Just because it’s a salad doesn’t make it healthy. Many takeout and catered salads are far from healthy, and the popular Nish-Nosh salad is one of them. It’s made of lettuce, cabbage, white flour crackers, and a sugar- and mayo-filled dressing. This “Nisht” Nosh salad dressing is one of my favorite recipe remakes! Use grain-free crackers and this wholesome dressing to upgrade this popular salad.

Directions

Prepare the Dressing

1. Dilute honey in hot water, and allow to cool while making the dressing. Do not add the honey-water until it has cooled.

2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade, beat eggs at medium speed for three to five minutes. Add oil in a steady stream, and continue to beat until a thick mayonnaise is produced.

3. With the food processor on low-medium speed, drizzle in apple cider vinegar. Then add garlic, salt, and pepper, and mix until combined.

4. Once the honey-water is at room temperature, add it to the dressing mixture, and pulse until incorporated.

Prepare the Homemade Mayonnaise

1. Place all ingredients aside from oil in a bowl. If not doubling the recipe, you can use an immersion blender; if you are, use a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Blend.

2. Drizzle in the oil while blending until fully emulsified.

Tips:

When I started exploring making my own mayo, I learned some egg safety tips that actually make it practical and safe to use raw eggs, and raw eggs are now a standard ingredient in my homemade staples. (If you are pregnant or infirm, ask your doctor before you use raw eggs at all.)

The shell of the egg keeps the inside safe from bacteria. If there are bacteria on the shell, they can contaminate the egg when it is cracked. To avoid transference, make sure you are using fresh, clean, un-cracked eggs. Raw fresh eggs will have firm whites and will not float in water. The shells peel off easily when the egg is boiled.

The safest way to avoid food poisoning from eggs is to use pasteurized eggs, which have undergone a low heating process that kills any bacteria on the shell while leaving the inside raw. This process is approved by the FDA as making eggs safe for consumption in their raw form. That’s what store-bought mayo contains!

If pasteurized eggs aren’t available, and you don’t want to pasteurize them yourself, keep in mind that acids, such as vinegar and lemon and lime juice, kill bacteria. According to the Egg Nutrition Center, soaking a whole raw egg in acids or using two tablespoons of acid per one cup of homemade mayo contributes a high enough level of acidity to kill any bacteria. My mayo recipe has this ratio.

Note that avocado oil has a more neutral taste than olive oil.

Notes:

This lasts up to two weeks in the fridge. It’s a delicious base for dips and dressings too!