What I want to talk about first is the importance of understanding not only your own preferences when it comes to food, but also consider the preferences and/or limitations of the ones around you. I've made it pretty clear already that I have several food restrictions that are necessary if I want to remain feeling top-notch and as healthy as I possibly can. People around me know this about me and have known for long enough to accept it as reality and understand that I'm not just being a bitch or insulting their cooking/their eating habits/etc. It certainly took a long time for people to really understand that I didn't have an incredibly restrictive diet that border lined on an eating disorder. I didn't choose this for myself (who would want to limit themselves from the majority of nature's bounty of vegetables and fruits?!) and I certainly wish I could CURE myself of all that ails my poor little digestive tract but that just AIN'T HAPPNIN'.
There's this little 30-day commitment. I'm sure at least some of you have heard of it: The Whole30. This program is a 30-day period of strict Paleo eating--eliminating grains, dairy, legumes and anything else that poses psychological, hormonal, intestinal, and auto-immune distress on your body. I have completed the Whole30; Korey and I made the commitment in February this year. Now, granted, all I had to give up at the time was stevia and protein powder, but I did it anyway for two reasons: to see I could possibly feel any better (which I DID!) and to help support my husband who was in need of a dietary clean-up. I've stayed off of these two things ever since and I've never felt better. Where am I getting with this, you ask? Here we go...
I've recently gained a friend. Her name is Jennie and we bumped into each other via facebook (believe it or not!) through her Paleo-based blog called Easy Paleo. As it turned out, she buys her grass-fed beef from a farmer that is literally right down the road from my house. With very few folks our way that actively live a Paleo lifestyle, I had to contact her and make friends! There was also the added bonus that we both love food and we both love to cook, so there's always something to talk about. We've had lunch a couple of times during the work week and got along well, so we decided to have our husbands meet and have a little dinner get-together at my and Korey's house. The dinner took place last night.
Jennie and her husband, Dustin, are currently doing their version of the Whole30--a Whole43 as a matter of fact (taking it to the end of July, I believe). This meant that since I was hosting, I'd need to take this into consideration when creating our menu. Now, let's just come out and say it...it's easy to avoid grains, dairy, and the like if I don't already eat that stuff! But, the point is that I was so accepting of the choice they are currently making and I by no means was judgmental or questioning their reasoning for committing to the program even though they live very similarly to Korey and me. The even greater lesson comes from Jennie's end. She knows (and accepts) my dietary limitations and gladly cleared all the ingredients she would be using in the dishes she was bringing to the dinner. No questioning, no sneering, no NOTHING! For once, it's so nice to have someone for dinner that understands the reasons you eat the way you eat and doesn't make it point to POINT OUT what you're eating and what you're not. And, can I just add right here that our meal was AMAZING, and there's no way in this world any of us felt deprived!
It's good to know Paleo peeps! And that's all I'll say about that.
Now for the mayo...
It came up in conversation last night that my one-and-only attempt at homemade Paleo mayo was an EPIC FAILURE. Not only did I waste a butt-load of good olive oil, but I wasted a lot of time. I ended up with a milky, watery, tangy dressing and NOT A MAYONNAISE. Since I'm not good at being NOT GOOD at something, I totally wrote it off and swore I'd never try THAT again!
Jennie admitted she had similar issues with her attempts in the past, but after talking with her, it seems she's got it figured out. I was inspired...I decided I was going to tackle that mayo again...and WIN.
Flipping through all of my Paleo cookbooks, I ran across a recipe for which I wouldn't have to go buy more ingredients that what I already had at the house. I'll admit I had one bottle of not-so-great-but-usable-on-a-rare-occasion-when-there's-nothing-better olive oil that I was willing to scrap if I failed again. A couple of other things appealed to me about this particular recipe: it required a mix of coconut oil (which intrigued me given that coconut oil is solid at temps greater than about 70 degrees) and it used only the yolks of the eggs (folks like me with auto-immune disease should avoid the whites of eggs due to certain proteins in the whites that can wreak havoc on our intestinal tract). With all my ingredients in-house, it was time to (literally) beat this mayo once and for all!
Remembering why I had probably failed last time--pouring my oil too fast and being inconsistent with my whipping speed--I wanted to make sure I took it nice and easy, mustering up and exercising all of the patience I possibly could to do this RIGHT this time.
Mixer on low...
Oil added one spoon at a time...
Continuing to mix...
More oil...
Mix some more...
More oil...
You get the idea. Then, finally...SUCCESS! I'd reached MAYO PERFECTION! I'm not even a mayonnaise person, never have been even in my not-so-healthy days; but I had done something that I didn't think I could. I was elated and proud...and still am! It just goes to show that even if you've failed in the past, with enough guts, patience, and positive thinking you can do anything you put your mind to...even if it's simply making mayonnaise!
How about the recipe? It's from "The Paleo Diet: Cook like a Caveman" by Anna Conrad.
2 egg yolks
1 tsp mustard (I used 1/2 tsp dry mustard)
3 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted but not hot
Mix together yolks, 1 tsp lemon juice and mustard in a blender or food processor. (I used a hand mixer on the lowest setting for this recipe.) While blending or mixing (still on low setting), add the oil very slowly, even drop by drop in the beginning. You're creating an emulsion and if you add too much oil at once, it will separate and will be very hard to save. Mix non-stop, using a towel under the bowl to help stabilize the bowl. As you add more oil, the emulsion will form, the mayo will start to thicken, and you can pour the oil faster at this point. When all of the oil is incorporated and the mayo is thick, add the rest of the lemon juice (I only added one other tsp, not 2) and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy without guilt!
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