Lemon Mint Chimicurri

Chimichurri is ridiculously delicious and easy to make. At it's core, it's finely-chopped parsley, minced garlic, oil, oregano, and vinegar - not unlike other other forms of pesto. I first had it as a condiment for grilled beef at an Argentinian restaurant. I was re-introduced to it at CPK where they have a delicious under 500 cal grilled chicken served with chimichurri and at Marmalade Cafe in a grilled flank steak entree. So why not on a roast lamb? 

I made it passover friendly, replacing all of the vinegar with lemon juice. And while the parsley, oregano, red chili pepper herb combination is delicious, I thought it might be a little too overpowering for the lamb. Since I know mint goes really well with lamb, I decided to make that the more prominent herb in this chimichurri. 

Ingredients: 

1 whole lemon - zest and juice
1 bunch of mint (about 1/4 cup finely minced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 c finely minced parsley
ev olive oil
1 tsp of honey

Directions: 

In a food processor, pulse to combine lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, chopped mint, and parsley. Add oil and pulse/mix until desired consistency. Add the honey and mix for 3 seconds. Use as a sauce for the meat and/or a marinade. 

Aioli & Mayonnaise

One of my friends is doing this insane healthy diet challenge where she's not allowed to eat anything with added sugar. It's super easy to check - just see the ingredients list. That's when you realize that sugar (and salt!) is added to EVERYTHING.

So... solution... make it yourself!

I have to say, I'm really proud of how it came out. I'm normally not a fan of mayo. But I definitely liked this! It's a simple 4-ingredient recipe: oil, egg yolk, vinegar, water. I omitted both the salt and the sugar. Fun fact: an aioli is just mayonnaise with garlic in it.

Ingredients: 

1 cup oil (I did 1/2 safflower; 1/2 ev olive)
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp water
5 cloves of minced garlic (omit for plain mayonnaise)

Method: 

Put the egg, vinegar, water, and garlic into a food processor (or blender). Make sure the processor has some way for you to add things into the work bowl while it's turned on. Pulse for a few seconds and then set it for ON. 

While the processor or blender is on, drizzle your oil into the work bowl in a slow, steady stream. Note: the stream should be about 1/4"  - or about half the thickness of a pencil. 

Once all of the oil is incorporated, stop and scrape down the sides of your work bowl. Then, let it run again for another 10 to 15 seconds. You'll have a super creamy and thick product. 

Transfer into your preferred storage container. Makes a little over 1 cup.