I must admit I've been a little unmotivated with cooking recently. I'm not sure why this has been the case, but I have really been wanting to get back into creating exciting vegan dishes and contributing more here on Steemit!

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Fortuitously, this week I discovered something new that has inspired me to get creative in the kitchen again-

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Aquafaba!

Now, I have a vague recollection of hearing about this ingredient before. I think I saw it mentioned on a Vegan Facebook group as a good substitute for eggs in baking, but dismissed it thinking it was some obscure seaweed derivative that I wouldn't be able to get hold of. And just like that poof! it disappeared from my mind completely.

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Then, just a few days ago, a colleague of mine mentioned that her vegan flat mate told her about aquafaba, and asked me if I had ever tried it. This sparked my curiousity, so I googled the mysterious ingredient and couldn't believe what I found!

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Rather than an obscure, hard to find, niche product, aquafaba is made from the water or brine in a tin of humble chickpeas! And it is a rather miraculous liquid indeed- when blended, it has a very similar viscosity to egg whites and therefore can be used to create a myriad of previously unimaginable vegan treats!

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Such as:

Meringue

Mousse

Marshmallows

Whipped cream

AND mayo

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Just to name a few!

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Now I don't know about you, but I feel like I've just been let in on a huge vegan secret! Never before did I think it would be possible to make egg free meringues or gelatine free marshmallows. This is a total game changer and now more than ever I feel like we can say:

Anything you can eat I can eat VEGAN!

This discovery had really given me incentive to get back in the kitchen, I can't believe such a wondrous ingredient is something I have been throwing away after draining chickpeas, think of all that magical aquafaba that has gone to waste- Well not anymore!

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I thought I'd start with something simple, and found that there is something I could try making without buying any ingredients at all as I had them all in the cupboard already.

So, here is my first exciting foray into the world of aquafaba-

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Easy Vegan Mayonnaise!

Here's what you'll need to make approximately 1 1/2 cups of mayo:

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• 1 can of chickpeas (you'll just be using 1/2 the liquid)

• 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 tsp mustard

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 Tbsp agave syrup (or any plant based sweetener or maple syrup)

• Approximately 1 cup vegetable oil

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Method:

• Drain the liquid from one can of chickpeas into a bowl or container.

• Add the mustard, apple cider vinegar, agave syrup and salt.

• Blend on a high speed until frothy.

• Continue to blend on a high speed for 2 minutes, gradually adding the oil.

• Stop intermittently to stir and check the consistency. If it looks too thin, add more oil.

• Taste and add more salt/ mustard as required.

• Transfer into an air tight container and refrigerate.

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Et voila!

Creamy, cruelty free mayo that is perfect for sandwiches, salads or as a base to make other dressings. I can't wait to try making this again and adding lots of garlic or chili!

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I hope you liked this recipe, if you did please upvote, comment, resteem and follow me on @lolzwithlisa for more easy to make vegan treats.

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