Healthy Mayonnaise

This is the first condiment that I have had to really put a lot of work into to find the right flavor and get the consistency perfect. I am very happy with this recipe and I am pretty sure you will be too!

Mayo is the first of the three major condiments that I really wanted to get down pat because there is so much you can use it for. It is great in recipes for adding flavor, even in small quantities. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t use it everyday. Since it’s summer and we cook out on my hubby’s days off, I use a small amount once a week on my burger…come winter and cookout season is over, I will be using it less but it’s nice to have around.

The big secret to making mayo is that all of your ingredients must be room temperature. Also, it’s all about science and emulsion, emulsion, emulsion…blah blah blah. Basically, all this means is that you MUST mix the oil into the egg VERY slowly in order for them to work together and thicken up into perfectly, beautiful mayo.

One way to do this is to SLOWLY and I mean SLOWLY pour oil into your blender at a pace slower than a slug. Your arm and shoulder will ache and you will become very bored. This process could take 5-10 minutes!

The best way, and the way that I do it is by using a stick blender which is how I will explain the process in the instruction section. Believe me, it is worth the few bucks for a stick blender. You will have perfect mayo (if done correctly) in less than 2 minutes! And, no aching body parts or boredom!

Healthy Mayonnaise Recipe

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk

pinch of xylitol

1/8 tsp coconut aminos

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp vinegar

1 c safflower oil

Instructions:

Add room temperature ingredients into a wide glass or a bowl (I used the container that came with the stick blender). Add oil last. Place stick blender in the glass making sure the bottom of the blender sits on the bottom of the glass. Begin blending leaving the blender still until the mixture thickens and the oil is no longer blending in. Slowly move blender up just enough to blend in the rest of the oil. When oil is fully incorporated, you are finished! This actually goes pretty quick! Stop blending and scrape blender clean. Store mayo in glass jar and label with the date.

If anything is unclear, please leave a comment inquiring about a step and I will do my best to clarify.

Enjoy! 🙂

Tzatziki Sauce/Veggie Dip

I know, I’ve been away too long! I had a custom jewelry order to make so I had to apply my time to that…Sometimes I wish we didn’t need sleep because I have so many things planned and not enough time to get it all done! Speaking of which…I am planning my daughter’s graduation party so recipes may be coming to you a little on the slow side for the next week and a half. I’ve already gotten lots done but still more to go. Oh, I made a healthy test cake so that I can have some at the party too (I ordered a very delicious sounding and very unhealthy cake from a local bakery for everyone else) and it was AMAZING!!!! I will post that recipe after the party.

Ok, so about this recipe…I am working on a healthy home-made version of gyros and I almost have it perfect. Hubby says it’s perfect but I don’t think it’s quite on it yet. This sauce though…that’s right on it! It is so delicious and is very close to exact taste. The consistency is a little thinner though but that’s ok! This tzatziki sauce also tastes great as a veggie dip!

I searched the internet for a recipe for this sauce made healthy and found 2 recipes that sounded about right. I used some of the ingredients from each one and change the measurements to what seemed right to me so I guess It’s somewhat my own recipe. Hope you like it too!

oh…as soon as I get the gyros down right, I will post it but I figured in the mean time…since this will make a good veggie dip as well, I might as well post it. Plus, I have several other recipes in tweak mode so this was pretty much the only one ready to post 😉

Tzatziki Sauce/Veggie Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

1 16 oz container of Greek yogurt (I used Chobani 2% …nothing but yogurt making stuff in it. If you use 0% it will be really watery)

1 cucumber

1 tsp dill weed

3 cloves garlic

2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp coconut aminos

Instructions:

Peel and slice cucumber in half long ways. Remove seeds.

Put in blender and pulse until chopped small not pureed.

Put chopped cucumber in lint free towel and press out as much water as you can from cucumber. I do this in a second towel as well. You want as little water as possible in your cucumber so that your sauce isn’t watery.

Add the other ingredients to blender and blend just until smooth

add cucumber and blend just until smooth.

Pour sauce into sealed container and let chill for a couple of hours so flavors blend

Spoon sauce onto gyro or use as a dip

Enjoy! 🙂

Guacamole

I remember as a kid, I saw adults going for this green stuff like it was gold. I would see them dipping chip after chip into this nasty looking green goo and acting as if it was THE most fabulous food in the world. Well, there was no way I was going to attempt to try putting something that looked like it belonged in a baby diaper into my mouth! Fast forward quite a few years and I regret that I did not try that green goo sooner! I absolutely LOVE guacamole! Now I understand why the adults went so crazy over the stuff!

My husband used to work with a bunch of Mexicans and we were invited to a cookout one of the families were having. I noticed one of the women was making some homemade guacamole so I decided to watch and see what she put in it so I can duplicate it at home and have some awesome authentic guacamole. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple it really was. Next time I made guacamole, I played around with the measurements until I got it right.

When I started my new way of eating, avocados were a forbidden food for a while and when I was finally able to have them again, I whipped up a batch and replaced the salt with aminos and it was as good as before. This is a mild flavored guacamole that goes well with all your favorite Mexican dishes as well as being great as a dip.

Guacamole Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 small or 1 large ripe avocado

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 Roma tomato, chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp coconut aminos

Instructions:

Cut avocados in half. Remove pit. Scoop out avocado into a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher.

Add all other ingredients and mix well.

If you can wait, chill before serving. Enjoy!

Italian Salad Dressing

A lot of us who used to go to the metabolic clinic have a Facebook support group where we support and encourage each other and share recipes that are specific to the program that was implemented by the clinic.  There is this one lady whom I consider the Queen Of The Kitchen. She comes up with the most fabulous recipes! Everything I have tried of hers has been awe-some (You have to say it in a sing-song voice)! If I lived closer to her I would be at her house learning all of her kitchen secrets…but I am grateful for her recipes because not only are the delicious, they help me to learn what flavors and spices mix with what.  What makes her even more awesome is that she has given me permission to share her delicious recipes with you! YAY! Thank you Soraya Taheri McLaughlin!

When I first started clean eating, I wasn’t allowed any oil and the only vinegar allowed was apple cider vinegar so I didn’t really eat salad too much because I pretty much had to eat it dry. When I finally was able to have oil and other vinegars again, I had to try this recipe! So what did I think? Absolutely THE best Italian dressing I’ve ever had! Plus it’s great for a marinade!

Italian Dressing Seasoning Mix:

By Soraya Taheri McLaughlin

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp stevia (I use xylitol)

2 tbsp oregano

1 tsp white pepper (I use less)

1/4 tsp thyme

1 tsp basil

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp celery seed

Mix together and store in a tupperware.

We go through this so fast that I times the recipe by 10. I’ll give you those measurements so you don’t have to figure it out yourself!

Italian Dressing Seasoning Mix x10:

3/4 c onion powder

3/4 c garlic powder

3/4 c xylitol

1 1/2 c oregano leaves

1/8 c white pepper

1/16 c thyme

1/4 c basil

3/4 c parsley flakes

1/16 c celery seed

Mix and Store

Italian Dressing Recipe:

As you can see, we go through this stuff!

In salad shaker bottle mix:

1/4 cup of your fav vinegar (I use white)

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp braggs

2 tbsp of the dry mix

Shake to mix and enjoy!

The Best Salsa Ever!

Oh how I missed store-bought salsa! With its high sodium and sugar content, it was a definite no, no for me. So, I made homemade salsa. What a disappointment! So I tried and tried again and even though I was getting closer to the taste my brain remembered, I just could not achieve it. I looked at all kinds of jarred salsa reminiscing about my favorite snack of chips and salsa. I checked their ingredients hoping to find something magical that I had missed. Well, after many flopped…well not really because they were still good, just not what I was tasting for….batches, I FINALLY came up with an awesome taste that made me forget about that jarred stuff! The only problem…I didn’t measure. I usually eyeball stuff which tends to make things inconsistent. So, the next time I made the salsa, I eyeballed it with a measuring spoon low enough into the bowl so I couldn’t see it…that would have thrown me off! Well, it worked! So here it is…THE BEST SALSA EVER!!!!!

The Best Salsa Ever

Ingredients:

3 lg plum tomatoes

4 green onions, sliced

2 jalapenos chunked, (I use 1 with seeds and 1 without)

Cilantro

1 can no salt Fire roasted tomatoes

2 tsp coconut aminos

2 tsp vinegar

2 tsp lime juice

2-3 cloves of garlic

1-1 1/2 tsp xylitol

Instructions:

Quarter tomatoes and place in food processor with garlic. Pulse until medium chopped. Add onions, cilantro (I love this stuff so I use a lot..probably a handful. make to your liking)jalapenos, aminos, lime juice, vinegar, and xylitol and pulse to chop and combine. tomatoes should now be chopped fine-medium. Add canned no salt added fire roasted tomatoes and pulse just enough to blend. Pour into quart jar, refrigerate, and enjoy! YUM!