Cookwell Oils and a Recipe: Avocado Cilantro Mayonnaise

It’s no surprise to anyone that I love cooking.  So when I get the chance to try a new product–especially something that is more of a “cooking from scratch” type item, I love it!

Walmart is now carrying a new line of cooking oils--Cookwell Cooking Oils–and asked several of us to take part in a campaign with them.  This was kind of fun-they asked us to send in some recipes and told us they’d have Chef Jake remake them for us.  Well I pretty much assumed that they’d just substitute in their oil for the oil in the recipe.  I was wrong!

First off, they sent us this cool gift basket and a selection of their oils:

Then Chef Jake totally remade our recipes making not only the oil healthier by using the Cookwell oils–but to also add in new flavors and additional health benefits.  So my recipe for Homemade Mayonnaise (have I mentioned I’m getting 2 dozen farm fresh eggs each week from a friend?) turned into Avocado Cilantro Mayonnaise.

Doesn’t that just SOUND good?

Before I get too much into the recipe itself, I want to tell you a bit more about the oils.  They oils were created to not only be as healthy as possible, but also to help you cook.  Each oil is labeled with it’s best use, and it has a little graph on it to tell you how much flavor and at how high of a temperature it can be used.  If you look at the photo above of the Canola Oil & Extra Virgin Olive Oil Blend (the EVOO is added for it’s health benefits, but the canola is better for baking) you can see it says “BAKE” in a little box–and then to the right of it  there are the words “Flavor” and “Temp” with circles filled in next to it.  So this has a medium flavor and is best at lower temperatures.  So this oil would not be your best choice for frying (you’d need higher temperature) and it wouldn’t be good for something where you wanted the taste to be completely neutral–but it doesn’t have a super strong flavor either.

When you are in store at Walmart the shelves are labeled with the same information to help you choose the right oils for you application.

You can also go to their website product page and scroll over each oil to see it’s characteristics:

We got to attend a video conference with Chef Jake and he went over our recipes with us, shared tips and talked about the oils.  I picked up two really cool tips about frying.  You see-I’m a northern girl. We just genetically don’t do frying.  Not only do we not fry, but in the 80’s my dad wound up with high cholesterol so the entire family got put on a lower fat diet.  So frying was even MORE out at our house.  That’s why when I make my Potato Pancakes each year for Christmas tree decorating night it’s such a big deal–I usually don’t fry!  I actually have to kind of relearn each time.

Ok, back on topic-the frying tips.  If you use a thermometer and get the temperature up high enough, your food will fry fast enough that the outside forms a crust before the oil has a chance to sink in as much–so the food winds up less greasy.  Don’t go too high though, you don’t want it to brown too fast and have the middle underdone–the right temp is right around where my thermometer is marked for “Donuts”  –325-350 degrees.

Another tip–if you add some cornstarch into your flour, and/or you use some whole wheat flour then your breading will not absorb as much oil!  (cornstarch is better according to Chef Jake)

Here is the recipe for the Avocado Cilantro Mayonnaise (don’t worry-I’ll be showing you my many trials, tribulations and finally success at making plain homemade mayonnaise tomorrow).  In the pictures you’ll see it being used with Southwestern Corn Fritters–which was the recipe remake for Linsey over at Lille Punkin!

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Avocado Cilantro Mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 1 C Oil & EVO Blen
• 1 Egg Yolk room temperature
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Whole Grain Mustard
• 1/4 tsp Honey
• 2 tsp Lime Juice
• 2 TBS Cilantro stems removed
• 1/2 Avocado

Instructions

1. Place egg yolk, lime juice, mustard, salt, cilantro and honey in the food processor or blender. Pulse for 10 seconds.
2. Turn processor/blender on and being pouring in a thin stream of oil.
3. Add avocado and pulse for 10 more seconds.
4. Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Serve as a dip for fries/fritters, thin to use as a salad dressing, or spread on your favorite sandwich!

You can find out more about Cookwell oils on their website, Cookwell Oils, or via the Cookwell Oil Facebook Page.  They’ve also got a sweepstakes going on where one person a week for 10 weeks will will a $500 value prize!  (note: you would have to like the page then enter the contest–there is an optional recipe to input for a remake)

****This is a sponsored post****

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post I am participating in with the Walmart Moms. Walmart has provided me with compensation for this post. My participation is voluntary and opinions, as always are my own.