I’ve been meaning to write an about section for this blog. Here’s a sneak peek.

I’m thirty-two and it hurts. More than ever before, I feel like Kevin from the wonder years every single minute of every single day.

I’m Québécoise all the way but can’t quite grasp what being Québécoise truly entails.

I spent my teenage years having Roseanne’s Dan as a father figure and Courtney Love as role model.

I blissfully and blindly married into royalty, ancient persian royalty that is, at the age of 20.

I teach french for a living. I enjoy it but often wish I had gotten my MBA instead.

I suffered from a severe concussion when I gave birth to a king almost four years ago and never recovered : je vois la vie en rose!

Food matters to me. Eating an open-face tomato sandwich with homemade vegan mayo feels both natural and political to me.

I’m hosting the FMP today. I chose two vegan mayos for you to experiment with : tofu mayo and bread-and-nut mayo. I made the bread-and-nut version and loaded it with fresh herbs. This mayo is both earthy and slightly tangy. Most importantly, it has that same addictive factor that regular store-bought mayo has. It is vegan and healthy, but will fit beautifully with all of your carnivorous favorites : tuna sandwiches, blts and burgers.

tofu mayo (print)

recipe from mark bittman

makes : about 1 cup

time : 10 minutes

Here is a delicious homemade vegan mayo. To make this more of a sauce, add some soy milk, water, or a little more olive oil.

6 ounces soft silken tofu (about 3/4 cup)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or to taste

1 tablespoon honey or sugar, optionnal

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teasppon salt, or to taste

Put all the ingredients in a blender. Turn the machine to a medium speed that keeps things moving without splattering. Let it run for a minute or 2, then turn it off.

Scrape the sides of the container with a rubber spatula, turn the blender back on, and repeat the process two more times. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Serve immediately (or store in a jar for up to several days).

bread-and-nut mayo (print)

recipe from mark bittman

Like the tofu mayo above, this homemade vegan mayo is going to taste much better thant store-bought eggless mayonnaise or, for that matter, most store-bought “real” mayonnaise. Plus both vegan mayos keep for days, if not longer.

Bread-and-nut mayo is based on skordalia, the classic Greek sauce that tastes great with almost anything. Use whole wheat bread here if you like but stay away from breads witth seeds or bits of grain.

1 small slice day-old bread, preferably whole wheat

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed

1/2 almonds, walnuts or cashews*

1 garlic clove, to taste**

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, or to taste

salt

pepper

Put the bread in a bowl and wet it with a few tablespoons of water. Squeeze the bread dry, then put it in a food processor with the oil, nuts and garlic. Process the mixture until the nuts are ground. With the machine running, slowly pour in 1/4 cup water, followed by a drizzle of oil to form a creamy sauce as thick or thin as you like.

Add the lemon juice and some salt and pepper and process to combine. Serve immedialety (or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days).

* I used walnuts.

** I skipped the garlic, obviously.