Vegan Almond Mayo and The Benefits Of Soaking Almonds
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Nuts. I love nuts, from pistachios to hazelnuts to almonds, I could eat nuts at every meal for the rest of my life and never get enough of them. I especially love almonds. But the glorious almond can cause some people digestive upsets; in minor cases, stomach aches, but in slightly more serious cases, vomiting or vomiting, ahem, the other way. Regardless of whether almonds give you grief or not, the benefits of soaking almonds are undeniable for us all.
The benefits of soaking almonds are rooted in nutrition. When we soak an almond we increase the enzyme activity by 50% and the nutrient bioavailability by 3 or 4 times than the non soaked variety; so when we are talking about getting the most out of our food, soaking almonds give us a great deal of nutritional bang for our buck.
Another one of the benefits of soaking almonds is that it makes them more digestible. There are hard to digest enzymes within the skin of almonds, and when we soak them, these enzymes leach out into the water (which we discard) therefore removing the irritants; it’s genius really!
But, for me, one of the best benefits of soaking almonds is, by far, that this process makes almonds taste better. Have you ever had a nut that was so bitter, it made you gag? Well, when you soak them, this never happens, the almonds get sweeter and softer to the tooth.
So how does on harness the benefits of soaking almonds in their own home? All you need is ALMONDS, WATER and TIME. The true benefits of soaking almonds is achieved when you allow the nuts to sprout or soak for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours, which will make them very soft and perfect for Vegan Almond Mayo!
Vegan almond mayo takes so well to the latter of the benefits of soaking almonds, because then we are able to to create a velvety smooth sauce that resembles mayonnaise but is dairy free, and vegan. The key to this sauce is to soak the almonds as long as you can; if you have a really high powered blender, 2-4 hours of soaking will do, but if your blender isn’t super powerful, then endeavor to soak your nuts overnight. The idea is to make this smooth like mayo, so blend until that happens; using water as needed to thin out the sauce.
Watch me demo this recipe and learn more about the benefits of soaking almonds in the video below!
Vegan Almond Mayo
1 cup almonds, soaked overnight and drained
5 cloves garlic,
1 avocado, skinned and pitted
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chives
Approx. 1 1/4 cup olive oil
water as needed
Combine all ingredients in a blender, reserving half the amount of olive oil and the water; turn on the machine, and slowly pour the olive oil into the blender. Add water to thin out the blend, a little at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. WARNING, due to the avocado and the manner with which it oxidizes, there may be some discoloration; don’t be alarmed, this is not an indication of spoilage.
How To Cook Salmon Perfectly
I eat a great deal of salmon, I would even go as far as saying that currently salmon is my number one “animal” protein. I eat salmon, of course, because it tastes good; but what’s in a name? When it comes to salmon, quite a lot actually; because if you’re thinking “farmed” and I’m talking “wild” then you may inclined to think that we are talking about the same thing, but we are not. Wild and farmed salmon are two very different foods, and I beg you not to confuse the two.
Salmon is regarded as one of the best foods that we can eat, partly because it’s chocked full of omega 3 fatty acids- the healthy fats that I go on and on about. Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for the health of our hearts, brains, memory, thoughts, circulation and blood sugar regulation; and we know that salmon is one of the best sources on the planet. So why should we be concerned with whether our salmon is wild or farmed? Well, just like with humans, salmon are what they eat as well; when salmon eat their natural diet in the wild, they become full and rich with beneficial omega 3 fatty acids. However, their farm raised brethren do not eat a diet native to salmon, instead they eat grain- GRAIN! Grain has very little do with what salmon eat in the wild, hence they produce far less omega 3 fatty acids in their bodies.
So if you want to get the most out of your salmon, I think we can all agree that wild is better.
