hey kids ~ gather ’round for STORY TIME!

(if you’re busy and just need the dang recipe, scroll down)

a few years ago, the hub and i were driving out of town, and we stopped to get breakfast at one of your typical pancake-n-eggs restaurants.  i ordered an omelette with a side of hollandaise sauce and the woman thought i was speaking martian.  she had no idea what that was, or what on earth i was even saying.  the couple sitting across from us looked at each other and rolled their eyes.  CITY FOLK.

who does she think she is?  meg ryan?

so she went back to the kitchen to ask about it, and she came back and said, “OH!  HOLIDAY SAUCE!  you’re asking for holiday sauce.  okay great, i’ll be happy to get you that holiday sauce.  here’s your HOLIDAAAAAY SAAAAAUCE.

she kept saying it over and over to teach me that, in fact, i was wrong, and hollandaise sauce was a figment of my imagination, silly girl.

hence, the name of my latest delicious creation:  VEGAN HOLIDAY SAUCE.

in the last few months, i’ve been researching plant-based sauce substitutions.  because if you’re anything like me, i can eat a cardboard box if it’s smothered in a good sauce.

one thing i really don’t like about vegan cooking is nutritional yeast.  i just haven’t gotten used to the flavor yet, and it’s such a unique and slightly fake note that i feel like it just exposes the fact that you’re eating vegan food.  i want my food to taste like it’s from the garden of eden, and completely hoodwink my hub into thinking he’s not missing out on meat or cheese.

moral of the story:  nutritional yeast just doesn’t do it for me yet.

but that’s how you make “fake cheese” in vegan cooking, and it’s in all the sauces.

what to do, what to do???

PIXY TO THE RESCUE!!!  here’s what i discovered ~ i figured out that Better Than Bouillon, the concentrated broth paste i’ve been buying for years, creates a really salty, almost cheesy note to sauces!  i think it might have gluten in it, so if you’re sensitive, double-check that.  but it’s really delicious and comes in a veggie version.

SO, here’s my vegan HOLIDAY sauce (get it right, y’all) recipe, fresh from pixy’s kitchen to yours!

WARNING:  since i’m only mostly plant-based, this picture contains eggs and bacon!  we were splurging that saturday.  but it is so good on roasted potatoes, or avocado toast, or used as a dip, etc.  the possibilities are endless!

one night, we even had this as a dipping sauce for braised artichokes!

you gotta try this.  it is so divine and creamy.

here’s the recipe:

VEGAN HOLIDAY SAUCE

in a blender, add the following:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drained)
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth, heated up on the stove
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon veggie broth paste (or more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• juice and zest of one lemon
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh dill or tarragon is really great in this
• roasted garlic or caramelized onions would be over-the-top amazing

blend for 30-60 seconds.

adjust seasonings to taste.

the glorious thing about this hollandaise sauce is that you can make it ahead of time, stick it in the fridge, and use it for a week.  i’ve never reheated it, so it might separate if you do that.  but it’s so good cold or room temp ~ i don’t really need it to be warm.

hollandaise sauce is usually so high in calories and fat ~ made with butter and egg yolk and everything rich and wonderful about the world.

but i’m here to tell you the good news ~ you can have rich and wonderful without messing with your health!!!

the eggs benedict in the picture was made with the following:

1. ezekiel brand english muffins, toasted (you can find these in the freezer aisle, or online)
2. a delicious green veggie layer:  garlic, onion and spinach sautéed in coconut oil, then mixed with mashed avocado, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  SO GOOD.
3. eggs over-medium:  i like to cook my eggs in coconut oil, and get them nice and done on one side, then flip them over and turn off the burner.  that way the eggs are cooked but the yolks are still a little runny.  my favorite way.
4. slather with HOLIDAY SAUCE and top with fresh cracked black pepper, kosher salt, and a sprinkling of fresh or dried dill.  but dried seems to work better for this, in my opinion.

try this amazingly versatile sauce and let me know what you think!!!!