Fancy Pants Mayo and Feta Walnut Spread

I love walnuts. I love using walnuts in my cooking as often as possible. They are perfect paired in a creamy spread, baked into sweetie goods, used as a savory stuffing for meats or even roasted with veggies. This nut can do it all. Who can't forget that there packed with all-important omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3's these guy's carry is said to improve cholesterol, have inflammatory benefits, lower the risk of weight gain ( sign me up ) and contain ellagic acid, a compound that boosts immune systems and has anti-cancer properties. A quarter-cup walnuts provides 90.8% of the daily value for these essential fats! And there delicious! Here are some quick and easy recipes so you can add walnuts to your diet;


Cream Dat Nut
This spread is great for toast, crackers or even in sandwiches. Perfect to hang out around when you have a couple guests over. Dare I say, the new humus?! Naw...
I like to make this in big batches so I measure it out in a parts system so I can easily double the recipe. If you absolutely need measurements I added in a rough estimate of those too.

3 parts walnuts ( 1 cup )
2 parts feta or tofuti cream cheese ( 3/4 cup ish )
1/2 parts olive oil ( 1/4 cup )
some water on hand to thin it out
a squirt of saracha to taste
for every 3 parts walnuts 1 hearty tbsp of paprika
for every 3 parts walnuts 1 clove of garlic
salt to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice

In a food processor or chopper add the walnuts and blend until they become fine like a grain. Slowly add half the feta or tofuti. If you decided to make this vegan, add the tbsp of lemon juice now to substitute for the tangy feta flavor. Blend this together until a paste starts to form. Slowly funnel in the olive oil in a steady stream, or incorporate by tsp at a time. You want your spread to be thick, but not too chunky. If it doesn't look like it could spread on toast easy, blend it some more and add a tiny bit of water to it. Now add the paprika and garlic, making sure you push down the sides of the bowl to really mix everything in. Taste your spread and add however much saracha or salt you think it needs. Garnish with some olive oil drizzled on top and a dash of paprika!


Fancy Pants Mayo
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup Parmesan or nutritional yeast
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup of olive oil
1 tbsp water
3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise or vegenaise
Just like the previous recipe, this "spread" is great on just about anything, especially sandwiches! If you decide to do it vegan I recommend adding more garlic and pepper. Makes the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich or you could even toss with day old cold pasta and fresh veggies to make a pasta salad!

Start by blending the walnuts and basil together until a paste starts to form. Really blend the walnuts this time so that there smooth and creamy. In a steady and slow stream add the olive oil until a chunky pesto consistency starts to form. Add in garlic, salt and pepper and blend together. If its too thick add a little bit of water to smooth it out. You want it very soft and smooth. Finally add either the Parmesan or the nutritional yeast. Move to a small bowl and add mayonnaise or vegenaise. If you don't have vegenaise laying around a soy yogurt would work too. Salt and pepper to taste again.