Bianca Phillips's Blog, page 165

Vegan Mofo: Honor Those Who Inspire Your Veganism

Today, for the Vegan Mofo theme, we're supposed to honor a human or non-human animal who inspires our veganism. I considered dedicating this post to Jil Evans, an old friend from Food Not Bombs who inspired me to make the switch from vegetarianism to veganism back in 2004.

But I've lost track of Jil. She moved away years ago, and the only pics I have of her are from my old film camera. And I'd have to dig those out and scan them. But Jil was awesome, and she taught me how easy it was to be vegan.

Instead, I'd like to dedicate this post to my animal family. Paul and I share our home with 10 animal companions! I've shared pics of them on the blog before, but who can say no to more cute fuzzy animal pics? These little guys remind me every day that there's no difference between eating a pig or a cow than eating a dog or a cat or a squirrel.

My oldest dog is Datsun. He'll be 14 in February! He's such a good boy. Obedient, loving, friendly. And he loves to play, even though his hips are starting to give out. Datsun is basically the best dog ever. I've had him for longer than I've lived in Memphis! In fact, I was still college when my ex and I adopted Datsun.


And then there's Maynard — the white devil. Maynard is a rescue pittie, and he's a bundle of energy. He's stubborn and hyper. He jumps on people and knocks them over. He doesn't listen all that well. But when he finally calms down, he's a very sweet pup. He follows me all over the house, and I can't sit on the couch without Maynard wanting to sit in my lap. And he weighs, like, 70 pounds! Big ole lap dog!


We have six kitties, the oldest of which is Akasha. My ex and I took him in just a few months after Datsun, so he's almost 14 too. Akasha is such a sweetie. He LOVES to cuddle and to be picked up and carried around the house. He has a disease called mega-colon, so he takes two meds twice a day. But he's so worth all the money and time at the vet.


And then there's Pandora, our only girl kitty. She's so soft. But she's not really into being held or sitting in laps. She does love tummy rubs though! Because she's the only girl, she has the run of the house. All the other animals basically bow down to Pandora. She's the queen bee.


Polaris is our loud kitty! He meows ALL THE TIME. Just walks around the house meowing for no reason at all. If he sits next to you and you move a muscle, he'll meow at you. If he wants something, he'll meow. If he doesn't want something, he'll meow. Sometimes, he'll even have a conversation with you —you meow, he meows, and it goes on until you get bored and stop. He always wins at that game.

Gelfling is Paul's favorite. He rescued him from the streets when he was a tiny kitten, and those two are inseparable. They lay in the recliner together every night and watch movies together. Gelfling is super sweet, and he loves to head butt. But he's also a bully. Sometimes, he chases Maynard, the pit, around the house. And he steals treats from the other cats.

Ozzy was Paul's former roommate's cat when Paul lived in Nashville. The guy couldn't pay rent one month, so he moved out while Paul was at work. But he left his cat. What an ass. It's fine though because Ozzy is much better off with us. He's a sweetie. He likes to paw me in the nose. And we do yoga together in the mornings.


And finally, there's Seymour, the Cupboard Cat. He's a major fraidy cat. He's scared of everything — people, dogs, other cats. So he chooses to live above the kitchen cabinets. Never comes down. He's such a sweetie though! He loves being pet (I climb onto the counters for that), and he loves to eat.


Y'all know about Herman, right? Herman was a baby squirrel who fell from our backyard tree last summer. We raised him and released him, but he came by every few days to visit up until about 2 weeks ago. I think he's finally left the nest for good, which makes me sad. I'll miss this guy! Here's a pic from Herman's first day outside last October! Exploring the big wide world.


And now we have a new baby squirrel — Mabel — who fell from the same tree a couple weeks ago. We'll release her in the same way when the time is right, but she's still nursing for now. Her tiny eyes just opened last weekend!

Vegan Mofo: Traditional Local Food

When I read that today's Vegan Mofo theme was "traditional local food," my first thought was barbecue. Memphis is the self-professed barbecue capitol, and we host the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (read: disgusting pig murder fest) here every May.

But I'm about barbecued out. In the past couple months, I've had barbecue tofu nachos, barbecue jackfruit sandwiches, barbecue soy curls, barbecue everything! Plus, I had some Miyoko's Creamery Aged English Sharp Farmhouse that needed using!


So I made Vegan Cheese Straws! Cheese straws have their roots in British biscuits. But the Southern U.S. has adopted them for our own. They're huge down here! In Memphis, just a few blocks from my house, is the HQ of Aunt Lizzie's — a Southern purveyor of gourmet cheese straws. I pass by their shop on my morning runs, and every time, I dream of the days when I could eat those crispy, aged, tangy cheese straws.



They're biscuity. They're sharp. They're just good junk food. And since going vegan in 2004, I've been without. I googled a quick cheese straw recipe and adapted it using Miyoko's cheese. The result were perfect crackers with a melt-in-your-mouth aged cheddar flavor. They do break pretty easily, so you have to be very careful with the dough. But I learned that you can freeze these, and they stay fresh longer and are less likely to break apart.

Also, I recommend using Miyoko's sharp cheddar for this so you get that tangy flavor. But I'm sure a milder vegan cheddar could work. I'll definitely experiment with this recipe using Daiya soon. Anyway, here's the recipe.

Vegan Aged Cheddar Cheese Straws
Adapted from Southern Living

Yields about 2 dozen

1 package Miyoko's Creamery Aged Sharp Farmhouse, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp. unsweetened almond milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the vegan cheese, flour, margarine, salt, and crushed red pepper in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add the almond milk and process until the dough forms a ball.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface. Roll out to an 8x10-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips, and cut each of those strips in half. Very carefully pick up each strip and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until cheese straws are golden brown. Allow to cool before moving off the baking sheet. These will be very fragile, so store them carefully. You can freeze them to make them last longer.

Vegan Mofo: My Favorite Late Summer Food Is Juice!!!

Today's Vegan Mofo theme is "favorite late summer food." And truth be told, I have a lot of favorite late summer foods — tomatoes, cantaloupe, hot peppers from our garden, snow cones, ice cream, basically all the things that I won't be eating much of in the fall and winter months. But Midtown Memphis is getting a new juice bar, and they're having an opening party this weekend.

Sweet Greens, Ginger Greens, We Got the Beet, Orange You Glad, and Fresh Greens.
I wanted a chance to feature I Love Juice Bar, and it seemed to work best into the summer food theme. I drink fresh juice all year round, but I definitely drink more of it in the hot summer months. And around this time of year, I'm trying to hang on to summer any way I can. So bring on the fresh juice! And smoothies!
Matcha Green smoothie
I Love Juice Bar is a juice and smoothie franchise (with vegan food items!) opening a Memphis location at 553 S. Cooper this weekend. They specialize in affordable juices and smoothies — a 16-ounce starts at $5.50! 
Sprout Sandwich with "Orange You Glad" juice
For my out-of-town/international readers, some background: Memphis has had one all-vegan juice bar (Cosmic Coconut) and two vegan juice/raw food trucks (the Raw Girls) for some time. But Cosmic Coconut is way far away from my house in Midtown, about 20 minutes. And while the Raw Girls operate one of their food trucks in Midtown, it's not open all the time. I Love Juice Bar will be Midtown's only brick-and-mortar juice bar!
Spring Rolls with "Orange You Glad" juice
Juice Bar is a franchise, but it's owned by a local — Scott Tashie, the same guy who owns Cosmic Coconut. Scott took a few minutes to share the scoop on Juice Bar, which will have its opening party this Saturday, September 19th during the Cooper-Young Fest beginning at 7 a.m. I've heard there will be juice pong (Like beer pong! But with juice!) and free samples. Read on for more details. 
Vegan Crunk: Why did you decide to bring the I Love Juice Bar chain to Memphis?Scott Tashie: I spent some time in Nashville about a year and a half ago and came across I Love Juice Bar. I loved the atmosphere, the energy, and the juice was awesome! Being a lifelong Memphian, I want to see businesses in this city that promote growth and can contribute to the overall wellbeing of our residents. The I Love Juice Bar concept seemed like such a perfect addition to our dining scene, so it made total sense to customize it for Memphis.

What sets it apart from Cosmic Coconut?
I Love Juice Bar focuses on delicious juices and smoothies made with simple ingredients, whereas Cosmic Coconut offers a wider range of food options. However, we are actually about to make some changes at the Coconut in the near future, so stay tuned!

What's your favorite juice on the menu? Favorite smoothie?
My favorite smoothie: Smooth Beet. It was the first smoothie I tried from I Love Juice Bar, and I became an instant fan. The sugar from the beets sweetens the smoothie, while giving it a cool color and really nice texture. My favorite juice has got to be Sweet Greens. I'm always on the go, so getting to drink my greens and having it taste so great is a huge plus for me. There are over three cups of leafy greens in one of these juices!

I'm most intrigued by the essential oil shots. How do those work? Are they smoothie add-ins? Do you just shoot them on their own?
We have formulated shots using the essential oils to give our customers a quick boost, offering them separately from the smoothies and juices. They are excellent for increasing alertness and concentration, helping with relaxation, and fighting allergies.

What food items will you offer?
We will be offering a tasty sprout sandwich, spring rolls, a kale salad, a parfait, hummus and veggies and seasonal soups. All are fantastic on their own or to complement a juice.

What's planned for the Saturday opening? I've heard rumors of juice pong!
The rumors are correct! Juice pong, live music starting mid-morning, and some great giveaway prizes throughout the day on the 19th. Oh and of course, there will be lots of juices and smoothies! Hope to see you and your readers there!

Vegan Mofo: Barack Obama Dinner Party!

Okay, y'all. I LOVE BARACK OBAMA. Like so much. I think he's the best president we've ever had, and he's done so much to promote LGBT equality! So when I saw that today's Mofo prompt was a dinner for Barack Obama, I got so excited!

If I'm cooking dinner for the president, I'm gonna want to stick with stuff I know — recipes I've cooked over and over again. Can't take any risks. My new cookbook project will feature American recipes from the past century, and that seems perfect for a presidential dinner. We can make it an American history lesson at the same time! I've gone through my recipes for the book and selected a few from various decades.

For starters, I'll serve my Roasted Root Veggie Tartare with Cashew Cheese from the 1930s, when Herbert Hoover was president. Roasted beets and carrots served atop a homemade cashew cheese on little toasts.


For the soup, we'll have Cream of Tomato from the 1960s, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. This is a simple tomato soup thickened with a roux, adapted from a 1960s Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. Here's the recipe!


And we'll have these pretty Pea Salads in Lemon Cups from the 1900s, when William McKinley was prez. I just think these are too cute! Marinated peas and walnuts stuffed in lemons with a dollop on vegan mayo on top.


For the main, it's Tempeh Wellington from the 1930s — back to the Hoover years. Marinated tempeh and mushrooms stuffed into puff pastry. Fancy and delicious.

We'll have Asparagus with Lemon Pepper from the 1920s on the side — the Woodrow Wilson years! That lemon pepper is homemade by the way. DIY-style, like they'd do in the '20s before modern conveniences.


And I'll also whip up some New Potatoes in Parsley Butter from the 1910s, a feast fit for prez William Howard Taft.


We'll keep dessert light and simple with this unfrosted Orange Sponge Cake, also from the 1910s.


Whew! I think Barack, Michelle, and I would be stuffed at this point! Maybe we'll play some basketball to burn off a few calories.

Vegan Mofo: Share Something Vegan with a Non-Vegan

For today's post, Mofo-ers are supposed to share something vegan (and delicious) with a non-vegan. Well, this is pretty easy because I live with a non-vegan. My partner Paul is an omnivore through and through. I've tried for 11 years to break him of his cruel meat habit to no avail.

But he's always making baby steps. Over the years, he's learned to love some vegan foods. Today, we went out to sample some new, homemade vegan ice cream at our neighborhood bar, Midtown Crossing Grill.


That's Paul sampling the vanilla. Midtown Crossing's owner Octavia is making the coconut-based ice cream from scratch, and she'll soon begin serving it with sundaes. The vegan vanilla ice cream will be served with cobbler, and the chocolate will be paired with a vegan cookie. We were just doing a little quality control testing. And since Paul still eats dairy ice cream, he made a good tester. It's been so long since I've had dairy ice cream, I don't remember much about it. I do know that this homemade ice cream is delicious though!


Paul and I don't actually eat together since we're on different schedules, and Paul isn't really a fan of home-cooked meals. He prefers his food from a box or a bag — ravioli in a can, chicken noodle soup, frozen burritos, Stovetop stuffing. It's awful, but it's what he likes. He has developed a few healthy habits. He now prefers cashew milk over dairy milk.


Don't worry. We each have our own carton. Both of us like the Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk the best! So I write Paul's name on his, so we don't get them mixed up. He tears through a carton in a couple of days, and mine can last almost 2 weeks if I don't share.

Paul also loves black bean burgers. We went camping at Reel Foot Lake with some friends recently, and I brought some Gardein Chipotle Black Bean Burgers for the grill. My friend Nico and I ate one burger each (that's mine with tomato and avocado in the pic). But Paul made a double patty with the other two!


And yesterday, we split two vegan doughnuts from Imagine Vegan Cafe. We each had half a vanilla and half a chocolate doughnut. Yum!

Vegan Mofo: Kitchen Tour

Day after day, I share pictures of meals created in my kitchen. But now I'm taking you on a behind-the-scenes tour of the space in which I create those meals. My kitchen is like my second office. When I get off of work, I immediately get in the kitchen to fix dinner. I eat in the kitchen, and then I usually start working on prep for the next day's meals. This is the place where I spend the majority of my time at home.


Here's my stove and microwave. My oven crapped out awhile back, and I went a couple months without using an oven. But Paul, who is so not mechanically inclined, actually fixed it! That little gnome sitting on the stovetop is my Crunk Gnome. He has a gold chain and a gold tooth, and he's basically the patron saint of my kitchen.

I plan out my meals by the week using this magnetic meal planner on my microwave. As you can see, today I had fried rice for lunch and dinner. No shame.

On the left side of my stove, I have a candy jar, rainbow bowls and mugs, a cookbook holder, a carrot peeler, and my utensil jar. I've been making my own green cleaners today, so my favorite new zine — Make Your Place — is on the cookbook holder.

That candy jar was a gift from my friend Stephanie. She made it! It says "Vegan As Fuck." I keep my suckers in there.

I keep my Uni-Corn holders and my unicorn wine opener in the bowls because they match.

On the right side of the stove, I have my flour jar, my Turkish coffee jar (I keep the regular coffee in a cabinet and the cardamom-spiced Turkish stuff in this small mushroom jar), a really cool plate with a recipe for Pizza Bianca (a gift from my parents), my squirrel salt and pepper shakers, my nooch jar, and my Turkish coffee cups.

Here's a close-up of my nooch jar! I ordered it from Jeanette Zeis' Etsy shop. It's one of my most prized possessions. You can order one here. Her new ones actually say "Nooch" instead of "Nutritional Yeast."

Here's my fridge. It's stainless steel, so you can't stick magnets on it, and that drives me crazy. I can only put them on the side. :-( Tacked to the wall there is the Vegan Mofo prompt list. 

On the other side of the kitchen, I have my Breville Juice Fountain, my whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, and green tea canisters, my food processor, our retro cracker tin where we keep medicine, and my Vitamix. God, I LOVE my Vitamix. I use it nearly every day.

And to the right of my sink is my Hello Kitty toaster (it actually burns an image of Hello Kitty onto the toast!), my tea maker, and my KitchenAid stand mixer.

And here's my breakfast nook, right off the kitchen. This is where I usually eat my meals since I typically eat alone. Paul eats in the living room in front of the TV, but I like to read while I eat. I have a bigger dining table, but I save that for special occasions. My pantry is opposite the breakfast table. I'd show you inside my pantry, but it's a mess right now.

And finally, a tour of my kitchen wouldn't be complete without introducing you to my kitchen cat, Seymour. He actually lives above my kitchen cabinets. He never comes down. He eats there. He sleeps there. He even poops up there. When I realized he wasn't coming down anymore, I had to give him a litter box. It sounds gross, but with only one cat using the box, it doesn't smell too bad. And I scoop daily. The rest of my cats live all over the house, like normal cats. But Seymour is a weirdo. He's super shy and skittish, and he hates the dogs, the other cats, and most people (except for me and Paul).

Vegan Mofo: Favorite Cookbook

Oh my gosh, y'all don't know how hard it is for me to choose a favorite cookbook. I have so many cookbooks, and I have a whole handful of favorites. I think, for years, I'd have said Vegan with a Vengeance was my fave. And it's definitely still in the top five. But if you're gonna make me pick just one now, I think I'll have to go with Isa Does It.


I love all of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's cookbooks, but Isa Does It tops the list for a couple of reasons: 1) It's gorgeous (hard-cover, full-color photos of every recipe, great graphic design), and 2) The recipes are for whole foods-based meals that are super-healthy without pretension. I feel like so many books or cookbook authors who focus on whole foods tend to do so with an air of "fake is bad, whole is good."

Isa doesn't use plant meats but instead relies on tofu, tempeh, and seitan. But she does so in a way that doesn't make people feel bad for eating more processed plant meats. Does that make any sense? Like, I love the hell out of some plant meats, and, in a limited capacity, and I use them in my cookbook, Cookin' Crunk. My next book, which I'm working on now, will also include a few recipes using plant meats. But I'm all about everything in moderation, and Isa Does It helps me create whole foods meals that feel decadent. I may have a packaged veggie burger or hot dog for lunch, and when I do, I want a bean- or tofu-based dinner. Get it?

Anyway, everything I've made from this book has been beautiful and delicious. In fact, one of the most lovely dishes I've ever made was from Isa Does It. I mean, just look at this Mushroom Hotpot!


For some reason, I'm really drawn to the chickpea recipes in this book. These Scrambled Chickpeas with a miso-tahini sauce were the first dish I tried. Such a wholesome and satisfying breakfast!

Just this week, I made Isa's Chicky Tuna Salad Sandwiches. By far, the best chickpea tuna I've ever had. This is loaded with veggies — carrots, celery, onions — and it's made fishy with a touch of dulse flakes. I used a little less than the recipe called for because I don't like an overly fishy taste.

Other favorite cookbooks: Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites, Veganomicon, Vegan Brunch, Eat Like You Give a Damn, How It All Vegan, Vegan with a Vengeance, Betty Goes Vegan,  and Teff Love!

Vegan Mofo: Focus On a Nutrient

Today's Vegan Mofo prompt asks bloggers to focus on a nutrient. And I've been meaning to post a review for my friend Alan Roettinger's new book, The Almond Milk Cookbook, so this seems like a great time to talk about vitamin E.

Almonds are an awesome source of vitamin E, providing 173 percent of your RDA per 100 grams of almonds. Don't ask me how many almonds are in 100 grams because I'm horrible with metrics. But even still, they have lots of vitamin E, and that helps us fight free radicals, which helps ease the effects of aging. I don't know about y'all, but I'm getting to that age where I have to start worrying about wrinkles and unfamiliar aches and pains. I'll ward of aging in any healthy way I can! Vitamin E also works with the flavonoids in almond skins to ward off heart disease. Win!

Alan's new book is filled with more than 100 recipes using homemade almond milk. He starts with the basics — making almond milk, almond cream, and even almond sour cream! And then you use that to make other recipes in the book — smoothies, soups, pasta dishes, veggie sides, and healthy desserts. I started with the Basic Almond Milk — just soaked almonds and water in my Vitamix.


I don't have a nut bag, and I'm out of cheese cloths. But I didn't realize this until after I'd whirred the almonds up in the blender. So I strained out the pulp using a thin rag. I made a bit of a mess, but it got the job done.

I used some of the almond milk (that recipe makes about 4 cups) in this Zucchini Pappardelle with Corn Cream.


The almond milk is cooked with corn, chives, onion, and garlic, and then it's all blended up in the Vitamix (you don't need a fancy blender for these recipes btw ... that's just what I have). For the noodles, you blanche zucchini strips. Alan recommends slicing them into flat, wide noodles — pappardelle-style. But I'll use any excuse to use my spiralizer, so that's what I did here.

This tasted like a zuke noodle version of fettucine alfredo. Delicious! And I loved that the zuke noodles were cooked. I usually eat them raw, but they're much more comforting when cooked, even though they lose a little volume.

I had some almond milk left, so this morning, I whipped up a Vanilla Date Smoothie from Alan's cookbook after my little one-mile run.


I'm still dealing with runner's knee, so I'm currently focusing on shorter runs because those don't hurt. I'd rather be packing on the distance, but this is the hand I'm dealt for now. At least I'm running! Anyway, this smoothie has the Basic Almond Milk, a frozen banana, a medjool date, and vanilla extract (subbed out for the vanilla bean in the recipe). I added a scoop of Manitoba Harvest Vanilla Hemp Pro 70 powder to make it a meal.

I make a LOT of smoothies, typically with storebought almond or cashew milk. And having the fresh almond milk in this made SUCH A HUGE DIFFERENCE. It was so creamy and delicious. I could go for another one right now!

Yay for vitamin E!

Vegan Mofo: Something Blue

Today, we're supposed to blog about something blue for Vegan Mofo. I've been seeing lots of blueberries on the blogs today, and Amey from Vegan Eats & Treats posted about her blue hair!!!


Well, I was totally stumped by this one. I recently made a blue potato salad using those purplish-blue potatoes for a Blue Moon party. But the picture was crappy (and I've already blogged about that salad). But as I was planning for the first two weeks of Mofo, I remembered that 901 Day was coming up in Memphis.

901 Day is a sort of  an unofficial "celebrate Memphis" holiday on September 1st. 901 is our area code here. And Memphians LOVE blue because it's the color of our Memphis Grizzlies and our University of Memphis Tigers. Cassi has a Bluff City Blueberry Cupcake that she sells at the Pink Diva Cupcakery, and I just knew she'd have them on 901 day! I was right!


Okay, the blueberry drizzle looks more purple than blue, but that's because it's made with real blueberries, which aren't really all that blue. But this vanilla cupcake is stuffed with fresh blueberry puree. And it looks blue!


Loved this cupcake (and all of Cassi's cupcakes). Now I have two friends who are professional vegan bakers — Cassi with Pink Diva and Stephanie with Imagine Vegan Cafe. So I can pretty much get any amazing vegan dessert — cupcakes, cookies, pies, petit fours, brownies, cinnamon rolls — I want any time. Pink Diva just so happens to be less than five minutes from my downtown office, perfect for whenever I need a cupcake break. And she serves hot, hearty lunches, too. In fact, I'm going there tomorrow for Vegan Fish Friday!

Vegan Mofo: Retro Recipe

Today's Vegan Mofo challenge was to make a retro recipe. Well, hello?! I just so happen to be smack dab in the middle of writing a retro vegan cookbook, filled with veganized versions of trendy foods from the 20th century. I've developed around 75 so far, ranging from all manner of 1970s fondues to World War-era breads to 1990s sushi. 
But this week, I whipped up two new retro recipes. One is for Tomato Pie. Italian-American immigrants created tomato pie — a thick focaccia-like bread topped with tomato sauce — in the early 20th century, somewhere around 1910.


It looks a bit like pizza with no cheese, but it's actually more complex than that. The dough is thicker and softer. It's baked in a rectangle, rather than a wheel. And it's often served at room temp. Some people sprinkle a little parm on top, so upon serving, I sprinkled mine with nooch. Isn't it cool that this traditional pie is made with little or no cheese?

I also developed a new retro salad recipe for the cookbook this week — Salad a la Russe.


I found a very non-vegan recipe for this salad a la russe, which translates to "salad Russian-style," on this website. It's originally from a 1939 Mazola oil cook booklet! And I've no idea if this salad is actually Russian-style or not, but that's the name.
It's a cabbage slaw with green peas, carrots, and sausages. I used my homemade steamed seitan sausages, but any vegan sausage link will do. Those things are mixed together and tossed with a homemade French dressing and allowed to marinate for several hours. I followed the recipe pretty closely with this part, except of course subbing the vegan sausage for meat sausage. 
But then the original recipe tells you how to make homemade mayo using Mazola oil, vinegar, and spices. And, of course, it calls for eggs. Instead, I used Just Mayo and added the spiced — parsley, onion powder, salt, cayenne. To serve, you plate the marinated slaw and add a dollop of the mayo dressing. It sounds weird as hell, but once that mayo gets mixed in, it turns into a bowl of creamy goodness!