Mayonnaise

It isn't terribly difficult to make your own mayonnaise but it does require some patience as you can not dump everything in all at once. I made this recipe today for the egg salad that I made for lunch.

Mayonnaise
recipe is from whole30.com
Makes about 8 oz.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 c. of light olive oil, divided
• 1 egg (room temp.)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 to 1 lemon, juiced (room temp.)

Instructions:
Place the egg, 1/4 cup of olive oil, mustard powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, blender, or food processor. Mix thoroughly.
While the food processor or blender is running (or while mixing in a bowl with a stick blender),  slowly drizzle in the remaining cup of olive oil.
After you’ve added all the oil and the mixture has emulsified, add lemon juice to taste, stirring gently with a spoon to incorporate.

Notes:
1) All ingredients must be room temperature. You can bring an egg to room temp. by placing it in a cup of warm water.

2) You can use other types of oil but your results will vary. I used both EVOO and canola oil.

Dressings and other variations made with mayo:


Lemony-Chive Mayo
Delicious drizzled over salmon or roasted vegetables. From Stupid Easy Paleo.

½ cup olive oil mayo • 2 tablespoons chopped chives  • zest of 1 lemon • black pepper

Put ½ cup of the mayo into a bowl. Use a microplane grater to zest the (washed) lemon, and add the zest to the bowl. Add the chopped chives. Stir thoroughly to combine. Add cracked black pepper to taste (optional).

Basil Garlic Mayo
Top steak, chicken, or fish, or toss with roasted sweet potatoes. Inspired by Epicurious.com.

1 cup finely chopped fresh basil • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1/4 teaspoon salt  •1/8 teaspoon cayenne • 3/4 cup Olive Oil Mayo

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until blended. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Ranch Dressing
You’ll never miss the buttermilk; makes about ½ cup. From Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat.

1 clove garlic, minced • ¼ teaspoon paprika • ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, minced • 1 tablespoon dried chives • ½ cup Olive Oil Mayo • 1 teaspoon lemon juice • salt and black pepper

In a small bowl, mix the garlic, paprika, parsley, chives, and mayo with a fork. Drizzle in the lemon juice while continuing to mix, then taste and season with salt and pepper. If your dressing is too thick, add either lemon juice or water — ¼ teaspoon at a time — until it’s the right consistency.

Caesar Dressing
Great on heartier salads; makes about ½ cup. Inspired by Primal Palate.

1 clove garlic, minced • 1 lemon, juiced • 1 teaspoon black pepper • ½ tube anchovy paste (about 1 ounce) • ½ cup Olive Oil Mayo • 1 tablespoon Dijon or spicy brown mustard* • salt and black pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until blended. Store covered in the refrigerator. *If you are on the Whole30, read your mustard labels! Many Dijons contain white wine, which rules them out for the program.

Tartar Sauce
Makes everyday fish taste special; makes about ½ cup. From It Starts With Food.

½ cup Olive Oil Mayo • 1 Tablespoon minced cornichons or dill pickle • 2 Tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, minced • 2 teaspoon minced capers • 2 teaspoon minced chives (fresh) • ½ Tablespoon lemon juice • 1 teaspoon pickle juice • salt and ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a spatula until blended. Allow the flavors to meld for 30 minutes before serv-ing. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Creamy Italian Dressing
Makes enough for two side salads or one entree-sized salad. From The Clothes Make The Girl.

2 tablespoons homemade mayo  • 1 tablespoon vinegar: balsamic, wine, or cider (I like pomegranate balsamic!) • 1 clove garlic, crushed • 1/8 teaspoon Italian herb blend (or pick one: dried oregano, rosemary, or basil) • salt and pepper, to taste

Crush the dried herbs with your fingers, then add to mayo, along with garlic. Blend well with a fork. Mix in the vinegar, then taste and season with salt and pepper. If your dressing is too thick, add either vinegar or water – a ¼ teaspoon at a time – until it’s the right consistency. Keep in mind that it will get slightly more liquidy as you toss it with your salad ingredients.

Tonnato Sauce
The perfect veggie dip, or great on chicken breasts. From Nom Nom Paleo.

1 (7-ounce) can tuna packed in olive oil or water, drained  • 5 anchovies packed in olive oil, drained • 2 tablespoons capers, drained  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil  • ½ cup homemade mayonnaise  • Kosher salt  • Freshly ground black pepper


Dump all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy. Done.

Napoleon's Tater Tots

If you are a Napoleon Dynamite fan like me then you know that Napoleon loves tater tots. Napoleon would swoon over these homemade tater tots!

Napoleon's Tater Tots
Serves 2 
Recipe adapted from: Homemade Tater Tots recipe from Andie at Canyoustayfordinner.com


Ingredients:
4 medium red potatoes, peeled, shredded, and dried
1/2 c. all purpose flour
 2 tsp. salt, plus more for serving
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. canola oil

 Directions:
1. Peel potatoes, shred potatoes using a food processor.
2. Drain all excess liquid from potatoes by pressing them in a large mesh strainer.
3.Mix the potatoes with the flour, salt, and pepper. Form into 1” logs.
4. Heat oil in a large pot(I used a large non-stick wok pan) until it is so hot that it sizzles when you put a tiny bit of potato in it. Add tots (6 at a time) and turn over once golden brown and fry until both sides are golden brown.
5. Serve hot, sprinkled with salt, and with plenty of ketchup.

Note: Use a large spoon and fork to turn tots and a slotted metal spoon to remove the tots from the oil once done. Drain excess oil from tots by placing on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Broccoli Poppers

We tried some of these as take-out at my Sister-in-law's house and they were so delicious. When I came across this recipe I had to try it. The kids love Broccoli.

Recipe adapted from superhealthykids.com

Ingredients:

• 4 c. broccoli florets
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c. bread crumbs, dry & plain
• 1/2 c. Panko  (Japanese bread crumbs)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Steam your broccoli for 2-3 minutes until tender.
3. Chop broccoli into tiny pieces with a knife
4. Squeeze out the excess water by pressing on the broccoli with a towel.  Transfer to a bowl.
5. Add the rest of your ingredients to a large bowl except for  the Panko, and mix.
6. Scoop out tablespoon size balls of the mixture and roll in Panko.  Place on lined cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 10 minutes then turn them over and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden and crispy.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• cajun seasoning (optional) (I used Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 500°F. Position oven rack in the middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss sweet potato wedges with olive oil to coat. Spread the wedges out on the cookie sheet so that they are not touching one another. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cajun seasoning if you like them with a little kick. Bake for 9 minutes, then take fries out from oven and turn them over using a fork and spoon. Return fries to oven and bake for 9 more minutes. Fries should be tender and lightly browned.

Stuffed Peppers

Ready to eat

Bell Peppers ready for stuffing

Filling

Stuffed Peppers

Sprinkled with cheese

Leftover filling baked

 Ingredients:

• 1 T. salt
• 4-6 large green bell peppers - tops, seeds,and membranes removed (slice each pepper in half and reserve pepper tops to chop up for filling)
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced
• 2 c. cooked brown rice
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. frozen corn, rinsed/drained in warm water
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 c. cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 c. shredded Mozzarella (or cheese of your choice)

 Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil; cook green bell peppers in the boiling water until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onions, chopped pepper tops, jalapeno and garlic in the hot oil until onion are softened and transparent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add chili powder,cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir until evenly mixed. Add rice, black beans, corn and tomatoes to cooked onion mixture. Remove from heat. Fold 1 1/2 cups of cheese into rice mixture. Spoon rice mixture onto each bell pepper half; arrange peppers on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle peppers with remaining cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Note: If any filling remains, put it in an oven safe dish and sprinkle with cheese and either bake it with peppers or save to cook for later as a burrito filling.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Makes about 20 tortillas
Ingredients:

• 4 c. Maseca
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 c. water

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Dough should be pliable kind of like play dough. Form the dough into 1 inch balls. Use a tortilla press to make  circles. Line tortilla press with parchment paper. Cook tortillas on skillet over medium-high heat.  Barely cook the 1st side, turn and cook about 1 minute, then turn again to the 1st side to finish cooking, that way tortillas will cook nice and soft.