Veggiennaise
2011-Current © copyright veggiewitch, all rights reserved
I’m really loving this “veggiennaise”-making kick I’m in. It’s been very comforting, as in I’m not feeling like I need to depend on store-bought alternatives to mayo, or feel like I’ll have to go without. (I was never much of a mayo eater, but I didn’t like tomato sandwiches without it!) This has been my best batch ever… so far!
Veggiennaise 1 C safflower* oil ½ C soy* milk ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp agave* ½ tsp ACV* (apple cider vinegar – Bragg’s) 2 tsp lemon* juice (juice of 1 lemon) * = Organic∴ Add oil and milk to blender. Begin blending to incorporate. It will begin to thicken. Add the salt and agave, and let it blend. Slowly add ACV and lemon juice. Let it blend for a few seconds, then you’re done. DO NOT over-blend, because you run the risk of breaking the emulsion. Your veggiennaise will last as long as soy milk in the fridge.
~ There is some solid science to this recipe. Mayonnaise is a stable emulsion between the oil and the lecithin in the egg yolk, and with veggiennaise, a similar reaction happens. Oil and soy milk will separate until you begin the blender (change the conditions by speeding the molecules up). The lecithin in the soy milk acts as the emulsifier, and enables the hydrophobic oil and milk molecules to disperse evenly and be suspended almost indefinitely. If you were to continue the blender, the lecithin-enabled bonds would be stretched to their maximum capacity and ultimately snap, resulting in a mass separation of the mixture. Not totally square one, but pretty much. You could scrap it and start over (something Julia Child would definitely gasp at!), or you could try to salvage the original. If you’d like to salvage, you’ll need to add about ½ Tbsp of powdered soy lecithin, and not over-blend. ;0P
"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food."
~ Hippocrates
