flax seed eggs

May 15, 2012

i love eggs.  or rather, i “loved” eggs.  you see, our little family is on a break from eggs (one i hope will only be temporary).  we used to be a part of a bi-weekly egg service, that supplied our family with fantastic cage-free, free-range eggs.  i loved them. i miss them.

our first few attempts at feeding our youngest son eggs didn’t go well.  his reaction to eggs is violent. even though we don’t all need to be egg-free, i am still not baking any items with eggs.  the challenge of remembering who can have what or worrying about cross-contamination isn’t worth it to me, so for the time being, i am working on mastering the art of cooking without eggs.  i have had a good number of flops, but i have gotten pretty good at judging what a recipe will need.

i have learned that there are limitations to this substitute. if a recipe calls for 6 eggs…you most likely will not get the desired results.  typically, if a recipe calls for more than 3 eggs i don’t attempt it.

so what do i typically use?

• ground golden flax seed + water + coconut oil

why do i add coconut oil?

• most recipes just call for flax seed and water, but i find that they always seem to be a little dry, so i add a small amount of coconut oil to mimic the fat in the egg yolk.

what about baking soda? chia seeds?

• i add baking soda if i am baking something like a lighter cookie that needs more lift and for 2 eggs usually add ½ tsp. to the dry ingredients.
• a lot of times, i also add 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds to my baked goods.  they gel up and add more lift (plus a lot of other nutrients).  this is not a necessary step, but just one we prefer.
• chia seeds can also be used in place of flax seed though the ratio is half of what the flax recipe is and it doesn’t need to be heated, just stir in and let set.

what are my major egg-free flops?

• paleo almond flour pancakes, we are on round 2 and though we have “eaten” them…i couldn’t exactly call them edible and they are definitely not “pancake” like.
• recipes with coconut flour.  i love cooking with coconut flour, but not with much success egg free.  if anyone has successful egg-free, coconut flour recipes… i would love to try them!
• salmon patties. i try and try to make them stick together without egg, but we always just end up eating salmon hash.

i thought that i would share a photo of our last attempt at paleo almond flour, egg-free pancakes, because i am determined to figure this one out. they were far better than our first attempt, but still need a lot of work. so here is my work in progress (when i figure this one out, i will share a recipe).  don’t be deceived, they look awesome, until you attempt to flip them…and then the big stuck mess begins.

shared on:  fat tuesday, allergy free wednesdays & food renegade