paas Easter egg dye kits that  I've been using for years recommends 3 tablespoons of vinegar to 1cup of water/dye.  So I guess depending on how vibrant of a color wanted for your Easter eggs depends on how much vinegar to add.  Also, I wouldn't recommend boiling the eggs and natural dye ingredients together.....

For the perfect hard boiled egg,
The eggs need to be put in a pot and covered by about 1" of cold water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off heat and put a lid on the pot.  Let stand 15 minutes and then rinse them in cold water.  This will result in the perfect hard boiled egg.  Perfectly soft in texture and a bright yellow yolk, no grey edges around the yolk, and cooked through.

.....Therefore if the dye and eggs are boiled together.  The eggs will either be overcooked from continuous cooking for maximum colour absorption or the partially absorbed dye will be washed off, when the eggs are being cold rinsed.
I recommend boiling the eggs first and then letting them sit in the natural dye in the fridge until desired colour is achieved. Maybe a day or two is possible.
If you are going to attempt the beet colour, I don't recommend boiling the beets with the skin on.  This will result in a dirty pinky red colour.  Not very attractive.  Try boiling skinless beets instead and let the water cool.  Then add the vinegar and boiled eggs and let the colour absorption begin.
Here is another awesome site I found,  http://radmegan.blogspot.ca/2012/03/natural-egg-dye-rainbow-of-options.html

I will be trying some more colours on my own.
I'll keep you posted........

These are the eggs still in the beet dye I tried earlier.  Colour looks pretty here.

Colour on the eggs is not so pretty here. These have been in the dye for about 24 hours or so. Unfortunately turned out more brown than "pink".

By the way,
One more quick tid bit about eggs.
They are considered a "complete protein". Protein is made up of 20 different amino acids.  9 of these acids our body cannot make and need to be obtained from food and so called essential amino acids.  Foods that contain all 9 essential amino acids are called "complete protein" foods.
This is especially important to vegetarians who only get their protein from plant sources and only sometimes eggs.

Eat Well.