Spring has sprung, the clocks have gone forward and hopefully we are all looking forward towards summer and some great BSD friendly seasonal foods.

Can I start us off with a very simple dressing that is lovely with salmon, fresh or smoked, or prawns. It’s probably similar to a ‘prawn cocktail’ sauce

My Marie Rose Sauce

3 tbsp Hellman’s light mayonnaise
1tbsp or so tomato ketchup
1 or 2 tsp Lea & Perrins
1 or 2 tbsp cream
Really good squeeze lemon juice.

Mix together. Add lemon juice and Lea & Perrins to taste. I like mine quite ‘tart’. I haven’t worked out the cals/carbs as they would vary. Also I use Hellman’s Light as it’s my favourite but any decent mayo would do.

I also have a great cold pepper soup recipe but that will have to be for another day!

That looks like a useful and versatile base for a sauce. I’d throw in some horseradish too for a little extra heat. 🙂

You’ve also reminded me that I’ve been meaning to post my recipe for tofu mayonnaise. I used to use Hellman’s Light, but I wanted to find an even lower carb alternative that I could spice how I liked since I always seemed to add garlic and lemon juice to mayo anyway. Silken tofu was the solution.

Ridiculously Low Carb, Low Cal Mayonnaise

1 lb package silken tofu
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic (I love garlic. Start with one clove for a little punch without a strong garlic flavor.)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

Drain the tofu in a colander for 15 minutes to get rid of some of the water. In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust for seasoning. The end.

This makes anywhere from 25 to 30 one-tablespoon servings, depending on how much water drained out of the tofu. Assuming 25 servings, it’s only 10 calories per tablespoon. Carbs per serving: none. Okay, a quarter of one. That means you have to use 1/4 cup of this mayo to count a single carb.

Interesting Esnecca. I’ve never used tofu and was just wondering how long your mayo will keep in the fridge.

I do add horseradish to mayo but without the cream and lemon juice. I also mix mayo and dijon occasionally for fish or even a burger. Although I must admit I really haven’t had burgers much since I started this way of eating.

Talking about burgers yesterday I saw an elderly couple sitting outside a well know burger chain eating burgers and chips. Both of them were comfortably ‘padded’ and it made me realise how very easy it is to make bad food choices…. fast and cheap!!!

Think it’s time for me to re-read ‘The Book’ to renew my reasons for being healthy!

Hellman’s Mayonnaise is out for me as it contains sugar. Tofu is also out for me because it comes from Soy which is not paleo. Thus I make my own. I have learnt that by using an electric whisk and 3x quantity at once it is impossible for it to curdle whilst making it and its quicker to make than boiling an egg. Yes it is high fat and therefore calorie heavy but I have also learnt whilst on my 800F journey that a little can go a long way, it lasts a long time in the fridge and besides, giving up everything you like would be unsustainable in the long run:

1 egg yolk
1 sm tsp Dijon mustard (I use Waitrose essential as it is sugar free)
1/2cup light olive oil
dash virgin olive oil
1 sm tsp cider vinegar
lots of thick ground black pepper
salt to taste

Whisk the egg yolk and mustard then very slowly drizzle the oils until the mixture starts to thicken then add more quickly. When all the oil is mixed in, add in remaining ingredients and enjoy.

Verano, since one block of tofu makes so much mayo, I’ve kept it in the fridge for at least a month. Nothing happens to it other than some minor separation which is easily resolved with a quick whisking before use. Tofu is shelf-stable, and the fridge takes care of everything else indefinitely.

When you added horseradish to your cocktail sauce, was it the creamy kind or just the plain grated horsey? I use the latter and I’m wondering if it would be able to replace the cream on its own.

I still have burgers on occasion. A 4 oz sirloin burger with some melty cheese on top is simple to make and lovely. It’s relatively high in calories, like all beef, but nothing unmanageable. Now that I’ve cracked the turkey burger code using zucchini , I plan to make many more burgers to take advantage of grilling weather.

ddraig_goch, isn’t light olive oil refined? It’s my understanding that refined oils are not paleo.

Yes Esnecca you are right. Sorry I should have been clearer. I use Filippo Berio Pure Olive Oil which is not at the bottom end of olive oil market (eg those marketed as extra light) but which IS a blend of refined and extra virgin. Money no object I would use macadamia nut oil but this is out of my price range at the moment. I have tried making mayo with extra virgin olive oil but found it inedible and virgin olive oil does not seem to be available in the UK. Some times you have to pick the battles you fight.

How about avocado oil? I’ve never tried it myself so I can’t speak from experience, but when I was looking for alternative mayo recipes, I saw several that used avocado oil. I imagine the cold-pressed, unrefined avocado oil is probably more expensive than the Berio olive oil blend, but avocados are so much cheaper than macadamia nuts one would hope the oil would be too.

Esnecca I use hot creamed horeseradish sauce with just some mayo but I’m sure you could add the tomato ketchup if you wanted. I think the grated stuff alone would be fine without the addition of cream.

I really don’t eat mayo enough to warrant making my own even with tofu. Although today I made some canned tuna, enough for two, mixed with balsamic vinegar, lots of black pepper, 1tbsp of mayo and 2tbsp of Marie Rose sauce and it was lovely. I wrapped the tuna ‘pate’ in smoked salmon and served with crisp lettuce , cherry tomatoes and cucumber. It was lovely. Avocado would have completed the dish but the ones I have aren’t ripe!!

Haven’t thought about using avocado oil Esnecca as I don’t like avocados but its definitely worth a try as the rest of the ingredients might mask the taste. Thanks for the idea.

Hi. I’d like some inspiration please. I’ve some pesto that I’d like to use up. Any recipe ideas would be fantastic. I’ve plenty of recipe books but nothing jumping out at me so please help!

Pesto makes a great chicken salad. Grill or bake a chicken breast, cut it or tear it into bite-sized pieces, add the pesto and mix it all up. Add anything other veg you like. My choices would be 4 or 5 quartered cherry tomatoes, green onions, roasted mushrooms and cucumbers for crunch. Serve in lettuce cups.

Hi

If you are making a roast I have another accompaniment. I make a Spanish dish of panaderas …. alternating layers of sliced onions, sliced potatoes, sliced green peppers and a little sliced garlic (to taste). Intersperse the layers with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Add some vegetable stock and cover with tinfoil and bake around 170C fan for a few hours. Take tinfoil off for last 30mins.

Ok so we don’t do potatoes and tonight I tried it with shredded cabbage instead …. wow! …. lovely!