Hashbrowns with Veggies and Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

On the weekends I love to eat a larger brunch meal that serves as my breakfast and lunch for the day.  Because it covers two meals, I of course like to make something with a bit more effort.  This weekend I was particularly craving hashbrowns with veggies and hollandaise sauce.  In un-nutritarian hollandaise sauce the ingredients would typically include: egg yolks, butter, lemon juice, and spices.  Because the main ingredients are not in my diet, I knew this was going to be challenging.  I searched online for vegan hollandaise sauce recipes and did not find ones that I could make, as they required ingredients that I don't usually keep on hand.  I am not a fan of SAD (Standard American Diet) vegan substitutes such vegan cheese, vegan margarine, and vegan mayo.  I find that they do not taste very good in the first place, and definitely nothing like what they are substituting.  They often times have just as much fat in the vegan option as they do in the SAD original, so I like to avoid these in my everyday cooking.  Included in the recipe below was my version of a hollandaise sauce, but feel free to use your own favorite recipe instead, or just top your hashbrowns with ketsup, salsa, hot sauce, or whatever you prefer.

Hashbrowns with Veggies and Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients: (serves 2)

4 small or 2 medium white potatoes, peeled and shredded

2 c mixed cut veggies, your preference

1/4 c non-dairy milk

1/3 c garbonzo beans, or 1/4 c plain hummus

2 T nutritional yeast

1 T mustard

1/4 t tumeric

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 t cumin

Directions: Once the potatoes have been peeled and shredded (I shredded mine in my food processor that has a shredding blade), place the shredded potato in a cheese cloth or thin towel and squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can.  
Prepare a large skillet by heating it over medium heat and spraying it well with a misto (or use very little oil to coat).  Put your shredded potatoes into the skillet and push it to meet the sides and lay flat on the pan.  
While one side is frying (for about 10 minutes), place the non-dairy milk, garbanzo beans, nutritional yeast, mustard, tumeric, cayenne pepper, and cumin in a small food processor, and process until smooth and creamy.  Add salt and pepper to the hollandaise sauce as desired.  
In a separate small skillet, water saute the veggies (I used veggies from my Mexi-salad) until tender.  
Flip the hashbrowns once the bottom is as crispy as you wish.  Allow this side to cook for another 10 minutes or until crispy.   
When done, cut the hashbrowns down the middle with a pizza cutter and place on plates.  Top each with the sauted veggies and the hollandaise sauce.  Enjoy your awesome breakfast!

Amy's Notes: As I said earlier, I used my large food processor to shred the potatoes, and I found that they turned a little pink.  I was thinking my potatoes had gone bad, even though I had just bought them, but I did a bit of research and found that this website explains the phenomenon very well:

"When you cut into the potato, you damage the cell walls that keep everything nice and tidy. The phenols and the enzymes meet the oxygen coming in from the outside world, causing a chemical reaction to take place. This chemical reaction results in - you guessed it - pink potatoes.

This discoloration isn't harmful to us and you can still eat those potatoes - it can just be a bit off-putting to serve a plate of pink potatoes! FYI: This is actually the exact same chemical reaction that makes apples, bananas, and other fruits turn brown and mushy."

So fear not!  Your potatoes are just fine if they turned a little pink like mine did.  Also, feel free to use whatever veggies you want to put on the hashbrowns!  I used my Mexi-salad I made in my last blog post, and some napa cabbage that I've had in my fridge.  I bet onions and mushrooms would be an awesome veggie topping for this!

What is your opinion of food substitutes like soy cheese, vegan cream cheese, and vegan mayo?  Are they really worth how much they tend to cost?