Well done my  paleo challengers! I know it’s been hard and confusing for some of you but you’ve made progress and big steps towards better health and greater vitality when you choose to eat “real food.” Some of you have expressed challenges to giving up certain foods. The mind set should be about finding healthier varieties to your favorite foods that are more nutritionally dense.

Mayonnaise is one of these hard to give up treats. Who doesn’t love it slathered on just about anything? On the Paleo diet, you have to be really careful with any sort of condiments or dips. Mustard is generally safe, but many others contain sugar and/or questionable oils. Commercially available mayo is not paleo, as they are all made with seed oils – unless you can get an artisan homemade one from a farmers market, most store bought mayo is made from a base of either soybean oil or canola oil. Nearly all varieties contain either sugar, cane juice, or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). There’s no such thing as “lettuce oil” or “broccoli oil.” They’re made from seeds, and they’re extracted using poisonous organic solvents (hexane). So if you can put it in a truck and the truck starts, it’s not food.

Fortunately, you do not have to give up mayo altogether. Homemade mayo is simple, quick, and a great source of healthy fat. You’ll be amazed at the bright flavor of homemade mayonnaise. It’s really very simple and fast to make with a blender or processor. The secret for better tasting mayo- don’t use extra virgin olive oil but instead use a light tasting olive oil, or a mild tasting oil such as walnut oil. Always wait until after your mayonnaise is thick before you add seasoning but here is when you can get creative and have a little fun. Add dried or fresh dill, fresh basil, cilantro, garlic and onion, hot sauce, or even curry powder to make your own spreads, sauces and dips for just about everything. Here is a basic mayo recipe  I have been using from time to time.

 

Paleo Mayo Recipe

 

• 2 eggs  (cook with eggs, and always eat the yolks. Egg whites are just protein and not much higher then the whole egg, the nutrition is all in the yolk.)

• 2 cups light tasting olive oil or walnut oil

•  2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or 4 to 5 teaspoons lemon juice

•  1 teaspoon yellow mustard

•  1 teaspoon sea salt

•  1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika

• 4tsp  hot water- optional

 

In a blender, add the eggs, vinegar or lemon juice and mustard and blend together well – leave the blender running and slowly drop by drop or drizzle adding the oil. Do not dump all the oil in quickly, find a steady stream.  When the mixture begins to emulsify or thicken, only then can you be a bit faster about pouring in the oil but still take your time. Turn the blender off once all the oil is in and the mayonnaise is thickened to your desired consistency. Add the salt and cayenne pepper  and mix well or blend again for another few seconds. If you like, you can thin the mayonnaise with a little additional hot water. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Do not keep longer than 1 week and always store in a glass jar.

 

 

 

Enjoy,

 

Claudia