Kim's Tofu-Cashew Mayonnaise

This recipe is the closest we've gotten to store bought vegan mayo in taste and texture. The great part about this recipe is that there is no added oil. The cashews and tofu make a smooth, creamy consistency and the chia seeds or the xanthan gum makes it thicker.

Xanthan gum can be purchased at health food stores and many larger grocery stores these days. Bob's Red Mill and others manufacture it and it's usually available in the baking goods section or buy it at online Amazon.com.

This recipe makes about 1 pint of mayo.

Ingredients

1 12 ounce package soft silken tofu

1/2 cup raw cashews (about 2 ounces)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon granulated onion powder

1 Tbsp. chia seeds (or 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum), optional

1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Instructions

Drain water from tofu and place it and all other ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend at highest speed until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Seal tightly and keep refrigerated. Stir before each use.

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Vegan Roasted Garlic Cashew Aioli

This is a great recipe to use as a mayonnaise substitute.  It's rich, creamy and has a wonderful tangy flavor that is a perfect addition to your favorite sandwich or as a dip for veggies with less water added, and it makes a tasty salad dressing with more water added.

We always have roasted garlic on hand for various recipes such as this one and it's easy to roast a lot at one time especially if you can buy bags of peeled garlic.  We buy peeled garlic cloves in a bag at Costco and roast a baking sheet full of them at once.  Here's how we do it: line a baking pan with parchment paper, spread garlic out in a single layer, seal the parchment paper over the top and along edges, roast in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 15 minutes or until garlic starts to turn brown and becomes soft. Roasted garlic keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

Using a high speed blender such as a Vitamix will make this even creamier but a regular blender or food processor will work well too, though you'll probably need to blend for longer.

Makes about 2 cups

INGREDIENTS
1 heaped cup raw cashews
12 roasted garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/3 cup soft silken tofu
1/4-1/2 cup water, more/less as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

DIRECTIONS
Blend cashews with roasted garlic, vinegar, juice, mustard and tofu until mixture begins to form a paste. Blend in water to achieve desired consistency. Blend in salt to taste. This will thicken somewhat as it spends time in the refrigerator.


For a fabulous variation add 1-2 teaspoons of chipotle powder or 1/2 teaspoon of canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, or to taste. Chipotle peppers are HOT so go easy on this unless you really like it spicy!

Creamy Cilantro Cashew Dressing

We've been experimenting with a creamy cilantro dressing recipe ever since we tasted the wonderful green dressing they serve at our local vegan restaurant, the fabulous Shine Cafe.  It's been a fun and tasty challenge and though we've never really duplicated the dressing they serve, we've come up with a recipe that's pretty tasty.

This has cashews in it (plus you can add avocado if you want) so it's really satisfying and we use it on salads, over veggies (almost like gravy) and when it's thicker we dip raw veggies and toasted whole wheat pita triangles into it. We love it and we hope you'll like it too.

Creamy Cilantro Cashew Dressing

Ingredients:

1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
2 handfuls raw cashews (2 oz. total)
2 fresh peeled garlic cloves, or 4 cloves roasted garlic
1 package (12 ounces) shelf stable soft silken tofu (we like non-GMO Mori-Nu)
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice (lime's better for this but you can substitute lemon)
1 to 1-1/2 tsp. salt (optional, to taste)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/4-1/2 cup water

Directions:
Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Adjust the amount of water you add to get the consistency you want (more water for salad dressing, less water for a dip).

Makes about a quart depending on how much water you add.

Variations (try adding one or more of these):

1 peeled deseeded avocado
1 small jalapeño pepper deseeded, inside ribs removed
1/4-1/2 tsp. chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (rinsed)
1/2-1 tsp. dried chipotle pepper powder before blending.
If you're into really spicy, by all means add more chipotle pepper.