Older Bolder Life

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mayo

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Roasted Red Pepper Mayo

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One of the food discoveries we’ve made along the way on our Primal/paleo journey is how incredibly useful flavored mayo’s and aioli’s are when it comes to making mealtime time much much more interesting. We reach for our mayo and aioli jar just about every meal there’s a hot or cold protein on the plate.

Being able to consistently make delicious avocado oil, olive oil, or a combination of the two (our favorite) mayo at home in minutes has revolutionized the way we think about using this condiment. And I’m not kidding, when it’s time to make another batch, I don’t even think about it, quickly gather the goods, and can have it done and in cooling in the fridge in under 5 minutes.

Back a few months ago I posted this list of some of our favorite mayo and aioli flavors and variations, and listed among those a red pepper version.

Here’s the full recipe we’ve been using to make this one, and while you can certainly roast your own red peppers like I did for this Easy Romesco Sauce a few weeks back, using well-drained commercially prepared red peppers works here just as well. You will most likely have everything you need in to zip up a batch of this one in the fridge or pantry; don’t leave out the capers – their briny, tart flavor adds to the final taste ensemble nicely.

As always, consider this a base recipe to modify from, though I’d suggest making a batch as it’s written before deciding where you want to take it next time around.

1 cup avocado or olive oil mayo (use this recipe)
1/3 cup drained and chopped roasted red peppers or roast your own (see above)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp drained and chopped capers
1 tsp good paprika
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

Into your trusty blender or food processor go the ingredients; blend/pulse until well combined and smooth. Store covered tightly in the fridge for up to 5 days, though it’ll never last that long.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Sauce Monday: Fifteen Mayo (and Aioli) Flavors That’ll Change Your Life

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One of our common daily quests is to prepare and enjoy healthy foods that are packed with flavor, varied and interesting, and (for the most part) easy to prepare.

One of the ways we do that around our kitchen is to use the incredibly versatile avocado or olive mayo recipe we keep referencing in recipes here on the Older Bolder Life; with an immersion blender in hand making this is child’s play, and having practiced a bit, it takes me all of 3-4 minutes to blend up a double recipe in a quart Mason jar every 7-10 days.

Technically we’re making a mayonnaise, even though some good folks out there call it an aioli; they’re kissing cousins, but there are some critical differences (for a reasonable take on the distinctions, see this).

The avocado oil mayo recipe we’ve shared (link above) is a perfect vehicle to carry a host of great flavors to compliment whatever you’re serving; here are fifteen of our favorites. The beauty of every one of these suggestions is your ability to add as much or as little of any ingredient you want to to suit your own (or your family’s) tastes.

Two quick tips: one, when incorporating whole ingredients, for example roasted garlic, roasted red peppers, chipotle peppers in adobo, etc, the more finely you chop them (or blend in a mini-food processor), the smoother your finished mayo will be. Prefer some texture in the finished product? Don’t blend as much. And two, remember that when adding spices to a mayo or aioli, their flavor tends to intensify over time.

Roasted garlic. Cut a head of garlic in half, rub the cut sides with avocado or olive oil, and roast until browned and soft. Squeeze into your mayo, add a bit of lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Cilantro Lime. One of our favorites; don’t forget a bit of fresh lime zest along with the juice too.

Roasted red pepper. Roast your own or used a quality jarred brand, allow to drain before chopping or blending in. We like this with a little bit of Dijon or Cajun mustard and lemon juice too. Try with a few soaked and softened sun-dried tomatoes too.

Chipotle. Use either dried and soaked chipotles or those packed in the little cans with clinging adobo (which I tend to reach for first as it’s easier, and the clinging adobo sauce is so well flavored). Consider a whiff of cumin too.

Chipotle lime. Ditto the above; lime juice and lime zest make this one probably one of the all time flavor favorites.

Smoked Paprika. Surprisingly tasty, this one needs a bit of cumin to really bring out the flavors, at least in our book, and is very good with a quality sweet paprika too.

Lemon Dill. Fresh dill is best, though dried works, and use both fresh lemon juice and zest to make this one pop.

Truffle. Just a few drops of truffle oil are all it takes; I have to admit perhaps my personal least favorite but my wife loves this one.

Sriracha. Try different sriracha brands, or use this paleo version.

Avocado or avocado garlic. A recent addition to our rotation, this one is great and even better with roasted garlic. Don’t forget a bit of lemon juice to keep this one fresh.

Roasted garlic and chipotle. ‘Nuff said and better with a splash of lemon or lime juice.

Creole mustard. We keep reaching for Zatarain’s Creole mustard when making this one; even better with a bit of a Cajun spice blend mixed in.

Ginger sesame. Best with minced fresh ginger, though fresh ground ginger works too; try it with a splash of toasted sesame oil.

Blue cheese. Try this one with good blue cheese crumbles, and splashes of Worcestershire and lemon juice.

Curry. This one sings with a good, fresh curry powder, lime (or lemon juice), and perhaps even a whisper of cayenne.

the Older Bolder Life Foundation Recipes 30 May 2018: Olive Oil (or Avocado Oil) Mayo

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There are times when you just need a great mayo on hand to pull a recipe together – as in tuna or chicken salads, deviled eggs, and even a few salad dressings – as we head into the summer season.

With just about every mass-produced, commercially-available mayo (in the US at least) made with soybean oil (or canola / another of the franken-oils we’ve all forever abandoned), it’s crazy not to make a quick batch of great tasting mayo at home using olive or avocado oil.

I know this is not news to those of you who consider yourselves pretty handy in the kitchen, though we continue to be amazed at how many folks don’t use this simple technique featuring an immersion blender demonstrated so ably below by Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats.

Two things of note: One, KLA mentions in the video using canola or another vegetable oil – of course you’ll want to use avocado or a good (but not extra virgin) olive oil in your batch at home. (Using EVOO can produce bitterness for reasons covered in detail here.)

Two, the options for tweaking the flavor of your mayo to suit your palate or recipe are basically endless. We like to add a bit of finely grated garlic and use ACV instead of fresh lemon juice in our basic recipe for a bit more acidity and bite, and often use a grainy, creole mustard (try Zatarain’s version).

Tossing in a chipotle pepper (or two) with their clinging adobo sauce makes for a wonderful spiced-up version (your chicken salad just got more interesting); even better, consider whisking in a bit of lime juice after it’s emulsified to taste.

Enjoy.