Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

0

It's terrific that we can substitute traditional grain-based flours with almond flour and coconut flours when baking Paleo. My gf's really into the Paleo deal -- she feels a major improvement in managing her asthma since cutting out gluten, dairy and sugar -- but she also finds that eggs trigger her asthma. Can anyone suggest alternatives to eggs for baked good recipes? The only thing we've been able to find is "Ener-G Egg Replacer." We bought some, but haven't tried it yet -- I'm a little wary of the last two ingredients on the label:

Ingredients: Potato Starch, tapioca starch flour, leavening (calcium lactate [not derived from dairy], calcium carbonate, citric acid), sodium carboxymethylcellulose, methylcellulosesubstitute.

As a side note -- GF was vegan for a number of years, if that has any bearing. She changed her lifestyle when she had her daughter, because she began feeling weak and sickly. We wonder if her years of living on a vegan diet created some intolerances to eggs -- and can she work them back into her diet somehow? Or is she probably simply allergic to them?

Thanks in advance!

flag	asked Jul 12 2011 at 18:37 Albert 1,947●3●11

	Do you know if both the yolks and whites give her problems, or just one or the other? – Carl_Stawicki Jul 12 2011 at 18:42
	Both, based on her own bio-assays. – Albert Jul 12 2011 at 19:39

Simibee · Accepted Answer · 2011-07-12 18:50:15Z UTC

To my layman eyes, the egg replacement just seems like it would act as a binding agent that adds thickness and density. Mashed bananas or applesauce will act in much the same way, and also provide the moistness that eggs would.

However, the more egg that a recipe calls for, the less successful a substitution will be, especially as the flavour of the fruit becomes stronger/the structural demands become greater.

EDIT: I just remembered some vegan friends talking about pureed silken tofu as an egg substitute, although obviously this is not Paleo.

Pale-O-Girl · Answer 2 · 2011-07-13 19:47:18Z UTC

Chia gel. (Yes, ch-ch-ch-chia.)

I haven't tried baking with it but I've made the gel and can believe it would be a good substitute.

It's conventionally touted as being an egg-replacer for vegans. And it's ridiculously healthy, all-natural, no chemicals, you can make it at home and control the thickness according to what you're using it for. Supposedly there isn't any taste to it but that part, I'm skeptical about.

http://reallifenaturalhealth.com/chia-gel-egg-replacement-or-thickener-vegan.html

Bread-Eating Beelzebub · Answer 3 · 2011-07-12 19:05:11Z UTC

I would suggest looking into raw vegan desserts. Yeah, they have a ton of nuts, but so do regular "paleo" baked goods. It's not like you bake to be healthy, you bake because you want an occasional treat without totally wrecking your health. I hope to do a raw vegan coconut wedding cake when I get married. And raw "unbaking" at least doesn't oxidize the fat in nuts, which can make them rancid and bad for you. Either way, I love this blog: http://g0lubka.blogspot.com/

vegan culinary crusade (lol that I use that blog) has some good ones too http://www.veganculinarycrusade.com/

but there are MANY raw vegan cookbooks and blogs out there.

This blog has a few actually baked non-grain vegan things: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/recipes/recipe-index/

But mostly I don't bake when I make treats, I make low-sugar coconut milk ice cream from this book http://www.amazon.com/Ice-Dream-Cookbook-Rachel-Albert-Matesz/dp/0964126729

sarak · Answer 4 · 2011-07-12 19:20:43Z UTC

1

It really depends on what the eggs are doing in the recipe. If they are there for moisture then apple sauce, mashed banana, pumpkin puree, etc. . . are all good choice.

If they are needed for leavening its a little bit harder - you might try baking soda and seltzer water with a little extra fat.

Also, I definitely second looking to vegan cooking blogs for ideas - they tend to be pretty crafty when it comes to baking.

answered Jul 12 2011 at 19:20

sarak

community wiki

Looking at the specific recipe we're aching to try (civilizedcavemancooking.com/2011/06/…), I think the eggs are included primarily for binding. But I may be misunderstanding the science behind baking. – Albert Jul 12 2011 at 19:41

1

You're right. In this case I would add some coconut oil and mashed banana or applesauce to replace the eggs. It won't stay together quite as well but should still taste great. – sarak Jul 13 2011 at 15:13

Thanks much, sarak! – Albert Jul 13 2011 at 15:26

Senneth · Answer 5 · 2011-07-12 20:42:45Z UTC

I use homemade pear sauce (just pear, water, and lemon juice cooked down and pureed in blender). I freeze it into ice cube sized portions and I have found it can replace 1 egg in baking, perfectly, the catch is it only works for recipes that call for 1 egg. I use two ice cubes for 1 egg replacement.

Happy Now · Answer 6 · 2011-07-13 19:54:23Z UTC

A spoonful of flax seeds mixed with water in a blender make a good egg substitute for baking. It bears a remarkable slippy-slimy resemblance to egg whites after sitting for a few minutes, and binds in the same way. I think the book I got that out of was called "Cooking Free". Some googling could probably get you the right proportion for seeds to water.

Egg substitutes?

6 Answers