Hi! I'm making low carb, gluten free cornbread tonight and the recipe calls for xanthan gum! I haven't been to the health food store yet to stock up on ingredients for my son's new lc/gluten free diet yet - is there anything I can substitute for the xanthan gum? Food grade glycerin? Corn starch?

Any advice will help!

Thanks so much!

Elaine

Welcome, Brent's mom.

Could you post the recipe? That would really help us help you with substitutes.

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Thanks, Maggie! Here it is (from celiacs.org):

2 c. yellow corn meal
1 t. salt
2 T. potato starch
2 T. white sugar
1 1/2 t. Gluten Free baking powder
1 t. xanthan gum
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 c. corn oil
1 c. milk
2 eggs

Directions:
Grease 8x8x2 in. baking pan.
Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients.
Beat egg yolks and whites separately. Blend the egg whites, milk and corn oil into the egg yolks. Fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Spread into pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Thanks so much for trying to help!

Elaine

Hi, Elaine!

I don't see how to make this BOTH low carb and gluten free. I have a low carb corn muffin recipe, but it only uses about 2 TB of corn meal and a bunch of wheat protein isolate - a no-no on a gluten free diet. LOL!

However, if the main goal is gluten free, I'm confident that you you can easily substitute 1 tsp. of corn starch for the xanthan gum - or another TB of potato starch. They are all thickeners - the xanthan gum is low carb and gluten free, the corn starch and potato starch, not low carb - but also gluten free.

HTH!

(Brent's a lucky guy to have such a devoted mom!)

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I'm going to move this thread to the cooking forum, in case any of our other cook-types show up this evening. We've got some really good and creative chefs here. LOL!

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Thanks so much for your help, Maggie! And you're right - it can't be both LC and GF! There are two schools of thought on seizure control, some use the Atkins Diet and some use Gluten Free, and I got confused!

We are so hopeful it helps our son and if it does, you can bet I'll be posting about the results all over the internet to help other parents with their kids' seizures!

You take care,

Elaine

Maggie, can you post your muffin recipe? :jump:

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Catahoulagirl
220/214/175

Sure. I played with various experiments for about a year before I felt I'd created the ultimate low carb corn muffin. Substitute at your peril. (I meant to get it into the recipe section when I got it right. When I finally got there, I forgot. I'll enter it when I get a chance.

Pre-heat oven to 375 and spray your muffin tins, unless you're using silicone, which doesn't need it. (You get 12 really big, or 16 moderate sized muffins from this recipe)

1 cup wheat protein isolate (arise 5000)
1/2 cup flax meal
3/4 cup corn bran
1/2 cup almond flour
2 TB corn meal
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all dry ingredients together in a good sized bowl. (I use a whisk here.)

6 TB melted butter (best to melt it in a 3 cup pyrex measuring cup)
3 eggs (I use extra large)
Sweetener equivalent to 1 cup of sugar *
Enough water to bring total of wet ingredients to 2 1/2 cups.
2 drops yellow food coloring

Mix wet ingredients well (I use a whisk here.)

Pour the wet into the bowl of dry and, using a big spoon (no whisk here!) blend just until all dry ingredients are moistened. Don't over-mix. Spoon it into your chosen number of muffin tins and bake about 17-22 minutes (keep an eye on them after 15 min.) until they're just taking on some pleasing color on top. Let cool for a minute or two and remove from the muffin tins to some place where they can cool with some air circulation. I use a couple of wicker trays.

These are great served warm and buttered. If you don't have company, when they're totally cool, freeze them in a big ziplock or whatever. When you want a corn muffin, nuke it just long enough to defrost (don't over-nuke), then split and toast in a toaster oven.

I've served these to all sorts of people who have loved them and refused to believe that they were low carb.

For 16 muffins, each muffin will be:

Calories: 124
Fat: 10
Carbs: 6
Fiber: 3.5 (net 2.5 each)
Protein: 6


For 12 muffins, each muffin will be:

Calories: 165
Fat: 13
Carbs: 8
Fiber: 4.6 (net 3.4)
Protein: 8

*(This nutritional analysis presumes some sort of liquid splenda type sweetener, such as sweetzfree or fiberfit. If you use pourable splenda, add 7 calories and 2 gms carb to the 12 count and 5.6 calories and 1.5 carbs to the 16 count nutritional analysis.)

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Ooh man! My mouth is watering already.
THANKS!!

~Cat

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Catahoulagirl
220/214/175