Say It With Me Now… VEGENAISE

I don't even know why I find myself still doubting Gwyneth. It's like I am trying to find a bad recipe in the book or to catch a flaw somewhere. I'm coming closer to realizing that's not possible.

Vegenaise has changed me forever.

You'll find the cookbook is sprinkled with recipes calling for this stuff (and that's usually an incentive for me to try out a new product - I hate having to buy one thing for one recipe that I'll never need again), and it's a vegan mayonnaise, so no egg or dairy, which significantly lowers the numbers - cholesterol, fat, and well… protein. But more importantly - this stuff tastes AWESOME.

I found a vegan mayonnaise similar to vegenaise, that has only 40 calories per serving. Bonkers. And this amazing tahini dressing has been my go to for the last week. 

SALAD. EVERY. DAY. and I'm loving them!

It tastes similar to a caesar dressing, but you don't feel nearly as guilty glopping this stuff on. Seriously, I've got a permanent jar in the fridge of this stuff that never gets below a marked "danger zone," which is fine because it's super easy to whip up. 

And trust me, you'll go through the jars of vegenaise and tahini in a flash, so just buy them.

My maiden voyage with the dressing - paired with some roasted cauliflower and Gwyneth's recipe for a detox teriyaki chicken (also amaze balls).

YOGURT-TAHINI DRESSING

2 tablespoons tahini

1/4 cup boiling water

1/2 small garlic clove, finely minced

1/2 cup vegenaise or plain sheep's or goat's milk yogurt

juice from 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the tahini and water together until completely smooth. Whisk in the remaining ingredients.

Keeps well in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.

But for reals, you'll use it up in about two days.

I'm trying to wean myself off of this dressing because there's a recipe for a Mexican Green Goddess dressing in the book I'm dying to try too… ugh. She needs to come out with another volume of this cookbook. It's making me nervous that I'm working my way through this cookbook so quickly.

DETOX TERIYAKI SAUCE

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup raw honey

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon barley miso paste

1 teaspoon mirin

1 tablespoon water

Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, ginger, and pepper in a smal saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the miso, mirin, and water and let cool. 

I then butterflied two cornish hens and covered them in nearly all of the sauce (reserving about 1/4 cup of the sauce to slather on before serving), let them marinate overnight, then just baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. 

Super tasty and flavorful without the guilt of all that sugar that comes with traditional takeout. I'm thinking of marinating pieces of chicken breast/beef next time to use in a stir fry of some sort… 

And then maybe I'll write a book about it. Is it working?? Am I turning into Gwyneth? Fingers crossed.

And for those of you who are completely lost about the above reference:

This is my favorite commercial of all time. Gets me every time.