Egg-Free Solutions/Substitutes

When I was working at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe in Denver back in 1999 my most favorite thing on the menu was Chicken Pad Thai. I love pad thai, the noodles, the spicy chilis, fish sauce, tofu (or shrimp or chicken), mung bean sprouts, various veggies and egg.

My then fiance, Aron, and his friend John had just come into town came to eat at the newly-opened Wolfgang Puck Cafe at the Denver Pavilions. I almost always suggested the pad thai. When this friend told me that he was allergic to chicken I almost fell off my chair...although I was standing up at the time! I had never heard of anyone being allergic to chicken!

From that time in 1999 to now the idea of food allergies has spread like wildfire! I don't know what sparked this discovery but it seems that everyone has some sort of food allergy. If it's not a food allergy then it is a dietary restriction of some sort or another. Seeing as how half the people in the U.S. are overweight, if not obese, a huge percentage of people are on some sort of diet. Everyone is always looking for a quick fix to lose weight but it really comes down to diet and exercise for most.

Anyway, I digress. Today I wanted to give you all some substitutions for those of you who are allergic to eggs, yes eggs. My Auntie Sheila is one of those people and I wanted to dedicate this blog post to her.

I know my aunt loves to bake, as do I and when I was recently asked by my sister-in-law to bake a cake for my niece for her 1st birthday I couldn't be more excited...especially when I knew I would have to bake her an extra-special cake due to her food allergies. The cake was supposed to be egg-free, nut-free, dairy-free and I threw in the gluten-free just for fun! My sister-in-law sent me the list of egg substitutes...yes, most cakes require eggs in them...that her doctor had given her:

To replace 1 egg in a recipe use one of the following:

• 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon of liquid, and 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon of apricot puree
• 1/4 cup of applesauce
• egg replacer (Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G brands work great)

This is only about using eggs in baking. I'm not saying that you want to have a side of baking powder, liquid and vinegar with some bacon and toast! 

I found a recipe on www.egglesscooking.com for egg-free pancakes that I can't wait to try!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 CupAll Purpose Flour
• 1 TeaspoonSugar
• 1/4 TeaspoonGround Cinnamon
• 2 TeaspoonsBaking Powder
• 1 CupMilk (I Used 2%)
• 1 TablespoonVegetable Oil
• 1 TablespoonWater
• 1 TeaspoonVanilla Extract
• 2 TablespoonsButter

PROCEDURE:

1. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. In a liquid measuring mug, measure 1 cup milk. To that add the vegetable oil, water and vanilla extract.
3. Stir in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Do not over-mix. Lumps are perfectly fine. Set aside for a couple of minutes.
4. Heat a griddle at medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot add the butter and let it melt.
5. Add the melted butter to the pancake batter and return the pan to the stove. Mix the butter into the batter.
6. When the pan is hot enough, pour a ladleful of batter on the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on the face of the pancake.
7. Carefully flip the pancake and cook until its golden brown.