Nayo or mayo — Nasoya Nayonnaise review | chickpea salad, salsa dressing, bean burgers

When my oldest son was five or six, he came home from school one day giggling with glee. "You'll never believe this Mom," he laughed, "Raza thinks it's called mayonnaise, not Nayonaise. I tried to convince him but he wouldn't believe me. Isn't that funny?" Ah. Another unplanned moment in vegan parenting — it was pretty funny but not for the reason he thought. From the time they were small, I always made a point of talking to our kids about why we made certain food choices about what to eat or not eat. I wanted them to understand about animal kindness and about healthy eating, and to know that the hotdog they ate at a barbecue was not the same as the ones their friends were eating. At the same time, I didn't want them to be judgmental towards others. I'd say something like, "this is what our family believes, but not everyone agrees. Other people may decide to eat very different foods from what we eat. Everyone has to make their own decisions. I told my son that in the case of mayonnaise, Raza was right — his family used a brand made with eggs and it was called mayonnaise, but he was right, too, because we used a brand that didn't have eggs and was called Nayonaise.

Back in those days, there weren't a whole lot of vegan convenience foods. One of the brands available at the time was Nasoya, and when we had mayonnaise in the house it was usually Nayonaise. When Nasoya contacted me recently to see if I'd be interested in trying their Nayowhipped sandwich spread and their regular Nayonaise, I was happy to agree. We don't usually have mayo in the house unless we have a specific recipe in mind, and we hadn't had Nayonaise in a long time.

I dragged out an old favorite chickpea salad recipe from the blog (circa 2008) to test the whipped dressing. The dressing didn't come from the jar like the airy, whipped, creamy dressing I was expecting. It had a stiffer, jelled consistency that's hard to describe. However, when I beat it a little with a fork or stirred it with a spoon, it softened and got creamy. The important thing, though, was the taste. When I tried some plain, it was like a time travel experience back to a long-ago kitchen where whipped mayo salad dressing was being served. It tasted exactly like I remembered that stuff tasting — in a good way — and I was impressed. An involuntary "oh!" escaped my lips. The chickpea salad was especially vibrant and fresh, and I think you would enjoy it.

Chickpea salad

• 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons Nayowhipped dressing
• juice of one lime
• 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek or Sriracha
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon agavé nectar
• 2 cans chickpeas (no salt added preferred) or 2-1/2 to 3 cups home-cooked, rinsed and drained well
• 1 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)

1. To make the dressing, mix together the mustard, mayo, lime, sambal or sriracha and agavé in a small bowl.
2. Mash by hand, or pulse the chickpeas in a food processor until they are roughly broken up. (If your chickpeas are very soft, mash them by hand so they retain some texture.)
3. Mix the chickpeas, carrot, onion, celery and raisins or cranberries in a medium bowl.
4. Add about 5 tablespoons of the dressing (or to taste) to the salad, and mix until combined. Use the rest of the dressing within three days.

note: Eden brand beans soaks and cooks their beans with kombu (dried kelp) which is supposed to make them more digestible and less likely to cause gas. If you have problems with digesting beans, try this brand, or cook them at home. Soak the beans overnight then drain and rinse them before cooking them in fresh water with a strip of kombu. A natural source of glutamic acid, kombu not only makes the beans more digestible, it also tenderizes, enhances flavor and adds invaluable vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals. Remove the seaweed before serving, if you wish. Although I like most seaweed a lot, the texture of kelp is a little creepy to me and I prefer not to eat it.

My next Nayonaise test was a dressing to top bean burgers. The dressing was a simple mix of about half red salsa and half Nayowhipped dressing (you can vary the proportions to taste), and it tasted fabulous on the burgers in spite of its humble nature. The burgers were made without a recipe but they were so good I wrote down approximately what I had used. I've made them again to test the recipe and it seems pretty correct, but burger recipes are very flexible and it's hard to go wrong if you want to change it a little.

Bean burgers with salsa dressing

• 1 can rinsed and drained kidney beans
• 1/2 of a chopped onion
• 1/4 cup leftover tomato sauce
• approx. 1 cup to 1-1/3 cups GF rolled oats
• gingerroot, about 1" or to taste, grated
• tamarind paste, about 1 teaspoon or to taste
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• salt, to taste
• crushed red pepper, to taste 
• Nayonaise or Nayowhipped
• mild or hot red salsa

1. Place all ingredients except the oats, Nayonaise and salsa in a food processor. Pulse until well-combined.
2. Pulse in enough oats to get a firm but not too dry texture.
3. Refrigerate in a bowl for 40 minutes so burgers will be easy to form.
4. Form into patties and cook on a hot, oiled cast iron griddle until browned and firm.
5. Mix a sauce of one part Nasoya Nayowhipped salad dressing and one part mild or spicy red salsa to top the burgers. 
6. Serve burgers on a plate with salad and a vegetable, or in a bun with sliced onion and lettuce.

The burgers will be spicy because of the gingerroot and red pepper flakes. Serves four.

I don't usually add sauces to vegetables unless they are part of a stir-fry or other dish, but for the sake of my review I mixed up a simple Russian dressing with Nayonnaise and ketchup, and fancied up my broccoli with creamy, delicious flavor and texture.

My husband and I were both impressed with the taste of the Nasoya Nayonaise products we sampled, and recommend them.

Nasoya original Nayonaise
INGREDIENTS: Soymilk, Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Salt, Dried Cane Syrup, Natural Flavors, Mustard Flour, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Sodium Alginate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Turmeric, Paprika, Spice, Garlic Powder and Vitamin B12.

Nasoya Nayowhipped
INGREDIENTS: Soymilk, Expeller Pressed Soybean Oil, Vinegar, Dried Cane Syrup, Salt, Mustard Flour, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Sodium Alginate, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Garlic Powder, Paprika, Turmeric and Vitamin B12.

Both products are vegan and non-GMO. The Nasoya Web site has more information and recipes.

Disclaimer: The product was sent to me free of charge. All opinions are my own.