Macadamia "Mayonnaise"

Mayonnaise is an odd food for me. I liked it to a point when I could eat it, but I really missed it when it was gone. It's such a great binder in salads (pasta, veggie, etc.), and it just helps give some dishes much needed moisture. You will see the occasional recipe of mine call for Mac Mayo. It's vegan AND soy free.

Macadamia Mayonnaise

1/2 cup macadamia nuts (raw)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water
1/2 lemon, juiced

Why Macadamia "Mayo"? Can I use other options in your recipes?

Other kinds of mayonnaise are an acceptable substitute, but they contain soy, eggs, and other ingredients that may be problematic. Per the Best Foods brand label, their mayonnaise is made from:

"Soybean oil, whole eggs, vinegar, water, egg yolks, salt, sugar, lemon juice, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality). "

Natural flavors is a free for all ingredient, meaning they're free to make it from just about anything. Often it's milk or corn.

If you don't have allergies to soy, Veganaise ingredients seem a little more healthful to me. Here are the ingredients from the Veganaise label:

"Canola Oil, Filtered Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Brown Rice Syrup, Soy Protein, Sea Salt, Lemon Juice, and Mustard Flour."

You may be thinking that macadamia nuts are very bad for you, but they actually offer some positive qualities that you will not find in mayonnaise (not even Veganaise). I looked up some nutrition info - please keep in mind you will not be eating more than a couple tablespoons of "Mayo."

It takes half a cup of macadamia nuts to make more than a cup of "Mac Mayo." In the whole batch, that's:

• 481 calories
• 50 grams of fat
• 7.5 mg of salt
• 6 grams of fiber
• 6 grams of sugar
  
• 22% of your daily value of magnesium
• 5% your daily calcium intake
• 10% of your daily iron.

A cup of Mayonnaise has:

• 1440 calories
• 160 grams of fat
• 1,440 mg of salt
• 0 carbohydrates
• no significant vitamin or mineral contribution

A cup of Veganaise has:

• 1440 calories
• 144 grams of fat
• 1,410 mg of salt
• 0 carbohydrates
• no significant vitamin or mineral contribution
  

Mac Mayo is still the clear winner.