Ingredients

• Ingredients Units USM Scale 1x2x3x 1 cup raw cashews (if using soaked cashews, see notes) 3/4 cup water 2 – 4 garlic cloves 2 teaspoons dijon mustard juice of 1/2 lemon pinch of mineral salt, or to taste

Preparation

• Instructions Place cashews, water, garlic, dijon, and juice of lemon in a blender and blend until creamy, about 45 seconds. Taste for flavor adding a little more of desired ingredients to taste. Serve at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. NOTES:  Adjust the garlic to your taste. For a mild garlic flavor, 2 will do. If you love your garlic, use more. To make this completely raw, use 3/4 – 1 teaspoon mustard powder in place of dijon. For thinner aioli, add extra water, 1 – 2 tablespoons, at a time until desired consistency. If you don’t care for dijon mustard, omit it all together. You can also start with 1 teaspoon, adding a little extra to taste. For this task, I used a NutriBullet which does a great job blending cashews into pure creaminess. Plus, you can keep your aioli in the cup it was blended in, easily storing leftovers in the refrigerator. Soaking cashews: If you prefer to soak your cashews, 2 hours before preparing the aioli, place cashews in a cup/bowl filled with water, covering cashews about 1 inch. Let set for 2 hours. For a quick soak, place cashews in a bowl of warm water for 1 hour, or in near boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse well before blending. Use 2/3 cup of water instead of 3/4 cup, as the cashews will have plumped up and you may not need as much. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to thin. There are benefits to soaking your cashews, although I am sometimes lazy about it. It does help remove certain enzymes that may inhibit vitamin and mineral absorption, and also may help with digestion.