Xanthan Gum = CORN

From my previous post about Xanthan Gum, I thought I understood that Xanthan Gum came from a strain of bacteria that is used during the fermentation process. The same bacteria that causes black rot on broccoli and cauliflower. "The slimy substance formed by the bacteria during the fermentation process that acts as a natural stabilizer or thickener and gluten replacement."  
I thought I understood that it didn't contain corn. That the sugars found in Xanthan gum were just also present in corn sugar, and after being processed, the sugars were much like that of cornstarch?? I was quite confused.. But... I think I'm finding differently and understanding...
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-xanthan-gum.htm

"When Xanthomonas campestris was combined with corn sugar, the result was a colorless slime called xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is considered a polysaccharide in scientific circles, because it is a long chain of three different forms of sugar. What's important to know is that all three of these natural sugars are present in corn sugar, a derivative of the more familiar corn syrup. The Xanthomonas campestris bacteria literally eat a supply of this corn sugar under controlled conditions, and the digestion process converts the individual sugars into a single substance with properties similar to cornstarch."

What-exactly-is-xanthan-gum? - this is a good article. 

Okay... All of these breads and baked goods in the health food/organic stores... shouldn't be there! BLEH. No wonder Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes really gave me bad indegestion! However, I still appreciate the creators of Cherrybrook Kitchen and there mission. But, I am SO glad I didn't buy any Xanthan Gum to experiment with. 

http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/sugars.html

Agave-nectar

I just purchased some agave-nectar and arrowroot! I thought about Xanthum gum.. but I'm not sure about using that yet.. I'm excited to do some experimenting! We'll see what kind of taste the agave-nectar gives as a sweetener. I wonder if it has a distinct taste. They say it doesn't have an after taste like many artificial  sweeteners and it will also still give the baked goods a nice golden finish, unlike artificial sweeteners. And agave-nectar is much better for you and better for diabetics..    

What is Xanthan & Guar Gum & why are they gluten food replacements...

After realizing that Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum are ingredients in a lot of allergy friendly and gluten free goods, I wondered .. what exactly is this ingredient? I've found it being used for many recipes and also in gluten free bread, and Cherrybrook Kitchen (pancake, brownie, cookie) mixes..
I started wondering what exactly it was because products that seem to have a lot of it.. I have felt like it is really weird for my body to digest. Especially Cherrybrook Kitchen pancakes in which I have tried. Not really sure.. Maybe it's not even this ingredient bothering me and more all of the starches being used?? But this article is a bit interesting and explains what the ingredients are, What is Xanthan & Guar Gum & Why are they Gluten Food Replacements? .

BabyCakes Bakery

BabyCakes NYC

BabyCakes is good for you. "In a city dominated by cupcakes overflowing with sugar, flour and butter cream, it’s easy for those with persnickety diets to feel left out. BabyCakes offers all-natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Rest assured, all sweeteners have been chosen responsibly and used sparingly. White sugar will never be found in our bakery, nor will we ever use toxic chemical sweeteners. Instead, most products are sweetened with agave nectar—a natural syrup from a cactus which is low on the glycemia index and often a safe alternative to most non-insulin dependant diabetics. Occasionally, unprocessed and unrefined sugar is used in certain goods, although sparingly."

Erin McKenna, gorgeous at 33 years old, was diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergies in 2004. She faced what she thought was a life free of pies, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and other baked goods. She seemed to be trapped. She refused to accept such an unfavorable future. She did her research and experimented. She also became more aware of healthy eating and natural foods. She soon opened BabyCakes, an all vegan bakery also focusing on gluten and allergy friendly desserts! The bakery is well known in New York and cupcake-crazy Manhattans cherish the place. The bakeries cupcakes are frequently talked about and have been named the best in the city by New York magazine. The bakery is soon opening a shop in Los Angeles. View an Interview with Erin from Diets in Review   - Very interesting interview, telling a bit about her story and wanting to figure things out and help others.

BabyCake's cookie sandwiches look delicious! 

Babycakes also has a cookbook that shows recipes that are vegan, some gluten free, sugar free, etc. The book shares ingredients used and tips for healthy allergy friendly desserts. She gives tips for vegan/sugar free/gluten free versions of classic favorites like apple pie, blondies, red velvet cake, chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and more! She also explains how to dye frostings without artificial food coloring! For these recipes, specialty ingredients are required - agave nectar, xanthan gum (often used as a substitute for wheat gluten), coconut oil, and others. These items can be a bit pricey, but may be ordered easily online. 

AMAZING! I LOVE THIS VIDEO PROMOTING THEIR BOOK! 

BabyCakes, the Book of Recipes: It's Here! from BabyCakes NYC on Vimeo.



"Here's what it really takes to start your own Bakery, Wine Store, and Restaurant" - Article in NY Magazine featuring Erin McKenna


Erin on Martha Stewart - Even Erin uses applesauce to replace egg!



http://www.babycakesnyc.com/2009/11/guideposts-december-2009-issue.html

 "If you feel it in your heart, you must go for what is tugging at you." - Erin 

(Resources Babycakes.com and Publishers Weekly)

CHOCOLATE! OHHH CHOCOLATE!

100% Chocolate Cafe  located in Kyobashi is a cafe dedicated to chocolate. Chocolate is used in all of the food and drinks. They offer 56 different types of solid square chocolate, numbered 1-56.  Can't tell what is being said on their website.. but... I thinkkkk... I want to go there.

Chocolateeeeee cake. Oh MY!

 http://www.meiji.co.jp/shopping/choco-cafe/chocolatecake/index2.php

I also really enjoy there simple packaging design. Focusing on the text.. plain, clear, clean, and a sense of freshness = refreshing.  Kind of the Vitamin Water packaging approach. It gives a feeling of Pureness. PURE chocolate. mmmmm!

Wedding Invitations... a work in progress.

A preview of wedding invitations for my brother.  A quick layout to figure out the order of things, so text changes need to be made for sure.. 

Bake Like a Vegan

Krissy's Cookies, Los Angeles


Organic, Sugar Free, Vegan, Wheat Free, Natural, additive Free, No Preservatives, or unpronounceable ingredients.


"We are innately sweet lovers. We just need the proper ingredients to feed our bodies and our hearts! I want the world to know what healthy feels like, looks like, and tastes like."   


Krissy Welch has gone years with focusing on her health. She has come to really care about health and good eating. Her story is lovely. Her story and website seem promising.. I'd like to order some of her goods and try them out for myself.  

Graduation Cakes

CORN FREE FROSTING

http://www.cookingallergyfree.com/forums/5/topics/54

So as I've mentioned, I am allergic to corn and egg.. I discovered this within the last year and am still trying to cope. I've continued to think that I am just not able to really eat icing, such as buttercream, which I usually use for cake decorating. I've always had in my head that icing is almost pure corn products. I thought confectioners sugar was pretty much pure cornstarch and there was no way working around it... I never thought about how just different starches can possibly be used. The site above gives some ideas and solutions! It mentions that extra fine sugar can be mixed with safe starches such as arrowroot or tapioca... or even rice powder. I know a lot of egg allergy friendly breads, brownies, etc, often use tapioca starch. I wonder if I can find tapioca starch at local Health Food Stores. ..

for an easier method, this site offers powdered sugar with the fine sugar/tapioca combination..
http://www.allergygrocer.com/miss-roben-s-gluten-free-corn-free-powdered-confectioner-s-cane-sugar.html
This site seems amazing.. you can shop by allergen and select the foods in which you can not have and it gives a large list of products for you.

FAAN and Replacing Egg

I just found the FAAN website (The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network). It is very helpful and gives many allergy friendly recipes, tips, information, support group information, and etcetera. Their mission is to raise public awareness, to provide advocacy and education, and to advance research on behalf of all those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis. FAAN membership stands at about 27,000 people and includes families, dietitians, nurses, physicians, school staff, and reps from gov. agencies and the food and pharmaceutical industries.  Looking at the site, there are no support groups in South Dakota that are listed. They ask to email them if interested in starting a group. It'd be interesting to start a group and work together with other individuals and help inform those less aware. 


I found this recipe a bit interesting, pretty plain and simple, but a way to go without egg... Chocolatey Chocolate Cake - FAAN .
I want to do a bunch of research and try to come up with the best way to substitute egg in different recipes.  I also want to continue researching about food allergies and understand everything better. I'm going to try this method of replacing egg and experiment with this recipe. Also, maybe a cream cheese frosting or something not containing confectioners sugar.. 
Here are other substitutions for egg listed by FAAN:
   * 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 T. liquid, 1 T. vinegar
    * 1 tsp. yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water
    * 1 1/2 T. water, 1 1/2 T. oil, 1 tsp. baking powder
    * 1 packet gelatin, 2 T. warm water. Do not mix until ready to use.


Also, I have used Flax Seed in many recipes. 
1 Tablespoon Milled Flax Seed dissolved in 3 Tablespoons warm water, will replace one egg. Since flax seed is very oily, I found it works best in more dry baked goods like oatmeal cookies or muffins. I've tried it in brownies, but it didn't turn out. One would definitely have to alter normal recipes and use less oil when using flax.


From past experience, different substitutions work better for different recipes. Especially things like brownies that already contain a lot of oil. I guess this all seems a bit common sense, but a bit helpful in understanding what to pair baking powder with and how a recipe works. I want to continue to learn about the chemical process of baking and how things work, for that is where I am lacking. 


Just wanted to share this very important website. I'll post my experimenting soon. Also.. I am making a couple of Graduation cakes coming up for college graduates. I am excited. I went to Hobby Lobby and Michaels last week and got many new cake decorating tools!  I was suppose to be helping with wedding ideas, but I was distracted and ecstatic by the baking isles  :) 

Egg Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

So I've been craving banana bread and wanting to make banana bread for several weeks now, but kept putting it off. I finally made some with my over ripe bananas. I made some normal banana bread with egg, and an alternative loaf that was eggless. The 3 bananas in the recipe took the consistency of the egg and helped bind everything together, along with a half cup of applesauce. With the 3 bananas, this bread really didn't even need any egg. A bit of baking soda helped the bread leaven a little and add tenderness. This banana bread actually turned out quite well and I've been eating it away. I think I will try altering the recipe a bit though to make it even better! It was very moist, maybe a bit too moist... and possible a bit of baking powder would help give a better consistency and make it rise to a better visually pleasing loaf. I could mess around with a few other ingredients.. but it was the perfect flavor really.

Yummy yummy baked good that even I can eat! Great treat for breakfast or snack ... also fulfilling my constant craving for chocolate. And even a bit healthy? Soooo good! I think I will take some for a snack at work this week.

Allergy Free Tips/Recipes/etc.

So I recently mentioned an article from this archive, but the rest of the site is very helpful and has many recipes to try. Read the About Me section on Particia Biesen, Chicago Eats Allergy Free . Her story made me feel a bit better about myself and helps inspire me even more. It is nice to know their are others that are in the same boat or have gone through the same thing and really used the opportunity to help others and make something positive out of the situation.

Why so many children with food allergies?  This is an interesting topic. How she mentions eating the same things every day may be a reason one would develop an allergy to that food makes sense. She says she ate oatmeal and bananas for years until she discovered she was allergic to both. It's like the body eventually says "enough" after years of consuming it. Which is similar to my allergies. Plus, if you are allergic to something, the more you are exposed, the worse the allergy will become. I used to loveee potatoes. Ate them practically every day.. along with egg products (many cookies, cake, and egg sandwiches). I was a sucker for baked goods. So maybe years of always eating these items, and continuously being exposed to these specific foods, suddenly my body had enough. Suddenly all of these allergens have become a problem all at once, after years of not really having any problems. I have to change my lifestyle.. but it's only making me stronger and healthier. And I know there are others who have dealt with the same difficulties and grown.

"I started out in life as a visual artist and then one day I was tested for food allergies. I had to use my creativity in order to well . . . eat . . . and now I'm hooked. I love the creativity of food. Food is similar to art with its shapes, color and textures. I love the challenge of finding foods that are yummy but also allergy safe." Patricia Biesen, PAC Consultant, on a continuous quest to find allergy free foods that ACTUALLY taste good.

Cupcakes take the Cake

My new favorite website: Cupcakes take the Cake !   This is the #1 blog about nothing but cupcakes! It talks about cupcakes from many many different bakeries around the world. Several New York shops are focused on. But I love to browse the blog along with randomly browsing the list of links to bakeries in the right column. I just spent about 3-4 hours the other night browsing different bakeries from the list and reading each ones story - what they are all about and what type of feeling they want to portray from their bakery and their products.

Some of my favorites :
http://www.karascupcakes.com/about.html  I like the look and feel of this bakery.. and her pretty packaging. Her "karavan" is very cool and from her photos, to her packaging, to the inside of her bakeries... the look and feel is very elegant. Very clean and fancy. I imagine walking into a bakery and just feeling the elegance and feeling like you are really special being there. Very high quality, rich feel. Having a feeling of elegance/richness, and being given a real treat. It just has a feeling of clean beauty.
http://jillyscupcakebar.com/cupcakes/ - their website has some interesting cupcakes. And really I just like the nice bar at the top of their website with fancy cupcakes, it looks yummy and nice.
http://www.gigiscupcakes.com/index.html
http://www.theyellowleafcupcake.com/  - I like the owners story of how they became the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company and how they came up with their name.
http://www.happycakesdenver.com/aboutUs.html - I also enjoy their story of how the three ladies came together and why they called their bakery HAPPY CAKES! Cupcakes make people HAPPY! yay! Really they do. Remember being excited about cupcakes when you were a little kid. A small, cute little portion of cake with colorful sprinkles... it was always exciting.
In fact, baked goods have always tended to make me happy. I think cookies, cupcakes, and other goods are just small little things.. but they can really bring happiness to ones busy/stressful/or blue day! Just like little kids when they are grumpy... anyone could be cheered up a tad with some cookies! After a long day at work.. I'd rather have cookies and milk then a glass of beer. hooray!

"Do what makes you happy and life will be good!"

Chocolate Turtle Cookies

I'm baking with things I'm allergic too. Just because I still like doing it and creating things for others. But AH! I need to experiment and focus on allergy friendly goods, so I can eat my own creations! I can't help myself though. The pecans just look pretty? And I need to come up with better egg free solutions. I don't like using all the starches and Potato Starch is a big no no for me at least. I've experimented in the past with flax seed and have really enjoyed it in Oatmeal cookies, but I am now told that Flax Seed, since it is related to tree nuts.. I should probably stay away from it.  Bare with me... as I continue to learn more about my situation and this will all take time.  In the meantime, I still focus on the beauty and visual aspect.

ps. My brother got me a light box for taking my photos. So experimenting with taking better photographs of my baked goods is exciting me and as you can see, their is a big difference in the quality and clearness.

Chocolate Cake

Cheesecake

Some recent findings

It is interesting how business focus on one main product and really focus on a story to sell the product http://www.wildwhoopiebakery.com/wild-whoopie-press.html
http://globakery.com/

Chicago Eats Allergy Free. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-eats-allergy-free/2009/11/take-back-the-cake.html  This article mentions several bakeries in Chicago that are allergy friendly/gluten friendly and vegan. My favorite Bakery, the Bleeding Heart Bakery is mentioned for their vegan cakes. The Chicago Diner is also very interesting to read about. They have a variety of Vegan Cakes (specializing in wedding cakes.. and even cheesecakes that are egg free!) , Muffins, Cookies, Scones. They also have a full menu of vegan meals. I enjoy the history of the couple who started the Diner http://www.veggiediner.com/wp/?p=233

Fleet Foxes loves the Chicago Diner! AWESOME.

Hospital Foods/A change

So I recently moved. In hopes to make a change in my life. However.. I didn't move far. I'm still in the same town. I quit my design job that I was gaining a bit of experience at (but it just wasn't paying enough for living expenses). It just wasn't the right place for me for many reasons. I quit and am now working in the cafeteria at the Hospital.

I thought it would maybe be a bit interesting.. my boss went to the Culinary School I've been wanting to go too and I thought maybe it would help me a bit with my allergy issues. Because hey, hospitals deal with individuals with allergy issues all the time. However, I just work in the cafeteria and mainly serve doctors. It isn't bad though. And I get to hear a bit about dietary information and guests and what they can and can't have. I also thought working here, I could help others and learn more about healthy eating in general. Plus, I'm doing what I need to be doing right now... earning money to pay bills and save. I want to start a small business up .. or eventually go to Brown College and get my culinary certificate.. but .. I need to save up some money. SO, I must enjoy myself in the meantime.

I've been so busy with moving and working at my new job full time though, I haven't been doing as much baking, experimenting, researching as I'd like. But I realize - I need to really focus on just saving up money right now.. and in the meantime bake whenever possible! I have to .. in order to stay happy.
I have hardly baked in the past month and have been a bit down.. and suddenly I'm back into the desire again and loving the days.

Anyway, although I feel like my job takes up so much of my time and I wish I had more time to work on more projects and learning more about pastry... while i just stand in the cafeteria, I do get to think for 9 hours a day and jot down random thoughts on baking and design and... boys?  I leave every day of work with my pockets FULL of several little pieces of paper full of ideas, sketches, lists of things to do and what to research. And other employees find it weird when I randomly look at different boxes and say they'd make good templates (for baked good packaging)! But also, the job is a bit of an eye opener and re-informs me of what I believe in, and also I am working and earning money to get myself in order and slowly make a change to get to where I want to be.

Someday I want to read grammar books or take more classes.. I feel like my grammar is slowly deteriorating.

Fruity Muffffins, Pecan Brownies and Nico too.

Blehhh

I'm in the middle of moving and have a bunch of photos to edit and post. and some updating to do. And, I have all my pans packed and most of my baking supplies at my other apartment! AH! I just want to bake right now! I want banana bread!

Inspiration/My goals and desires.

So this lady Ava, is trying to go completely natural/vegan and is starting a new blog completely focused on her new turn in baking . She is starting a new, exciting chapter. Very cool. She inspires me to use better ingredients and experiment more!

In her new blog she posts about Nutella and how it uses ingredients such as Refined Sugar, Palm Oil + Artificial Flavor.
As I went to the Nutella website it is really interesting though... You can watch a Nutella advertisement under the News section and it really focuses on nutrition/health. They say every jar has wholesome quality ingredients : over 50 Hazel Nuts, Skim Milk, Cocoa.. NO ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES or COLORS. But what about the artificial flavoring and the modified palm oil?? Which I suppose it being manufactured/a processed food, of course they are going to use things such as palm oil. But also, 2 tablespoons of Nutella = 200 calories! WOAH! thats seems steep to me.

Its funny how products claim to be natural and really focus on their good qualities when advertising. Advertising is all about telling a story and telling the consumer what they WANT to hear. Nutella focuses on the healthy side of their product and goes on about putting it on whole wheat toast, etc. etc. .. But people are unaware of the other ingredients Nutella contains. Unless they are actually concerned and read the ingredients of all their foods (which I do for everything I buy from the store and for some reason I feel like people probably think I'm a nut...) But it is good to be aware. It is funny how I am really interested in advertising/marketing and am experienced with it while working in Graphic Design. I think advertising is an amazing and interesting thing and it is interesting how to get into peoples minds and really sell a product. While I love design and finding ways to promote things, I am also disgusted. I feel like a lot of it is a scam in a way, well not really a scam.. but a lot of times its about not telling the WHOLE truth ( I love Seth Godin.) If I someday have my own small business, I want to design all my promotional items and use my Graphic Design skills. However, I want to always be honest and kind. Honesty brings customers and trust. And Honesty and Kindness is a wonderful thing.

Anyway, I'm on a mission. Completely Natural ingredients. I want to experiment more and learn more. I am also interested in vegan and discovering new ways and GOOD baked goods for people with specific diets. With issues of my own (several allergies, which includes me having to avoid eggs, corn, and more), I am determined and continue to experiment with different recipes and alternative ingredients. I want to be able to make baked goods for everyone. Allergy friendly, gluten free goods, low calorie, friendly for diebetics.. and etcetera. I have tasted a variety of these goods on my own, and while coming across several that tasted chalky and bad, I've also come across some that tasted wonderful. It is my goal to better recipes and come up with these alternative methods but make them ACTUALLY taste amazing, so even those not having to have the restricted diet would enjoy them. I recently discovered that a lot of my heartburn/esophagus issues were due to food allergies. As I was extremely shocked at first (being this list of allergies seems quite large), I pouted a bit and thought my dream of baking was taken away from me. I thought, "How can I ever bake again when I can't even taste half of my ingredients??" and "Who in the world is seriously allergic to this many things?" But then it hit me, I am NOT the only person with this problem. My dream isn't taken away from me. This is just giving me a different opportunity and a way to help others. There are SEVERAL individuals out there that have allergies and Celiac disease is becoming more and more of a problem, along with diabetes. And I have the heart and desire to help others with the same problem and come up with solutions.

Someone can be having a terrible day, but then they can sit down and have their favorite baked good - and their day can be completely turned around. I want everyone to be able to have that opportunity. I want everyone to be able to be satisfied with a delicious baked good. I love the idea of simple pleasures. Just because someone has a difficulty (food allergy/intolerance/disease) doesn't mean they should have to avoid wonderful things in life. There are alternatives.

As it is my mission to help others and brighten peoples day.. I also still enjoy baking with eggs and other ingredients. Especially when it comes to cakes and design. I want to continue to experiment with recipes that are diet friendly, but also those for people that don't have to ignore specific ingredients. But no matter what, I am interested in all natural baking and good quality/healthier solutions for all.

I will keep you all updated on my journey as I continue to develop. I am young and desirous and my journey continues! Life is WONDERFUL! :)

Biology Student turns Baker

A graduate from St. Lawrence University with a degree in Biology, Anita didn't attend Culinary School. When she realized all her extra time was spent writing and testing recipes in her tiny apartment, she decided to switch routes. She was about to attend graduate school, but decided to go a complete different path. However, it seems she continued to use her experimenting/chemistry skills.

She started her own business, Electric Blue Baking and Catering - creating muffins, quiches, and cakes, etc. All her baked good are made by hand and never contain artificial sweeteners, ingredients, preservatives. She creates a lot of vegan baked goods. I really enjoyed this post on her blog.
These cupcakes are very interesting/creative. She brews her own oat milk, coconut milk, etcetera. Everything is all natural and very EXOTIC combinations. The presentation of all her goods are very pleasing also.

Anita also does catering and creates other dishes such as soups, brunch plates and more.

Check out Electric Blue Baking and Catering.


Also, her Exotic Cupcakes were all entered in this Annual Cupcake Cookoff.

ALL VERY INSPIRING WORK!

S'more Browniessss Please

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes & Chocolate Butternut

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Letterpress Gift Cards!

Packaging fun!

Oatmeal Flax & Chocolate Chip Cookies - Egg Free

Fake Anniversary Cake

Well, this is the first time I've done a tiered cake like this, and the first time I've created flowers (actually gotten them to work for me). I am always wanting things to be perfect, which I am not capable of at this point.. so I get angry and have to keep taking things off/redoing things! Therefor, it takes me a ridiculous amount of time to complete cakes. Eh, but I continue to learn. I had a lot of fun creating the flowers! They come out so pretty!

I have yet to find a fondant recipe that works well for me. I really think I need to take a wilton cake decorating class or something to help me better techniques and learn to do things faster. Or.. I just need to continue practicing and experimenting on my own. This cake gave me experience and I learned a few new things!

Sweet Dreams by Kirsten Lepore

More Videos - Advertisements

This stop-motion advertisement for Electrabel is pretty cool. 300,000 candles were used!
Here's how they made the video!

Videos

I keep watching this over and over. I am in love with Laura Marling. She is amazing and this video is amazing. She seems so emotional . . 

  And.. I really enjoy this cover of Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds.

Lovely lovely.

This kitchen is amazing. I looove the oven/stove under the fireplace mantel. So elegant. Ohhh it is my dream. However.. is this the kitchen or just a small eating area with a stove? Where would I do my baking? I'm a bit confused with the location of things. So pretty though.

Random - I like this.