Avocado Oil Mayonnaise

When I started avoiding nightshades, I quickly discovered paprika in the most unexpected of places, like mayonnaise and mustard. While a few brands of mayo don’t contain paprika, limiting soy left me hard pressed to find a jar of mayonnaise at the store I could eat. I had heard of Primal Kitchen Mayo, made with avocado oil, but I couldn’t find it in my budget to spend $10 plus shipping for a cup and a half of mayonnaise! Now, avocado oil itself isn’t cheap, but it does cost only about half that to make at home, and as an added bonus, you can teach your kids about emulsions.

Avocado Oil Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk
2 t lemon juice
1 t cold water
¼ t salt
¼ t honey (optional, see notes)
⅞ c avocado oil

1. Using an electric mixer or immersion blender (see notes), whip together egg yolk, lemon juice, water, salt, and honey, if using
2. With beaters running, add oil in a thin stream, no wider than a pencil lead
3. Use or refrigerate immediately

Yield 1 cup mayonnaise

NOTES

• This recipe is sugar-free with the optional honey omitted.
• I’ve had the most consistent results using either the regular blade or the whisk attachment for my immersion blender (both work equally well). I’ve also used a standard handheld mixer with either the whisk attachment or the regular beaters. The handheld mixer does not seem to get the mayonnaise quite as thick and creamy as the immersion blender. I have not had good luck using a standard blender.

What do you consider the best use for mayonnaise?

Unsweetened Apple Butter

A good friend has invited us over several times in the last month to help her harvest apples from the tree in her yard. Each visit, she sent us home with at least 10 lbs of apples. We all love apples, but after a couple of weeks my kids got a little tired of plain apples–even organic, fresh-from-the-tree fruit! I’m not a huge fan of applesauce, but I thought I’d try my hand at apple butter. I found an online tutorial at The Art of Homemaking, but it is sadly lacking in specifics, like how many apples, how much water, and exactly how long “many, many hours” might be. So, I started playing around on my own and found a recipe that works so well, my kids go at it with a spoon. My husband says it’s “tart” and an old friend to whom I’d gifted a jar described it as “almost savory,” but I just call it “delicious.”

Unsweetened Apple Butter

3½ qt apples, cored and chopped (1.7 kg)
1 c water
1 T cinnamon
1 t nutmeg

1. Cook over low heat in a covered pot, stirring occasionally until apples have begun to break down (approx. 30-45 min)
2. Uncover and continue simmering on low, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick enough to stick to the spoon when turned upside down (approx. 1-2 hrs)
3. Press through a sieve to remove skins
4. Can for storage or keep in refrigerator

Yield: 3¼ c apple butter

Notes:

• The apples weigh about 5 lbs whole
• If you prefer your apple butter a bit sweeter, you can substitute apple juice for the water

I’ve enjoyed this on muffins and added to a ham wrap. To what would you most like to add a little apple flavor?

Cranberry-Beet Ketchup

A few years back, I was craving BBQ ribs, but didn’t have any ketchup on hand. I did, however have fresh tomatoes from a community garden we’d joined that year. I played a bit and came up with a great tomato ketchup recipe. Then I discovered my need to avoid nightshades, so tomatoes were off my plate. After some success with a marinara sauce that used cranberries and beets instead of tomatoes, I thought I’d give ketchup another try.

My kids all pronounced it, “Yum!” and my daughter proclaimed, “It tastes just like real ketchup.” My husband and I can’t quite agree with the latter (beets and cranberries just won’t taste like tomatoes), but the yum was unanimous.

Cranberry-Beet Ketchup

¾ c chopped beets (100 g)

1 c cranberries (100 g)

2 T coarsely chopped onion (21 g)

2 c water

⅛ t lemon juice

1 T apple cider vinegar

½ T honey

½ T minced garlic (5 g)

pinch of allspice (see note)

⅛ t salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until beets are soft, about 90 min
3. Remove from heat and blend until smooth

Yield 1 c ketchup

NOTE: Allspice is not allowed in the elimination phase of AIP, but a combination of equal parts cinnamon, mace, and cloves can be substituted to make this recipe AIP compliant.

The next thing I’m looking forward to making with ketchup is Bacon Meatloaf. The kids’ vote is for hot dogs and french fries. What else should I put on the menu?