companion blog to the e-book the 24/7 Low Carb Diner

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Available at http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com

Monday, February 6, 2012

Miracle Made Mayo

Mayonnaise. It seems you love it or hate it. I am not the norm, as I can take it or leave it. I actually prefer mustard. Dare I even mention that Southern staple, Miracle Whip? In my part of the country, the two are often interchanged. Since my mom was never a fan of mayo, but even less partial to mustard, Miracle Whip was always in our refrigerator. My grandma loved the stuff, and always called it mayonnaise. If she sent my Papa to the store for mayo, it was Miracle Whip he brought home. I know, I know...crazy but true. That is what went into our potato salads, pea salads and sandwiches.

I still like the sweet, tart flavor I grew up with. I don't like the chemicals and frankenfood, though. My youngest son likes Miracle Whip, but does not do the corn syrup and chemicals. I made this for him. It is healthy; a bit thinner than the stuff in a jar but who cares? Great fats and good flavor with no chemical thickeners. Once you have mastered your style of making a home made mayo, it goes together in a snap. There are tons of different ways to make home made mayo. Some are time consuming, some a quicker, but tricky. I have made several batches that refused to thicken, or have "broken" or failed in some way I could not detect the problem. I gave up years ago trying to perfect mayo. Afterall, it certainly didn't keep me stocked long, being made with raw eggs. I didn't know how I could trust to eat it after just a couple of days in the fridge, and I surely wasn't going to drag out the blender ever couple of days just for a little mayo.

Then I learned that it can be easily and quickly made with an immersion blender. True, it sometimes didn't work for me then either, but at least it was quick and less mess. There are lots of tutorials for this method on YouTube, so go there before you try it. Note: None of the videos use my favorite recipe, but they will show the technique.) The trick I finally learned after reading scores of blogs--the one that finally got things to work consistently for me, is using warm eggs. Let them sit on the counter, or soak in hot water for a few minutes. Once I even warmed cold eggs in the microwave for 12 seconds. The chemistry of it all seems to work best this way.

When I learned that mayonnaise could be lacto-fermented like the salsa, escabeche, kraut and carrots I had done, I was sold. It had taken me a while to accept the idea of lacto-fermentation, but once I did, I was sold. Just adding some whey to this home made mayo makes it last for weeks. Even those on the fence about mayo can use it up in that amount of time. Since I make my own yogurt, I always have lots of whey with live cultures. I just stir it in after processing the mayo, then let it ferment for the day on the counter. Then in the fridge for the duration. I can't discern any fermented flavor either. The batch we are finishing up today was made on January 6th, and it is still fine.Considering the added health benefits of probiotics, I will never make it another way.

But I will make it. We don't do many sandwiches, but mayonnaise can be used in salads, salad dressings, casseroles, dips, etc. The mayo today was great stirred into the tuna salad and served in a red pepper boat. If I do want a sammie, using my Mr. Peanut Bread or Almond Butter Bread, the Miracle Mayo version is my condiment of choice. It takes me back. The texture of the bread is perfect, the taste of the whip is right. A real sandwich with no compromise. Today, hubby got his tuna sandwiches for lunch. I made finger sandwiches for him using my Almond Butter bread with the tuna salad.


First the Mayo.

Olive and Coconut Oil Mayo (plain or lacto-fermented)


2/3 cup light tasting olive oil
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 egg
2 egg yolks
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt


Allow eggs to come to room temperature. Add the egg and yolks to a tall jar or plastic container  just large enough to fit the immersion blender. Add in the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Heat the coconut oil to liquid state, and carefully add it to the egg mixture. Pour the olive oil over that. Place the immersion blender at the bottom of the container. Give it several short bursts to blend the eggs. Do not move the blades up. When the eggs take on a white appearance, run the blender and very slowly move upward until all the oil in incorporated and the mixture is thickened. This should not take more than a minute. The mayonnaise will become more firm upon refrigeration. Should the mayo break and become separated or refuse to thicken, try adding another egg yolk.


If you would like to extend the freshness and add probiotics, add a tablespoon of whey (the clear liquid from a yogurt with live cultures). Stir the whey in by hand. Leave the mayonnaise on the counter for 8 hours, then store in the refrigerator.


If you do not want the slight coconut flavor, choose an expeller pressed/refined version of coconut oil. If using a flavorless coconut oil, you may want to change the ratios of oil to half and half. The coconut flavor stands out too strongly if using the flavored oil in a 1:1 ratio. Do not use extra virgin olive oil, unless you want the olive flavor to dominate the mayonnaise.

Now you have your healthy mayo. If you want the Miracle version, read on. If not, don't tease me for being a Southern girl! This is yummy. This recipe is for a small portion, but you can double or triple with no problems.




Miracle Made Mayo
3 rounded tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 tsp apple cider vinegar (the type with the "mother" included is the healthiest)
3 drops liquid stevia
a pinch (1/16 tsp) paprika
a pinch (1/16 tsp) garlic powder


Stir all ingredients together. Let flavors blend an hour or more if possible before serving.
Each Tbsp has about 100 calories and less than one carb.

This is great on sandwiches. The advertising says "a sandwich just isn't a sandwich without the tangy zip"....so if you miss it too, try this with an Almond Butter Bread finger sandwich. This sandwich is a sandwich!

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8 comments:

Nancy said...

I am curious about adding the whey and then leaving it out on the countertop? Is that safe in the summer as well when my house is much warmer?

Lisa Marshall said...

Yes, you have to leave it in an environment which will enable the good bacteria to reproduce. That means no chilling for a while. Sally Fallan, author of Nourishing Traditions says,"Lactic acid is a natural preservative that inhibits putrefying bacteria. ... These lactobacilli are ubiquitous, present on the surface of all living things . . . "
If any spoilage ever occurs in lacto fermentation, they say you will most assuredly know it when you open the jar. I have never had anything spoil. I kept a recipe of a flavored sauerkraut that we did not care for for well over a year. I checked before I emptied the jar and it was still fine. I even tried a bite. No flavor difference at all.
As far as warmer summer temps, 8 hours is actually among the shorter time than I have seen in some recipes. Some call for seven hours, but I don't see summer temperatures being a problem.

Retta said...

We use Hain Safflower Mayo, but I've been toying with the idea of learning to make my own, so it won't be top heavy in Omega 6's.

But, honestly, even THAT brand is too thin for me. I grew up on thick Best Foods Real Mayo. :-}

So... I was wondering what you thought about the idea of adding a little bit of knox unflavored gelatin to thicken homemade mayo?? Have you tried to thicken yours?

Thanks, Lisa. :-)

Lisa Marshall said...

Loretta,
Try a batch with an unrefined coconut oil, using it for at least half the oil. The first batch I made was super thick after it chilled with the coconut oil. In fact, that is the reason you can't use all coconut oil. It would be a paste!

Retta said...

Oh, that's right... cold coconut oil hardens! I totally forgot... thanks. :-)

Ancient Egypt Pyramids said...

Another Smart post from you Admin :)

Anonymous said...

This is probably a stupid question, but how do you know if an olive oil is "light tasting"? I've always bought extra virgin, but I see you specifically mention not to use that. Also, I make my own kefir, so I can add the whey. How long do you think it will last with the whey?

Blogger said...

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