Vegan mayo & aioli. Celeriac-based #whiletheovenisstillhot

One of the most exciting things about vegan cuisine is that … nothing is obvious! Beans can be the base for a paprika bread spread, spicy Mexican goulash or sweet brownie with double chocolate. And it’s the same story with vegan mayonnaise. Although I have never been a big vegan mayonnaise fan, since I started my vegan experiments, I think I have become one. While the classic mayo is based on eggs, its vegan cousins are a little less predictable and probably a little crazier. The most popular egg-free mayo is prepared from soy milk and oil and as the classic one, it’s a very fatty treat. You have to slowly add a large portion of oil to soy milk, blending at the same time till finally you get a satisfying, thick consistency. So, how about making this process a bit different, kind of reversed? Let’s achieve a good consistency by diluting the ingredients while replacing some of the fat with additional flavor and nutritional values. Here we go: I’m presenting my celeriac mayonnaise (it’s one my favorites, but I still have some aces up my sleeve – maybe I will share them in the future).

The following recipe belongs to my favorite category #whiletheovenisstillhot, so I recommend to roast some celeriac for mayo while you are already baking or roasting something else. This recipe is for a larger jar of mayonnaise. It can be safely stored for up to 4 days in the fridge. Don’t be afraid of the celeriac’s taste – because of its umami taste, it goes very well with other ingredients. It is really difficult to guess what exactly the mayo was made of.

Celeriac mayonnaise

  • 1 small white celeriac or half of a larger one

  • 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard

  • 1 tablespoon of agave syrup

  • 1 teaspoon of salt (optional: replace half a teaspoon of salt with the black kala namak salt for some extra eggy flavor)

  • 1/3 cup rapeseed or sunflower seeds oil

  • 1/3 cup plant-based milk (I used oat milk here)

  1. Peel celeriac* and cut it into smaller pieces.

  2. Bake the celeriac for at least 40 minutes at 180 degrees (until soft)

  3. Let the celeriac cool down.

  4. Put 250g of the cooled celeriacinto a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except the oil.

  5. Using a hand blender, mix all the ingredients, then add oil and blend again until you reach a smooth consistency. If necessary, add more vegetable milk.

*Don’t throw away celeriac peels! Collect all the veggie leftovers in one place, so you can prepare full of taste, healthy vegan broth: zero-waste soup

Red bean-potato salad with mayo

  • 1 can of red beans

  • Half an onion or one shallot

  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

  • A few baked or boiled potatoes (300g)

  • Pepper and salt to taste

  • For serving: chives

  1. Drain the beans, rinse with water.

  2. Cut the potatoes into small cubes.

  3. Cut the onion into small strips, marinate for a few minutes in lemon juice (raw onion will become milder then).

  4. Mix the ingredients with mayonnaise, season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives. Eat with your favorite (preferably homemade) bread.


Celeriac aioli
 

Tastes best as a sauce for baked vegetables, potato wedges or in a deluxe vegan sandwich

  • Mayonnaise from the recipe above (about 400g)

  • 1 large clove of garlic (or two smaller ones) / 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

  • 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes (for a more cheesy flavor. If you don’t have this kind of yeast – you can skip it)

  1. Add all the ingredients to the mayonnaise and mix it using a hand blender.

Still hungry?