If you find me sitting with a bag of raisins and a jar of almond butter, something is up (or down). This is a tell tale sign I’m in a funk.
Sometimes I don’t have a lot to say. Which can make it hard to say stuff.
But I always have the energy to share what I’m cooking.
Something like these crispy plant-based potato wedges is a comfort food I crave when I’m feeling like this – but unlike the traditional side of unhealthy you get with classic comfort foods, these won’t leave you feeling like garbage.
Potatoes: the ultimate plant-based comfort food.
Anyone else?
I’ll take potatoes any way – crispy baked potato wedges, mashed potatoes, stuffed potatoes. I like to make a big plate of potatoes cooked any way and grow onto my couch watching movies or binging on Netflix.
Why the funk? Homesickness is showing up on time and as expected but there are still days when I just want to hang out with my mom! But the count down is on for our summer vacation back in Canada.
In the meantime, potatoes will carry me through!
Oil-Free Basil Mayo Hybrid Explained:
I started this oil-free vegan basil mayo recipe with plans to just use cashews. But I had some navy beans in the fridge and was like ‘why not add them too?’
So I mixed beans and cashews and blended it up!
This combo makes for a thicker texture but, and more importantly, delivers a bunch of protein and fiber! I love knowing that I’m covering so many nutritional bases with comfort food!
Obviously, this ‘mayo’ is not a traditional mayo. It’s not even a traditional vegan mayo – it’s better.
Vegan mayo folks is mostly canola oil which is not something you want to load up on in your diet especially if you’re following a vegan or plant-based diet for health reasons.
Most canola oil is highly processed. It’s a source of inflammatory fats and tons of empty calories. Sometimes it’s so easy to pick up vegan mayo at the grocery store from the organic or health-food section and feel like it’s a good choice. But if you made your own mayo at home and saw how many glugs of oil went into one batch, you’d totally rethink it.
So skip the commercial mayo and dip these crispy plant-based potato wedges into a hummus or cashew based mayo (or mayo hummus hybrid for sure!).
Oil-Free Potato Wedges and Basil Mayo
Equipment
- BLENDER
Ingredients
- 6 large Russet potatoes
- Basil Mayo
- 1 ½ cups cooked or canned navy beans
- ½ cup cashews soaked in warm water for 30 mins
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
- ½ cup water plus more if needed
Instructions
- Pre-bake the potatoes by one of the following methods:Oven method: Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub the potatoes and pierce each one 4-5 times with a paring knife. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and in the oven. Bake the potatoes for about 25 minutes or until you can pierce the skin of the potato but not much. They'll feel like they are about halfway to being fully baked. Remove the potatoes from the oven and let them cool for about 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle.Microwave method: Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub the potatoes and pierce each one 4-5 times with a paring knife. Place the potatoes in the microwave and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. This will all depend on your microwave but the goal is to get the potatoes partially baked. You'll be able to pierce the potatoes with a fork but only a little. Remove from the microwave and let them cool for about 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
- Cut each partially-baked potato into 8 wedges by cutting the potato in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 4 wedges, lengthwise.
- Place the wedges back on the baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and return to the oven and continue to bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the wedges from the oven and flip and bake for another 15 minutes or until the wedges are browned and crispy on the outside.
- Meanwhile, make the basil mayo: Drain the cashews and add them and all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Add more water if necessary to reach a creamy consistency and reseason. Serve the potatoes with mayo (and hot sauce if you like spice!).
Notes
You can also do the pre-baking in a microwave if that's more appealing to you. The intention is to partially bake the potatoes before you cut them into wedges and bake them in the oven so that the inside of the wedge is cooked before the outside starts burning.
