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Announcing Egg Replacement Event – Pureed Fruit

Madhuram — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:12:00 +0000

I have mentioned in my earlier post that eggs act as either binders, leaveners or moisturizers. In the past 2 months we experimented substituting silken tofu and flax seed meal for eggs in a recipe, both being binders. Pureed fruit can either be a binder or a moisturizer. For detailed explanation on egg substitutes I recommend reading Carol Fenster’s book, Cooking Free: 200 Flavorful Recipes for People with Food Allergies and Multiple Food Sensitivities.

The following information about pureed fruit as an egg substitute is from Carol’s book.

When Pureed Fruit is a binder? When a recipe has only one egg but contains a fair amount of baking powder or baking soda, pureed fruit like apples, pears can be used to replace the egg.

How much to use? 3 tablespoons to replace each egg. Also increase liquid in recipe by 1 tablespoon.

When to use? Baked goods where puree flavor complements or doesn’t detract from dish’s flavor.

When Pureed Fruit is a moisturizer? The egg’s purpose is to add moisture if there are leavening agents in the recipe, but not much water or other liquid.

How much to use? 1/4 cup per egg. Increase leavening by 25-50%. Bake items slightly longer, if necessary.

When to use? Baked goods where the fuit’s flavor complements the overall dish such as applesauce in spice cakes, banana in bananan bread, apricots and pears in mild flavored dishes, and prunes in dark, heavily flavored dishes such as chocolate cake or spice cake. The natural pectin in fruits, especially prunes, traps air, which helps “lighten” baked good.

For ease of use store bought baby food without fillers, unsweetened applesauce can be used. While buying applesauce check the ingredients, because most of the brands contain high fructose corn syrup. Either go for organic applesauce (like Nature’s promise) or prepare your own at home. It’s simply cooking apples in enough water and pureeing it in a food processor or a blender.

Now for the rules of the event:

1. Bake/cook anything from cookies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, breads, tarts, pies, pancakes, waffles etc using pureed fruit (bananas, applesauce, apricots, pears, prunes) and post about it in your blog between Nov 18th 2008 and Dec 31st 2008.

2. Post the recipe in your blog, with a picture and link back to this post. Also feel free to share your experiences and tips while using the substitute regardless of the outcome. This would provide the much needed insight about that particular egg substitute.

3. Since the idea behind the event is to help those who are searching for tried and tested eggless baking recipes, you can also send me the recipes which you have posted earlier in your blog using pureed fruit as an egg substitute. Reposting of the old post is not necessary, but definitely link it to this announcement. That being said, I would really appreciate if you could try new recipes too and post it, because eggless recipes are never enough.

4. Also multiple entries are welcome more than ever for this event.

5. Email me your name, name of the recipe, recipe URL, photo in 150wx120h size to ere(at)egglesscooking.com with Pureed Fruit as the subject.

6. Non bloggers are also welcome to send your recipes, tips and picture of your creation and I will include it in the round up.

7. Last date to send your entries is the 31st of Dec 2008 and the round up will be posted in the first week of January 2009.

Check here for the round up of recipes using pureed fruit as an egg substitute.

Announcing Egg Replacement Event – Flax Seed Meal

Madhuram — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:01:17 +0000

Do you know that flax is grown both for its seeds and for fiber? Yes, don’t be surprised. Various parts of this versatile plant are used to make fiber, dye, paper, medicines and soap. The next 30 days we are going to try recipes which use these flaxseeds as egg substitutes. Flax seeds come in 2 basic varieties, brown and yellow/golden and both these types are the most concentrated source of essential omega-3 fatty acids, so it should be a part of our diet even if it is not used as an egg substitute. I top it on both cold and hot cereals, smoothies, milkshakes and salads.

How to replace eggs using flax seed meal?
For each egg to be replaced, blend in a blender/food processor 1 tablespoon flax seed with 3 tablespoons water until the mixture is thick and creamy. Update: I have a book “Sinfully Vegan” by Lois Dieterly, she has mentioned the ratio as 1 teaspoon of flax seed powder and 1/4 cup of water for every egg to be replaced. I did try her Vegan Brownies with that ratio and it came out very good. “The Joy of Vegan Baking” suggests to whisk 1 tablespoon flax seed powder and 3 tablespoons water.

Check out the recipes using flax seed meal as egg substitute from here.

Buying and Storing Flax seeds: Although ground flaxseed or flaxseed meal is readily available in the grocery stores, it is recommended to buy the whole seeds and grinding them as and when needed. Also the ground flax seed should be stored in a well sealed container in the fridge or freezer.

When can this be used as an egg substitute? Flax seed has a nutty flavor and so it works in baked goods that are grainier and nuttier, such as waffles, pancakes, bran muffins, breads and oatmeal cookies. (Source: The Joy of Vegan Cooking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)

Other interesting facts about flax seed (from Bob’s Red Mill pack):
1. Just 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal delivers 4 grams of fiber, as much fiber as 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal! Studies prove that when this is added to the diet, harmful LDL cholesterol drops,
while good HDL cholesterol stays put.

2. Flax seed contains high levels of lignans, a natural antioxidant, which can maintain breast and colon health by binding circulating estrogens that might promote unchecked cell growth. To get the
lignans that are in just 2 tablespoons of flax seed meal, you’d need to eat about 30 cups of fresh broccoli.

3. Flax seed is a mega-source for the plant version of omega-3 called Alpha-Linolenic Acid. The oil in flaxseed is about 50% ALA. One serving (which is 2 tablespoons) contains 2400 milligrams of omega-3.

Isn’t the above information enough to start including flax seed meal in our diet regularly?

Now for the rules of the event:

1. Bake/cook anything from cookies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, breads, tarts, pies, etc using flax seed meal and post about it in your blog between Oct 15th 2008 and Nov 14th 2008. It can be anything sweet, salty or spicy.

2. Post the recipe in your blog, with a picture and link back to this post. Also feel free to share your experiences and tips while using the substitute regardless of the outcome. This would provide the much needed insight about that particular egg substitute.

3. Since the idea behind the event is to help those who are searching for tried and tested eggless baking recipes, you can also send me the recipes which you have posted earlier in your blog using flaxseed meal as an egg substitute. Reposting is not necessary. That being said, I would really appreciate if you could try new recipes too and post it, because eggless recipes are never enough.

4. Also multiple entries are welcome more than ever for this event.

5. Email me your name, blog URL, name of the recipe, recipe URL, photo in 150wx120h size to ere(at)egglesscooking.com with Flax Seed Meal as the subject.

6. Non bloggers are also welcome to send your recipes, tips and picture of your creation and I will include it in the round up.

7. Last date to send your entries is the 14th of Nov 2008 and the round up will be posted after the 15th.

I will do the round-up for the Egg Replacement Event – Silken Tofu shortly.

Stay Tuned!

Easy Eggless Brownies using Brownie Mix and Flaxseed Meal

Madhuram — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:26:25 +0000

Ever since I started baking, I have used only bananas as a substitute for eggs. Bananas definitely give the moist texture for cakes and breads, but the drawback is the flavor of bananas is dominant in those baked goods. So whatever changes you make otherwise in the recipe, the end product tastes the same. For example my carrot cake and zucchini bread tasted similar. It was definitely very good, but we need some change right!

So I was searching in the net for egg substitutes and found this and this very informative. I decided to start experimenting with the various egg replacements and this is my first one using flax seed meal. I add flax seed meal in my cereal (both cold and hot), salads and even in the chapathi flour. Being vegetarians walnuts and ground flax seed are the only sources of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Ingredients
Brownie Mix of your choice (I used Duncan Hines Chocolate Lover’s Brownies Double Fudge. See My Notes for the reason)
Cold Water – 1/3 cup
Vegetable Oil – 3 tablespoons
Flax seed meal (ground flax seed) – 1 teaspoon
Water – 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract – 1 teaspoon (not mentioned in the packet)
Walnuts – 1/2 cup (optional)

Step-by-Step Procedure With Images (Click on the thumbnails for a bigger view)
1. Preheat oven to 350F (325F for glass pans)
2. Empty brownie mix into bowl.
3. Add 1/3 cup cold water.
4. Add 3 tablespoons oil. (Actually 1/3 cup of oil was mentioned in the packet)

5. In a small cup add the flax seed meal and slowly add the water and whisk it with a fork and add it to the brownie mix.
6. I chose to add vanilla extract also.
7. Stir everything until well blended (about 40-50 strokes)

8. Now add the nuts and combine it once again.
9. Generously grease the brownie pan. I used a non stick 8″x8″ pan.
10. Spread the mixture in the pan.

11. Bake it anywhere between 30-38 minutes. (Check the instructions in the package for detailed baking time). I baked mine for 40 minutes. But I think I should have taken it around 38 minutes itself, because I had little cracks on the top. That was the only negative thing with these brownies, otherwise they were unbelievably moist and gooey. We did not taste the flax seed at all. Just be sure that the brownie cools out completely before you can cut into squares.

My Notes
1. Buying the brownie mix – If you are a vegetarian, be sure to check the ingredients, because some brands contain lard, tallow (animal fat). The brand I chose did not have animal fat.

2. I bought the double fudge brownies, which had a chocolate syrup pack, which had to be added to the brownie batter. But I omitted it because this was the first time I was going to bake brownies and that too without eggs. So I did not want to experiment too much.

3. Egg substitute: I came across in many books and websites that ground flax seed is a good substitute for eggs while baking. But the ratio of flax seed meal to water was different in each and every place. I recently bought a vegan cook book and there were a lot of baking recipes using flax seed meal. So I decided to used the proportion given in that book. For every egg in a recipe, use 1 teaspoon of flax seed meal mixed with 1/4 cup of water.

4. Checking the doneness of brownies: I read in the same book that inserting a toothpick to check the doneness does not work for brownies. Instead “the touch test” was recommended. When you touch the top of the brownies, it should not leave an indentation. If it does, the batter is still soft, so you need to bake it for another couple of minutes.

This my entry for Egg Replacement Event – Flax Seed Meal, hosted by me.