Cashew Nut Cream Cheese

I've been making various versions of cashew nut cream cheese ever since discovering that I had a mild allergy to dairy, and it is a dairy-free alternative to regular cream cheese. It's always been good, and useful in so many ways, but today I tried something different and I really like it. See what you think...

Ingredients:

2 cups raw cashews (unsalted)
1 litre water
1 cup unsweetened rice / oat / soy milk
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
2-3 shallots
3 basil leaves
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method:

Put the cashews and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the temperature and simmer (lid on) for about 20 minutes.
Drain the cashews and transfer to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
Blend till smooth and the consistency of cream cheese. I did this in stages, so as not to overheat my processor, and also to keep scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure an even result.

Enjoy as you would regular cream cheese, or as a condiment, an addition to pestos and salad dressings (just add a little liquid to thin). I also use cashew nut cream cheese on my pizza - yum!

Spicy roasted chickpeas

After my recent trip to Portugal, I have become a little obsessed with chickpeas. And not the tinned kind, either.
The Portuguese tend to cook whole foods, simply, and largely from scratch and this includes soaking beans and pulses before cooking. This way of cooking may be more time consuming, but it's worth it. Give it a go and see what you think.

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked in salt water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch of coarse salt

Method:

Rinse and drain the chickpeas, and cook till tender. Drain, and allow to cool.
Transfer the chickpeas to a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, mixing it all together with your hands to ensure all the chickpeas are coated.
Spread the chickpeas onto a flat baking tray and put into a hot oven (I set mine to about 240C, but ovens vary so just make sure it's very hot) and keep an eye on them to ensure they don't burn. About 20 mins should do it, but again, this may vary a little.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. They should be crunchy in texture.
Enjoy as a healthy, tasty snack!