Here are two things you should know about me!

1. I plan on being a vegan for the rest of my life.
2. I love tuna.

When I was pregnant, I really craved tuna salad sandwiches, but I wasn't ready to give up my ethics for a night of tuna-ey goodness. So I made a vegan tuna salad, which turned out really well! I used vegannaise, which is a vegan soy (or grapeseed oil) based mayonnaise substitute. Lately I've been craving it again... But I can't have soy because of Rowan! So it was up to me to make my own "mayonnaise", and then make a vegan tuna salad. So it's not really a tuna salad at all. It's like... a bean salad.

Vegan Soy-Free "Mayonnaise"

Ingredients:
-1 3/4 cups drained cooked or canned white beans (one 15 or 16 oz cans) - I used navy beans!
-2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar or additional fresh lemon juice
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
-1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1/3 cup organic canola or safflower oil

1. Place the beans, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and dry mustard in a blender. Blend until very creamy. 
2. With the appliance running, drizzle in the oils in a slow, steady stream through the cap opening in the lid.  Continue processing until well blended and completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container as needed. 
3. Chill thoroughly before using.  Keeps about 7 days in the refrigerator

So you can use this as a substitute for anything you would use mayonnaise for. It's kind of like a mild hummus, I suppose. It doesn't really taste like mayonnaise, but it does the trick!

"Tuna" Salad

-1(15 oz.) can chick-peas, drained (or 1.5 c. cooked)
-1/2 C. vegan mayonnaise (I would start with about 1/4 C, and add more until it's at a texture you like)
-1/3 C. minced celery
- 1/4 C. radish
-2.5 T. minced dill pickle
-1/2 T. nutritional yeast
-1 green onion, chopped
-1/2 t. kelp powder (optional, if you like seaweedy taste. I don't.)
- pepper, to taste

1.In a medium bowl, mash the chick-peas coarsely with a fork.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Use on sandwiches or on a bed of salad greens.

Everyone makes tuna salad differently, so this is just what I did. You can add more or less vegetables, relish, anything you want to make it delicious!