by 
As much as I love veggies, sometimes you want a little extra. The right condiment can really bring a vegetable to life. My lemony, creamy, Brazil Nut Mayo works in so many ways. In sandwiches, mixed through quinoa or dolloped onto a fresh salad. Whether you like traditional egg-based mayo or not (I was never a fan) you have to give this Brazil Nut Mayo a try. It’ll knock your socks off!
Well meaning family member or friend asks: “Doesn’t it get boring eating only veggies all the time?”
Me: “Um… not really.”
Surprising as it was at the beginning of my veggie journey, I have gotten used to this question now. What makes questions like this interesting to me is they are about deprivation. I don’t look at being a vegetarian as depriving myself of anything. In fact, focusing on a wholefood, plant based diet has opened me up to a whole new world of yummy food.
My Brazil Nut Mayo is based on a version made with cashew nuts. Back in the day when I was looking for ways to fancy up my veggie dishes I found this recipe and wrote it down (yes, I’m old school like that). The source of this recipe has long since disappeared into the webasphere, but my tweaked version has remained.
Many vegan cream and sauce recipes use cashews as a base because they blend a lot easier than some other nuts. Variety is extremely important in a vegetarian diet, and as I already eat a whole lot of cashews (hello cashew butter) I wanted to experiment with a different type of nut.
The brazil nut works well as a cream base for several reasons. As it’s mild in flavor, just adding different spices or herbs can take the mayo in many different directions. Brazil nuts blend quite easily whether you soak them or not. Also, brazil nuts really give you bang for your buck. Just add a small amount of water to your food processor when mixing these babies and watch the mixture expand! You only need a relatively small amount of nuts to make a lovely big jar of Brazil Nut Mayo.
You may wonder, “Why would I want to make my own nut mayo when I could just go out and by a jar of the eggy stuff?”
Making your own mayo means you control the quality of your ingredients, not to mention the amount of salt you consume. Furthermore, homemade Brazil Nut Mayo provides you with a lovely hit of plant based protein and those super good fats that nourish your skin and keep you satisfied for longer.
For me, this recipe has my top 3 – easy, tasty, and nourishing. Have a go and let me know what you think!
Brazil Nut Mayo
Makes around 1 big jar
1 x cup brazil nuts
1 whole small lemon (juice and rind)
Splash of white wine vinegar
3 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup of water
Salt + Pepper to taste
Method
- Soak your brazil nuts in cold water overnight or if you’re impatient like me, soak them in boiling water for about 1-2 hours.
- Drain the nuts and discard the soaking water. Pop them in a food processor with all the other ingredients except the 1/2 cup of water. Blend on high for about a minute.
- Now add the water and blend again for around 1-2 minutes. At this stage check the consistency. Not smooth enough? Add some more water and keep blending.
- This whole process takes about 10 minutes in total depending on the strength and speed of your blender. Once you have reached the desired consistency, check your mayo for seasoning. Add extra salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
- Store your Brazil Nut Mayo in a clean glass jar in the fridge. Keeps for about a week.
