2 summer recipes and nasoya vegan "nayonaise" contest

Creamy Ginger-Miso Dressing over an organic Spinach-Strawberry Salad 

Summer is here. But unfortunately, Philadelphia has recorded its second-wettest June in history. It's a bit like living in the tropics: mornings are thick and steamy with air as dense as pea soup, and then the skies open up in the afternoon, complete with dramatic thunderstorms. My building's garage now resembles Lake Mead, and my hair resembles ... well ... I won't even go there.

Nasoya Nayo Whipped and Nayonaise

Still, I have high weather hopes for the long 4th of July weekend coming up. The nice folks at Nasoya sent me samples of their reformulated vegan mayos to try, and I thought the impending holiday would be the perfect time to test them and create some summery new recipes.

They also sent me this nifty jar opener – a gadget I have already made good use of, mostly on stubborn nail polish bottles.

Nasoya Nayonaise Review

I have to be perfectly upfront before I tell you what I think: I am a huge fan of Nasoya's biggest competitor, Vegenaise, which to me is the gold standard of vegan mayos. But when I specify Vegenaise in recipes, some people write to ask if there are any substitutes, because they don't care for it. Here's your sub, kids!

Where Vegenaise is rich and hedonistic, Nasoya is lighter and tastes...healthy. "Healthy" is not necessarily a bad thing. But that said, I probably will not use these mayos as sandwich spreads. They do succeed wildly, though, as bases for sauces and dressings. Nasoya "nayos'" lighter texture and "blendability" makes them ideal flavor receptacles.

On first glance, I thought the Whipped product would be lighter than the Regular in terms of calories and texture. It's not. Upon reviewing the labels, both contain only 40 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per tablespoon. These "nayos" are healthier alternatives than real mayo, and are far lighter than regular Vegenaise. [If you're watching your calories and fat, Nasoya also offers a Light version.] The difference is in the flavor: the regular has a faint lemony essence, while the whipped is sweeter and a tad creamier. I prefer the taste of the whipped. The texture upon opening both jars was somewhat grainy, but after stirring, both smoothed out nicely.

The cool cats at Nasoya have offered to give away 3 coupons for free products to one lucky winner, US and Canada residents only. To enter, please leave a comment and tell us what you will use your vegan "nayo" for. Extra brownie points for liking Nasoya [https://www.facebook.com/Nasoya] and me [https://www.facebook.com/UrbanVegan] on Facebook. I'll announce the winner next week.

To get your ideas started, here are two recipes for your July 4th picnics.

Creamy Ginger-Miso Dressing

I adore a certain, store bought, obscenely expensive Ginger-Miso dressing that will remain nameless. I have finally cracked the code with this recipe; it comes darn close and at a fraction of the cost! The dash of Sriracha is optional, but highly recommended; it's the maestro that inspires all the flavors to harmonize. This dressing is on the thick side. That said, you can use it as a dragon bowl sauce or even a dipping sauce for carrots or seitan kabobs.

DIY dressing, DIY chalkboard bottle

While you're at it, why not make a cute DIY chalkboard salad dressing jar? Instructions are here.

• 3/4 cup Nayonaise [I used regular]
• 1 T white miso
• 1 -inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1 T soy sauce [I used Shoyu ]
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 2 tsp agave nectar
• A few drops Sriracha

Makes about 1 cup

Whisk everything together in a large bowl, then transfer to a glass jar. Refrigerate and use within 2 weeks.

Summer Slaw

This is not your nana's slaw. But nana will still like it  because it has some interesting twists. The slight bitterness of the radicchio is a nice contrast to the sweet carrots and dressing.

Dressing:

• 6 T Nayonaise [I used whipped]
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp kelp granules [Optional, but I like the umami saltiness]
• 1 T plus 1 tsp agave nectar
• Lots of salt and pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 5 cups Napa cabbage, finely shredded
• 3 cups radicchio, finely shredded
• 1 cup carrots, peeled and finely shredded
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Makes 6 servings

Whisk salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Toss thoroughly with veggies, Let sit for an hour or two before eating to allow the flavors to meld.