HOMEMADE MAYO

I love picnic food.  Potato Salad, Macaroni salad, Broccoli Salad, Tomato Pie, Deviled Eggs -- the list goes one.  But one thing, I don't  like about all these recipes, is that most call for a bit (or a lot) of mayonnaise.  Yes, there are some ways to get around using the white dressing -- yogurt, sour cream, olive oil, Veganaise -- but, there's something about good old fashioned mayo that just tastes the best.  I love it slathered on my sammies, I like to make aioli for my fries, dump some spinach in and call it dip -- yep, there's not a substitute I've found that I enjoy as much. And I seem to use so much more of it in the summer because many of the classic summer faves call for it. 

Now, this would be fine, if most mayo was healthy.  But really, I'd say 90% of real mayo out there at the store is just soybean oil.  Or canola oil. Or "olive oil" but it still contains soybean oil. And one thing about soybean oil (and canola) is this: the chances of it being genetically modified are through the roof.  Plus, soy is only really good for you if it's fermented, in say, kimchi.  Otherwise, plain old soy has been linked to a whole slew of things that you just don't want.  I omitted it from my family's diet (or at least tried to nix 99%) just because side effects of unfermented soy are so scary.  

But, if you've read any of my blog posts, I am a comfort food girl at heart.  Though I try to eat clean, put a Velveeta, bacon, and hash brown casserole in front of me at a picnic and I'd have to shackle myself to a tree to keep from scarfing all its chemical, phony deliciousness down.  So that's my problem; I want to cook healthy things, but I still have the memory of all that junk I ate as a kid (Little Debbie, anyone?) and it's burned in my mind.  Tattooed there…forever.  

So that's how I came to making my own mayonnaise. And I swear, try this once and you'll never go back to a jar of Duke's or Hellman's.  Because even though I love the taste of Hellman's, I don't like that it could be giving my son man boobs by the age of seven.  And of course a little bit here and there is not going to give my kid a 36D, but I know it's bad, so why bother?   

Now some of you may wonder about the safety of homemade mayo.  Raw eggs?  I was worried too, but did a little research and if you are using good, quality eggs (like the heritage breed Washington's Green Grocer carries), the chances of salmonella (this is what you're worried about here) are pretty much nil.  You'd probably have a higher chance of being struck by lightening than getting sick from homemade mayo.  Plus, because you use fresh squeezed lemon juice and white wine vinegar, the acid actually kills any bacteria that may be creeping.  

So here is my recipe.  I used coconut oil (because I'm obsessed) and organic canola oil.  I made one batch with olive oil and coconut oil and the olive oil was too overpowering, I didn't much care for it.  All you do is whip the ingredients together in your blender or food processor until everything is 100% emulsified.  Easy peasy.

HOMEMADE MAYO

2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup organic canola oil (or another mild tasting oil here would be good)
1/2 cup coconut oil
juice of 1 lemon (I really like it lemony…you can add as much as you want
1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt, pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Separate your eggs.  You will only use the yolks for this recipe.  Combine all ingredients in your blender.  Pulse on high for a minute or so. Done!  Store in an airtight container for up to a week…I promise it won't even last that long.  

Feel free to spice up your mayo by adding things like garlic, cayenne, hot sauce, Old Bay Seasoning…the possibilities are endless!