“Olivaise”
Oil-free Vegan Mayonnaise
I came up with “Olivaise” as an oil-free vegan mayonnaise for my husband who loves sandwiches and needed an oil-free version. But it is great for dips and salad dressings too!
The Olives for Oil-free Vegan Mayonnaise
Olivaise (oil-free vegan mayonnaise) has a full and bright flavor from the garlic and citrus, the right viscosity from the tofu and olives. Olives offer just enough natural fat to keep the bread from getting soggy. Green olives blend to a light hue, almost white. Of the green olives, I prefer Castelvetrano olives as they have a natural creamy texture and a balanced taste for this mayonnaise.
Which Tofu?
Soft tofu is ideal for the texture to be smooth. Silken tofu gives a very smooth texture and doesn’t require as much blending. Look for silken tofu in the refrigerated section and check the ingredient list. Some silken tofu brands have too many ingredients. Look for tofu with the fewest ingredients and soy beans as the first. Regular and sprouted tofu work too, with a little more blending.
A little citrus lift
Adding lemon or lime really lifts the flavor. For a more pronounced citrus flavor use lime juice instead of lemon juice. For a less tart, but equally good version, use lemon juice instead of lime or try a combination of lime and lemon.
The Garlic
Since garlic is only fresh in the Springtime, most of the time, if not all of the time the garlic we use is dried, also noted as cured garlic. Cured garlic has had a chance to grow a germ, the green or partially green sprout in the center of the clove. This germ tends to be quite bitter, so I remove it for recipes like this one where the garlic remains raw. To remove, cut the clove in half lengthwise and pull out the germ with your fingers for a pairing knife. During springtime when garlic is in season and available at Farmers markets, try this oil-free vegan mayonnaise with fresh uncured garlic. It’s such a delight and no germ to remove.
Olivaise, oil-free vegan mayonnaise, has become a staple item in our kitchen and I make it weekly. Thinned with a little more lime or lemon juice it becomes a rich oil-free vegan dressing for green salads like the Romaine Salad Boats and potato salads alike. More recently, I have found yet another use for this oil-free vegan mayonnaise—brush it sparingly on tortillas before baking to make the best light and crispy Light & Crispy Oil-Free Tortilla Chips
Tools Used in this Recipe
- slicing knife
- lint free towel or paper towels
- hand blender or blender
- flexible spatula
- 1 cup glass jar with tight fitting lid
Ingredients
- 6 oz organic tofu soft or regular
- 2–4 garlic cloves peeled, hard stem cut off, germ removed
- 8 Castelvetrano Olives rinsed and pitted *
- 4 Tbls fresh lime juice or lemon juice juice of 2 limes or lemons
Instructions
- Slice the tofu in 4 and place on paper towels or roll up in a lint free towel to remove excess water. Press out as much water as possible.
- Using a pulsing technique (on, off, on), blend the garlic and olives until they are broken up.
- Add the tofu and blend until smooth as possible.
- While blending, add the lime juice slowly to form the emulsion and get smoother.
- Taste the mixture to see if it needs more of any of the ingredients. If so, add and blend a little more.
- Put in the jar, that spatula will come in handy here. Date the jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
