Easy Avocado Aioli

I was recently asked to describe my cooking style in three words during a recent interview. I paused and my mind went blank. Three words? How could I describe my truly haphazard way of eating? How could I explain that I eat healthy for lunch but indulgently at dinner (or vice versa) and most days skip breakfast unless it's a crumpet smothered with peanut butter and drenched in honey?

It's true, while I can't help loving rich foods perhaps the only thing that saves me from needing a cherry picker to get out of my house is my love for vegetables. One of my favourite vegetables is avocado because it really straddles two of my favourite things: healthy and creamy. And when I recently purchased a surplus of them I decided to make a healthy version of one of my favourite condiments: mayonnaise or garlic aioli.

Mayonnaise is made when egg yolks are emulsified with oil. A lot of oil in fact. And while oils like extra virgin olive oil are good for you, they often lend too strong a taste to mayonnaise. This version used the good fat from avocado and just 1/2 a cup of vegetable oil with garlic, lemon juice and mustard for flavour. I loved dipping fries in this or spreading it on sandwiches. While it still has fat in it, it's much less fat than mayonnaise or aioli.

Oh and I found three words to describe my cooking style: "I eat everything."

So tell me Dear Reader, how would you describe your cooking or eating style in three (or more!) words?

Avocado Aioli

An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

*I'm absolutely certain that you didn't need this picture. I was just so happy that I managed to get a perfectly ripe avocado! *

Step 1 - Scoop the avocado flesh from the avocado and place in a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice and mustard. Pulse for a few seconds until smooth and garlic is finely chopped. Add the vegetable oil in two lots - you don't have to pour this in a thin stream as you do with egg mayonnaise. Process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge. This will keep for up to a week (if it lasts that long, it's delicious!).