Food Sensitivities and Vegan Mayonnaise

No, I am not going vegan.  I am still very much as omnivorous as before, as it's my personal belief that humans were designed that way (and you can read my post about eating meat here), but when there's a possibility of an egg intolerance for my little breastfeeding baby, seems as though the vegan recipes are coming to my rescue.  "Vegan" is more or less the next step beyond vegetarian.  Not only does one not eat meat, but also does not consume animal by-products as well like eggs, milk, cheese, etc.  And since eggs, milk, and cheese are now on my do-not-eat list, I've been searching vegan options as far as things like condiments, baked goods, and snacks go.

Since my last post, I took little Elliot to his pediatrician to discuss his digestive system a little further.  After reviewing my diet as of the past few days, she said it might be a good idea to not only eliminate dairy and eggs, but also gluten, grains, and soy as well.  Thank goodness I've been following a more or less paleo lifestyle for the past couple years (here's when I started, and here's some more information about it), or I'd be LOST.  Probably even devastated... For most people, this would require a MAJOR overhaul of life as they knew it.  A lot of moms would probably toss in the towel and find an allergen-free formula instead.  Having to give up everything you're used to with your normal diet cold-turkey would be a huge shock... But I already gave this stuff up over two years ago (well, except eggs) and have worked on this lifestyle ever since then, finding tons of great alternatives to common foods that contain grains and gluten.  Really, cutting out eggs is the only hard thing about this.

There's a great article on the La Leche League website titled Allergies and the Breastfeeding Family that reviews allergies and explains how our bodies are allergic or sensitive to certain substances and the chemistry behind it, as well as detecting sensitivities and what to do about it (getting into the topic of an elimination diet).  If you're a breastfeeding mom with an especially fussy or colicky baby, I HIGHLY recommend looking into this.  I shouldn't say just breastfeeding moms - formulas definitely contain allergens too that are worth checking into if your formula-fed baby is fussy or colicky. I wish I had this information more available to me when Harlee was a baby - I feel almost certain his colic was due to a food sensitivity and all those sleepless nights could have easily been avoided.  I've cleaned up my diet considerably since he was born, but I'll admit I haven't been eating the cleanest since Elliot was born.  As I shared in my last post, it's like all my will power went out the window and I've just been eating whatever I feel like eating, no matter how unhealthy it might be.  Not good!  Luckily we don't keep our cabinets stocked with junk at our house, so I've only been "bad" when we go out to eat, but still... I definitely had a lot of room for improvement.

So here I am, eliminating quite a bit of common allergens from my diet, which would make the average person feel like they can't eat anything at all, whereas I'm actually pretty excited about the forced change of diet.  I'm feeling better already, and I think Elliot is, too, considering how much better he's sleeping and getting along throughout the day.

It was time to start exploring options for egg substitutes, though.  I figured I'd start with mayonnaise, since I enjoy it as a condiment and it's pretty versatile, like using it for salad dressings and chicken or tuna salad.  I had already experimented with flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tbsp hot water), so I felt confident in trying a recipe I found on TheClothesMakeTheGirl.com for egg-less mayo that involved using the flax egg.

It worked beautifully.  She said to use light olive oil rather than extra virgin, but I only had EVOO on hand so I used it instead, and it still tasted great.  It's super easy, too.  I honestly like it better than conventional mayonnaise, and I definitely like it better than the homemade egg version.  It's thicker, creamier, and just plain yummier.  To the point where I was licking the spoon when I was done.

Here's the recipe:

Mix your flax egg by whisking 1 tbsp ground flax seeds with 3 tbsp hot water.  Let it come to room temperature.

1 flax egg
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup light olive oil

Place all ingredients in a container that a stick blender can fit into (I definitely feel a stick blender is a kitchen staple!!), place the blender in the container, and blend away until all the oil is incorporated.  It doesn't take long, and you can watch the ingredients turn into mayonnaise as you tilt the container to make sure it all blends together.  Once you've turned it all into mayonnaise, stop blending (don't want to overdo it!).  Store in a mason jar in the fridge and enjoy!

I made a BLT wrap with it shortly after making it.  Yum!!