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  :)