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!