| At 2 meters tall, my father had what one could call a presence. This was especially apparent when he was inspired to “help” in the kitchen. He had a few favourite things he liked to cook, which always necessitated numerous kitchen utensils, at least 6 saucepans, a huge clean up and copious amounts of butter. Oh how he loved butter. It’s no wonder, then, that he absolutely adored Hollandaise sauce, as it not only included melted butter, but egg yolks….yup, the darling sauce for the Heart and Stroke association (insert sarcasm). Hollandaise for Eggs Benedict and asparagus were two of his favourite Weight-Watchers-approved (insert more sarcasm) uses for his beloved sauce.
The other day, I was feeling particularly nostalgic for my parents (miss you both xo) when I spied some absolutely gorgeous asparagus. I was determined to come up with a plant-based version of my dad’s favourite Jenny Craig (insert yet again more sarcasm….) sauce. Enter cashews! These amazing morsels of good(fat)ness are simply remarkable. You can make just about anything with cashews! I saw a recipe that included cashew butter which I didn’t have on hand, so I modified things a bit by adding olive oil. As luck would have it, some of my favourite taste-testers were home, so we enjoyed roasted asparagus with vegan Hollandaise and made a toast to my parents and the boys’ grandparents. Nostalgia aside, the boys loved it and even asked for the recipe!
Vegan Hollandaise
1/2 cup raw cashews – soaked a few hours and rinsed well
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
Rinse soaked cashews well. Place in high-speed blender. Add remaining ingredients. Start with a 1/4 cup water, adding up to a total of 1/2 cup until desired consistency is reached. Will keep for 1 week in fridge. Enjoy on your favourite veggies! |
