AWESOME SAUCE

This delicious creamy Awesome Sauce is a dip or spread that’s filled with flavor. It’s easy to make in the food processor or blender, and it happens to be vegan. Mix up a batch today and serve it with crackers or veggies for a perfect appetizer!

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

TAPAS FOR DINNER

Sometimes we have tapas for dinner. Happy hour nibbles. Simple. Nice. Fun. We make an event out of it.

Fresh cut fruits & veggies, nuts, dips, spreads, crackers, cheeses.

We mix and match flavours. We see if a sweet flavour like raspberry or honey mixes well with a strong cheese and an almond, or maybe a red pepper.

We sit outside in the backyard and enjoy the sunset and the weather. We watch the birds and maybe the squirrels. We enjoy the simple things in life. Like the company of a wonderful person!

TAPAS NIGHT PLANNING

A few months ago I was planning one of these tapas nights (we often do these on a Friday night). So, on my way home I stopped at Whole Foods Market to pick up some fun veggies and things to have for tapas night. That’s where I first encountered this amazing sauce

HOW I FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS SAUCE

I immediately fell in love with the flavours. Spicy. Creamy. Complex. Smoky. I dipped a cracker into it. Love! I dipped veggies into it. More love! I spread it on things. I licked it off the spoon! Yep, I admit it! It was that good. The Only problem is, that it comes in a little container. It was gone way too fast.

So, I set about making my own. And, the nice thing about making your own, you can suit the flavours to everything you want them to be. Want it spicier? Add more chipotle. Is it too spicy? Add less chipotle. Mmm, I wonder what a Sriracha Awesome Sauce would taste like? I bet it would be yum!

WHAT GIVES IT THE CREAMY TEXTURE?

When I made my first batch of Awesome Sauce and had my husband taste it he loved it, and asked what was in it.

I listed off all the ingredients. He asked, “but what gives it that creamy texture, is it sour cream?”

Almonds, I said, blended up like that, the almonds become creamy.

It’s vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo, grain-free, and sugar-free.

I’m not sure that he really believed me even then that this super creamy, super yummy dip had no dairy in it. But, he continued to eat it.

In fact, the other day he asked if we had any more of that Awesome Sauce, because he was looking for a yummy snack.

I told him we were all out, but that I would be happy to make more for him! Yippee!! Success, the husband liked it! That’s a big win!! Especially for a vegan dip!

WHAT ARE THESE UNUSUAL INGREDIENTS?

Some notes about some of the more unusual ingredients for in the recipe…

• Chipotle Paste is one of my favorite ways to use chipotle (it’s super easy!). I always have a jar in my fridge. Take a look here for the instructions on how to make your own.

• Nutritional Yeast Flakes have a strong flavor that’s often described as savory, nutty, or cheesy. You’ll see it used in vegan cheeses, and it’s a good source of protein and vitamins.

• Bragg Liquid Aminos are like soy sauce, with a nice salty flavor. It’s also a good source of protein. If you follow a Paleo diet, you may want to use coconut aminos instead, due to the soy in Bragg.

IT’S GOOD FOR YOU TOO

This snack’s a little high in calories, but it’s from all those good for you fats in the almonds and grapeseed oil. “Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats, the same type of health-promoting fats as are found in olive oil, which have been associated with reduced risk of heart disease,” ~World’s Healthiest Foods. So, don’t worry, it’s still good for you!

HOW CAN I USE THIS SAUCE?

So, here, in all its yumminess. Put it in sandwiches or wraps. Smear it on crackers and veggies. Dip pretzels into it. It’s so good you’ll want it on everything!

These are the almonds I use for making the sauce. Don’t worry that they still have skins on them; the skins get ground up, and I think they contribute to the pretty colour of the sauce.

Looking for more sauces recipes? Check out our favourite sandwich recipes here

Awesome Sauce

This delicious creamy Awesome Sauce is a dip or spread that's filled with flavour. It's easy to make in the food processor or blender, and it happens to be vegan. Mix up a batch today and serve it with crackers or veggies for a perfect appetizer!

SERVINGS - 16

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons water

• ½ cup raw almonds

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or oil of your choice

• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons bragg liquid aminos or coconut aminos

• 1 teaspoon chipotle paste

• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon chili powder

• ¼ teaspoon paprika

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place all ingredients in the order listed in a high-powdered blender (such as a VitaMix) or a food processor. Blend for one minute on Variable speed, turning the speed up as you blend. Turn the dial up to high, and continue to blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

• Store in the refrigerator in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. If sauce separates, just give it a stir.

NOTES Makes about 2 cups. For the serving size, I figured about 2 tablespoons per serving

AN EPIC VEGAN GRAVY + SMASHED POTATO SIDES

I am so excited to share my vegan gravy recipe with you. Why excited? Because, let's be honest, some vegan gravy tastes like dishwater or worse, chalk, but this one doesn't. This one is thick, glossy and rich with full flavours that are decidedly meat-like. This gravy is traditional without the tradition.

Served over some gorgeous smashed potatoes with miso butter and softly roasted leeks and our vegan Christmas feast is almost complete.

OK, if you're not going to say it, I'll say it. Man, this year went quick. Cliches aside, this year had roller-skates. We've had a very big year at Goodness headquarters. The Husband got a promotion which means he is busier than a March fly in April, the house had endless nips and tucks to carve it in to its current beautiful-but-not-quite-finished-state while the Elf prepared to leave the nest for Kindergarten. A very big deal when you are an almost four year-old. She also underwent surgery on her hands and her bravery and resilience left me in awe. My kid does that a lot...leaves me in awe.

Last week I shared my vegetarian holiday stuffed squash, an easy-to-make but wonderfully festive vegan main. While it is moist and tasty enough to stand alone, this epic vegan gravy takes the dish to another level. Sautéed vegetables, red wine, garlic, stock and, wait for it, Marmite combine to create a full-flavoured almost meaty gravy. I finish my gravy with the smallest dash of apple cider vinegar to lift the flavour on the tongue and a good crack of pepper and sea salt. Honestly, I could lick the plate.

FESTIVE SIDES TO GO VEGAN FOR

To round out our main, fantastically crispy smashed potatoes with miso butter and roasted leek with vegan parmesan. Miso butter is a revelation. I don't know if he was the first but David Chang from Momofuku sang it praises and the chorus took off. Miso butter is simply a combination of 1-part miso paste to 2-parts butter whipped together. Served over piping hot and crunchy smashed potatoes, the butter melts and...sigh.

Somewhat lighter but still packed with flavour, slow roasted leeks finish the dish with a salty sprinkle of vegan parmesan. The sweet onion works so beautifully with the salty cheese. You could make your own parmesan, but I used Green Vie grated parmesan because it is completely wonderful and so close to the real thing. I am not paid to endorse their product but it is fantastically good so to the rooftops I go. Consider it shouted.

A simple but festive stuffed squash, crunchy-on-the-outside-fluffy-on-the-inside smashed potatoes with miso butter, roasted leeks with parmesan and my epic vegan gravy. That will do nicely for a vegan Christmas main. Next week, vegan truffles three ways. I can't wait.

Enjoy.

Looking for more sauces recipes? Check out our favourite sandwich recipes here

EPIC VEGAN GRAVY

This Epic Vegan Gravy is thick, glossy and rich with full flavours that are decidedly meat-like. It's traditional without the tradition.

Course: Sides and Condiments Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 343kcal

Ingredients

Vegan Gravy

• 1 large brown onion chopped

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 carrots chopped in to small cubes

• 1 rib of celery chopped

• 1 garlic clove smashed, skin left on

• 1 and ½ tbsp all-purpose flour

• ¼ cup good red wine 60ml

• 2 teaspoons Marmite

• a sprig of fresh thyme and a 2-3 sage leaves chopped

• 250 ml vegetable stock

• 125 ml water

• 1 tbsp vegan butter

• sea salt

• cracked pepper

• a small splash of apple cider vinegar

Smashed Potatoes with Miso Butter and Thyme

• 750 grams baby potatoes I used a new De-lite variety

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• sea salt

• half a head of garlic

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter

• 2 tablespoons Shiro miso paste light miso paste

• a handful of fresh thyme

Roast Leek with Vegan Parmesan

• 3 - 4 leeks white part only, washed well to remove any sand and grit and sliced in half lengthways. Trim to fit in to your baking dish.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• sea salt

• cracked pepper

• ½ cup vegetable stock

• ¼ cup vegan parmesan

Instructions

• To make the vegan gravy, heat the oil in a heavy based pot or pan on medium heat and add the chopped onion, celery and carrot. Sauté for around five minutes or until the onion is tender and beginning to brown at the edges a little. Add the smashed garlic.

• Stir in the flour and cook for two minutes. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan and then add the Marmite. The mixture with be a little gluey, don't worry, it's normal. Add the fresh herbs.

• Stir in the vegetable stock and water and continuing cooking for a further few minutes, stirring regularly, until the gravy thickens.

• Add the butter and turn the heat to low. Cook for a further three minutes.

• Remove from the heat and add a splash of apple cider vinegar and season well with salt and pepper.

• Allow the gravy to sit for around 10 minutes to continue infusing the flavours before straining in to a gravy jug. If the gravy is too thick, add a splash of water to thin. Return to the pan to warm if needed before serving.

• To prepare the potatoes, preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F) and place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover them with cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook for around twenty minutes or until tender but firm.

• Strain the potatoes and allow them to sit for five minutes to steam dry.

• Place them on a large roasting tray and using a fork or masher, gently press down until they "smash". Break up the garlic and put it in the pan also. Drizzle well with olive oil and season with sea salt. Sprinkle with fresh thyme.

• Roast in the oven for fifteen minutes before carefully removing them. Flip the potatoes over and return them to the oven for another fifteen minutes or until they are crispy.

• Meanwhile, cream the miso paste and butter together to a soft whip.

• Remove the potatoes from the oven and serve with a small dollop of miso butter.

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). To prepare the roast leeks, lay the leeks side by side in a small roasting pan or oven proof tray.

• Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Add a few spoons of vegetable stock and roast for an hour, adding more stock intermittently to keep the leeks from drying out. If the leeks begin to brown while they are still firm, cover them with foil and continue to roast.

• When soft and tender, sprinkle the leeks with parmesan to serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 673mg | Potassium: 872mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5558IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 4mg

VEGAN MAYO (RICH, THICK AND CREAMY!)

Rich and thick vegan mayo made with 6 easy ingredients and ready in 5 minutes from start to finish! Ultra creamy, with just the right amount of tangy, this is so good you won’t believe you made it yourself!

This vegan mayo is like magic really. You just put 6 easy ingredients into a jug, blend it up with an immersion blender and like magic, you have vegan mayo!

The first time I made it I could barely believe it could be possible and when it all just worked I was so excited!

I have since tried all kinds of combinations (not all were super successful!) but this recipe is a sure winner!

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN MAYO

Avocado oil is the base of this recipe and I really love it for this as it’s a wonderfully neutral flavoured oil. I also tried canola oil, and it was also good but not nearly as good as the avocado oil.

I mixed in a bit of olive oil for flavour balance and that worked really great.

I don’t think using olive oil alone would be a good fit for this though I didn’t try that out, just reading other reviews I believe the taste can be a bit strong.

So to make this recipe you just add avocado oil, unsweetened soy milk, olive oil, salt, white vinegar and maple syrup to a measuring jug and blend it with an immersion blender. It emulsifies beautifully into thick, creamy mayo!

EGG REPLACEMENT?

There is no ‘egg replacement’ in this recipe! Other vegan mayonnaise recipes tend to use aquafaba but this recipe doesn’t use that.

This recipe uses unsweetened soy milk and that provides the thickness that together with the oil creates this super thick vegan mayo that’s pretty much identical to what you would buy at the store!

This vegan mayo is divine as a dip for your chips, as a spread, as a salad cream or dressing, or wherever a mayonnaise is required!

HOW TO STORE VEGAN MAYO

The only issue with home-made mayonnaise vs store-bought is that it doesn’t have the long shelf life. This vegan mayo will last around 5 days in the fridge. The oils are very stable, but the non-dairy milk is not.

So if you’re not a big mayo eater, then maybe make a half batch!

The mayo does tend to separate a bit in the fridge, don’t worry about that, just give it a stir, and it’s good to go!

TROUBLESHOOTING!

I tried this with an immersion blender and in my regular blender, which is a Vitamix. My Vitamix is one with a speed control, so I start at slow speed.

I haven’t had a problem with my mayo emulsifying using either the immersion blender or my Vitamix, starting at slow speed.

I did have a terrible problem when I tried to do it in a stand mixer, it would not emulsify at all, no matter what speed setting I had it on. But that batch was saved when I just put it into a bowl and used the immersion blender to emulsify it.

I also was not able to make it emulsify when trying it out in a food processor.

I think the most consistent results are going to come about from using an immersion blender. Since all things are definitely not equal with regular full size blenders, but they are quite similar across brands of immersion blenders, this is going to be the most reliable way of making it.

Also, as mentioned, I was able to ‘fix’ a batch that would not emulsify in a stand mixer by using the immersion blender.

So if you think homemade mayo’s are in your future (and lots of soups!) then an immersion blender is a very worthwhile purchase. And usually inexpensive too.

Your ingredients should also be at room temperature, if one of your ingredients (like your non-dairy milk) is cold from the fridge and your oil is room temperature, then that can cause this recipe to not work properly. So everything needs to be room temperature.

It is crucial that your soy milk be unsweetened. I tried a batch with regular soy milk and there was a very odd after-taste. Even though we do add a little sweetener in to this (a little maple syrup) that doesn’t seem to have the impact that sweetened soy milk does, so make sure your milk is unsweetened.

Unsweetened almond milk is likely an option as well, though I haven’t tested it. It would most probably lead to a thinner mayo since almond milk is a much thinner consistency than soy milk so that is something to consider.

So I hope you will love this vegan mayo! It is:

• Thick and rich

• 6-Ingredients

• Ready in 5-Mins

• Super Easy

So let us know what you think of this easy vegan mayo in the comments! Rate the recipe too please, it’s so helpful! Thank you!

Looking for more sauces recipes? Check out our favourite sandwich recipes here

Vegan Mayo

Rich and thick vegan mayo made with 6 easy ingredients and ready in 5 minutes from start to finish! Ultra creamy, with just the right amount of tangy, this is so good you won’t believe you made it yourself!

Prep Time: 5 mins

Yield: 1 and 1/2 cups

Category: Savory, Gluten-Free, Side

Method: Blend

Cuisine: Vegan

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (240ml) Avocado Oil*

• 1/2 cup (120ml) Unsweetened Soy Milk*

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 2 tsp White Vinegar

• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

1. All all the ingredients to a bowl or measuring jug. Use an immersion (handheld) blender to blend it into mayonnaise.

NOTES *You can use different oils other than avocado oil with varying taste results. *It is crucial that the non-dairy milk be unsweetened, using a regular sweetened variety gave this a very odd taste. *Ingredients must all be at room temperature otherwise this recipe may not work out as intended. *There are tips in the blog post above to help you get the best results from this recipe. *Recipe inspired by Mother Nature Network. *The fries served with the mayo are our baked potato fries!

NUTRITION

• Serving Size: 1 Tbsp

• Calories: 90

• Sugar: 0.5g

• Sodium: 56mg

• Fat: 9.8g

• Saturated Fat: 1.1g

• Carbohydrates: 0.7g

• Fiber: 0g

• Protein: 0.3g