Vegan Mayo and Egg-free Salad

I've never made mayonaise before! Why is this? Hmm, maybe because I don't like mayo, except as an ingredient in other foods once in a while. And that is what prompted me to try J.J.'s Vegan Mayonaise in Vegan Fusion--I wanted to make Amaya's Egoless Egg-free Salad, which calls for the vegan mayo. Anyway, it turns out making mayonaise is rediculously quick and easy, and the best part? When made from this recipe, it even tastes good! Frankly, I was astonished at how much I liked it.

J.J.'s Vegan Mayonaise

2 1/4 cups safflower oil (I used canola)
1 cup soy milk (the unsweetened kind, of course)
1 Tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar (I used agave)
3/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste
2-2 1/2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar, or fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Combine all the ingredients except the vinegar or lemon juice in blender, blending until smooth. Slowly add vinegar or juice until the liquid thickens. (I think I only added about 1 1/2 tsp vinegar and it was plenty thick.)

So, off to a good start, I assembled the ingredients for the egg-free salad, which is also a quick and easy recipe. My husband and I have been big fans of Toby's tofu pate for years, and I hoped this would be similar. I was not disappointed! If you like egg salad, or potato salad, you'll probably like this as well. It can be as thick and chunky or as smooth and creamy as you decide to make it, so it could be a sandwich filler, or a dip, or (as the book suggests) a stuffing for tomatoes. At first I wished I had stirred it all up and tasted it before adding the shoyu, because I didn't really think it needed it...but after letting it sit overnight I changed my mind. I would add a LOT more dill, just because I love dill...but there is a very sad story of slugs in my garden that has resulted in me not having much dill on hand just now. Boo. It would also be good with a minced jalepeno, if you like a bit of spice.

My husband and I gave this 4 carrots; the kids declined to try it.

^^^^

~Sophie