One of my favorite things about summer is all the fresh fruits and veggies at the farmer’s market. A few weeks back I picked up a great bunch of asparagus and had no idea what to make of it. When I was younger, my mom used to make hollandaise sauce to go with asparagus and I was a huge fan. I decided to look up a few recipes and realized it is basically all butter. So, clearly I felt a recipe challenge coming on.

 What makes hollandaise sauce so delicious is the combination of richness (from the butter) and lemon. This vegan hollandaise uses the richness of coconut milk as the base for a delicious dairy-free alternative that is lighter in calories without losing the great flavor of traditional sauce.

I went pretty standard with the hollandaise – serving it here over a bed of steamed asparagus – but you can use it in many ways. I used it on some vegetable quinoa bowls as well and was pleasantly surprised with the result. And if you’re an egg eater, it’s a healthier alternative to the butter-filled standard sauce for eggs benedict or eggs florentine.

In addition to the coconut milk, I added a lot of lemon (of course) and also some dijon mustard for a bit of tanginess. Nutritional yeast and margarine also help out in the dairy flavor department, and a bit of turmeric gives the sauce a similar color as a butter-based version.

But of course, don’t just take my word for it. Give this recipe a spin and let me know what you think!