Homemade Mayo!

Oh, it tastes SO GOOD!

But first, get this book: Well Fed 2.
I thought Well Fed 1 was good, but the second cookbook by Melissa Joulwan is Paleo/Whole30 GOLD.  She has included great sauces, spice mixes, and ground meat flavor combinations to help you keep things interesting and flavorful.  In addition to some great ideas on how to eat your veggies.


OK, back to the mayo...

My latest batch of homemade mayo

Homemade Mayonnaise

(isn't it pretty?)

Ingredients

1 egg (room temp)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (room temp)
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if using sea salt)
1/2 tsp vinegar
1 cup light oil (not extra virgin!)
2 cloves of garlic (optional)

Directions

*(see the Notes section below for additional detail)*

Crack the egg into your mixing container and add the lemon juice.  Allow the egg and lemon juice to mingle and come to room temperature (from 30 minutes to about 2 hours).

Once the egg and lemon juice are ready, add your remaining ingredients.

Insert your immersion and blend your mayo; starting at the bottom of the container and slowly lift the blades up, mixing from bottom to top.  About 15 to 45 seconds.

Keep in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 7 days.

Notes

I have tried this recipe three different times and using an immersion blender with a tall, slender container created by far the best results.  You can be successful with this recipe using a standard bench-top blender, a hand/standing mixer, or a whisk and some beefy arm muscles.  However, the immersion blender was the quickest, easiest, and most reliable method I found.  (Thank you, Laura K., for the idea!)  Please ask in my comments section if you need tips on how to proceed with either of these other methods.

You can be successful making your mayo emulsion with extra virgin olive oil, but the flavor is so strong that you will end up with a bitter taste that is a little overwhelming for delicate mayo.  Instead of using some of the more undesirable vegetable oils, keep an eye out for non-extra virgin olive oil at your local grocery store.  I found Colavita 100% olive oil (non-extra virgin) at our nearby Kroger after striking out at the Wholefoods.

The addition of some garlic is heavenly.  I like my garlic a bit strong, so try just 1 medium-small clove if you want just a light hint of garlic flavor.  Add more garlic if you want a nice, sharp aioli.

This is great for making a tartar sauce to go along with some paleo fried fish, if you can find sugar-free pickles or are going to make some pickles from scratch.  Through some in some sustainable-caught tuna fish for a healthy, flavorful snack.  I'm thinking I might add it to my earlier salmon cake recipe to increase the moisture and flavor of the cake.  This mayo is so good, you'll want to add it to everything!

Dip in and enjoy!!!

Moroccan Meatballs

From the one and only Paleo cookbook I have in my kitchen, comes this gem.  There are so many good recipes from this cookbook, but in keeping with the whole purpose of this blog -- to have my favorite recipes at close hand no matter where I am in the world -- this is one of two recipes that I will be posting from this book.  There is more in the book than what I list here related to the recipe.  Consider purchasing Well Fed from the genius of Melissa Joulwan, you will be glad you did!

Moroccan Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if using sea salt)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 pounds ground meat (lamb, preferably)

Sauce Ingredients

1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 medium onions, diced (about 2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (about 2 tsp)
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt (1/2 tsp if using sea salt)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 2 Tbsp)

Directions

Combine the parsley, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl with a fork.  Add in the meat and mix until well-combined.

Roll a tablespoon of meat mixture into a ball and set on a piece of parchment or other temporary holding surface.

Heat a large, deep skillet or pot (I use our Dutch oven) over medium-high heat and add the oil.  Once the oil has warmed add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the chopped tomatoes and stir about 1 minute.  Add the water, tomato paste, and parsley, mixing to dissolve the tomato paste.

Bring the sauce to a boil, then gently place the meatballs in the sauce, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook 40 minutes covered, then remove the lid and cook an additional 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Notes

See the book for more hints, tips, and suggested pairings.

See you next meal!!

Salmon Cakes/Patties

Need a new way to eat your fish??  Try this recipe from a friend!

Salmon Cakes/Patties

Ingredients

2 cans salmon
1 medium/small onion, diced
2-4 green onions, diced
1 rounded Tbsp of fresh, grated ginger
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste
Coconut flour
Coconut oil

Directions

Heat about 2 Tbsp in a skillet or heavy frying pan on medium-high.

Mix the salmon, onion, green onion, ginger, egg, and salt & pepper in a blender/food processor until the mixture resembles the same consistency as ground meat.

Add in the coconut flour about 1 Tbsp at a time to adjust consistency as necessary.

Fry in coconut oil on medium-high until golden brown, flipping once.  Add more coconut oil to the pan in between batches as needed.

"Good for throwing in a zip-lock as a high-protein snack on-the-go!"

Notes

None this time (I'm still perfecting my technique with these)!

Eat and Enjoy!

Kale Chips

We really detest having to eat kale in my household but we know that we should eat it for our health and so I had to come up with an appealing way to eat this wonderful veggie (sauteing/steaming/roasting it was just not cutting it).  After 2 inedible/failed batches of trying to bake kale chips in our conventional oven last year (following a recipe...I blame the oven), I gave up.  Until...

I noticed that someone had made these with a dehydrator!!!  Bingo!!!  Seriously, give these a try.  It took a while to warm up to their flavor/texture and to get my technique right (about 3 batches), but they are SO worth it and I always feel better after eating them.

Finished kale chips

Kale Chips

Ingredients

1 bunch kale
~1/8 cup olive oil
seasoning (i.e. salt, pepper,onion powder, garlic powder, etc.)

Directions

De-stem the kale leaves and rip into potato chip-sized pieces as you go.  Wash and dry in a salad spinner.

Place the kale in a large mixing bowl, drizzle the oil and mix thoroughly with your hands.  Use enough oil so that the kale leaves are evenly covered with oil, but not dripping.

Add your desired seasoning and continue to mix well, until evenly coated with oil and seasoning.

Arrange in a single layer on your dehydrator trays and dehydrate at about 145°F for 2 - 3 hours, depending on the size and quality of the kale.

Enjoy with wreckless abandon!!

After dehydration

Before dehydration

Notes

When mixing the kale, I use a massaging/kneading motion to really get the oil evenly coated all over the kale leaves (even the curly bits).  It has been my experience that the key to good kale chips is the proper amount and coating of the oil so I cannot stress the importance of this step enough.  Be patient and mix for a long time to ensure evenly coating each leaf.

There are plenty of seasoning suggestions out there on the web.  Parmesan cheese if you're not eating paleo.  Coconut sugar and then painting with chocolate for a sweet treat (sounds like a lot of work to me...).  Cayenne pepper for an added kick...etc.

You can still follow this recipe if you do not have a dehydrator.  Plenty of sources out there suggest doing the same procedure for using a conventional oven.  If you want to try that method:

• heat your oven to 350°F, 
• line a baking sheet with parchment paper, 
• arrange small batches of kale on the lined baking sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the leaf tips just start to turn brown
• and withhold the seasoning until after the kale has been baked.

To de-stem kale/spinach or any other hardy-stemmed, leafy green:

1. Grasp the leaf by the stem with your right hand, with the spine of the leaf towards your palm.
2. With your left hand, gently grab the leaf "flesh" and tear in a downward motion so that you separate the leaf from the stem.

I tried to get some photos of how to do this off the internet, but apparently folks use a knife!!  Forget that!  The fewer dishes I have to wash later the better.  I will have to take some photos of doing this myself and add them later...

This is how I do it:

After giving this recipe a try, Jer (I know, unbelievable!) and I can't get enough of these.  I have been making a batch of them about every other day for the past couple of weeks and I still can't keep up!  Seriously enjoy the boost of energy and general feeling of well-being you get from scarfing large quantities of these awesome snacks!!

Sweet Potato Chips

This is another one of my original recipes.  We don't have a deep frier, so this is the stove-top version.  Also, I have not yet found a way to keep these crisp in storage, so you are better off eating them right away (after they cool a little, of course). ;)

Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, cut into thin slices
2 Tbsp plus about 1/3 cup coconut oil
seasoning (i.e. salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc.)

Directions

Prepare a cookie rack with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan/skillet over medium-high heat.  Add about 1/3 cup coconut oil (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 inches of oil).

In a bowl combine the sweet potatoes with 2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil and desired seasoning.  Toss the mixture to coat well.

Add the potato mixture to the hot oil in small batches.  Turn every 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow even cooking.  Remove from the pan after a total of about 4 minutes or just before the edges start to brown and place on the paper towels to cool.  Cook the remaining batches.

Eat heartily with a generous helping of Paleo Ketchup!

Notes

If you are not adding any seasoning to your chips, you can skip the entire mixture step including the melted 2 Tbsp of coconut oil.  Just toss those chips directly into the oil!  (carefully, of course).  You can also season these after cooking as desired.  I like mine with a little sprinkling of sea salt.

Also, suggestions, improvements, and variations are ALWAYS welcome!  Feel free to post them in the comments!!

Sweet Potato French Fries

This is actually one of my original recipes.  We don't have a deep frier, so this is the stove-top/oven version.

Sweet Potato French Fries

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes, cut into shoestrings
2 Tbsp plus about 1/3 cup coconut oil
seasoning (i.e. salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, etc.)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan/skillet over medium-high heat.  Add about 1/3 cup coconut oil (or enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about 1/2 inches of oil).

In a bowl combine the sweet potatoes with 2 Tbsp of melted coconut oil and desired seasoning.  Toss the mixture to coat well.

Add the potato mixture to the hot oil in small batches.  Turn every 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow even cooking.  Remove from the pan after a total of about 4 minutes or when the edges start to brown and place on the baking sheet.

Keep the baking sheet in the oven while cooking the remaining batches and remove cooked fries after about 10-15 minutes in the oven.  I found this step helps keep the warm and crispy.

Eat heartily with a generous helping of Paleo Ketchup!

Notes

If you are not adding any seasoning to your fries, you can skip the entire mixture step including the melted 2 Tbsp of coconut oil.  Just toss those fries directly into the oil!  (carefully, of course).

Enjoy!

Paleo Ketchup Perfected!

I got this from Ryan Wilder's Not in Moderation Blog who claims to have "nailed it", but I wasn't quite convinced so I came up with my own version.

Paleo Ketchup

Ingredients

12 oz tomato paste

1.5 cups water

4 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
the juice of 1/2 orange (about 4 Tbsp)

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer on medium-low heat and then simmer for several minutes on low heat, stirring frequently, to let the flavors meld.

Pour into a glass jar and refrigerate.

It's that easy!!

Notes

Be generous with your spices!!  No need to measure carefully and scrape the excess off here.  If you like more flavor, load it up!  If you like your ketchup toned down, shake the excess off.

Dip and enjoy!

Chicken Nuggets

An absolute must try from a recipe posted by Multiply Delicious.  No modifications were necessary with this recipe; total perfection!  I have had success with doubling the amounts for leftovers.

Photo courtesy of Multiply Delicious

Paleo Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients

1 pound ground chicken

1 egg yolk

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 cup and 1/3 cup almond flour

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut oil

Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl combine 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, and S&P to taste.  Mix to combine.  This is your "breading".

In a separate bowl, combine the ground chicken, 1/3 cup almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, pepper, and egg yolk.  Mix well until everything is incorporated.  Gather about 2 Tbsp of the chicken mixture into a ball and then coat generously with the "breading" mixture.

Melt the coconut oil in a sauté pan or skillet.  When the oil is ready, place small batches in the hot oil and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until a dark golden brown.  Transfer the nuggets to a parchment lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 4-5 minutes to allow the chicken to cook through.  Repeat with remaining nuggets.

Allow nuggets to cool slightly before serving.  Serve with paleo BBQ sauce or paleo ketchup (recipes to be posted later).

Notes

I just edited this post because I noticed a couple of typos!!  Sorry about that folks!