Cashew "Cheese" Sauce

A couple of nights ago I was craving some tostada action. I used to make these fairly often because the boys loved them, but I'd cut them into fourths and make nachos "Chili's Style." Since cheese was out of the question (for me, anyway) I didn't make them that often anymore. It's been a good few years, and the craving was getting stronger.

Back in my vegan days, I learned that cashews were an incredible substitute for anything "creamy." White beans work too, but they're not quite as good as the cashews. I have an Uncheese Cookbook, giving ideas for all sorts of cheese replacement recipes. In the whole book there are only a couple that I actually like, partly because it calls for some really obscure ingredients, and partly because the end product is nothing like what it claims to be. Now, granted, if you've never eaten cheese before I'm sure it's great because you wouldn't know the difference. But otherwise... anyway, cashews work great.

Back to the tostadas. I decided to make a creamy cashew sauce to drizzle over my tostadas, but of course the guys would get real, honest to goodness cheese. I'll post the tostada recipe shortly, because they came out super tasty. The cashew cheese sauce was so freaking good. There was quite a bit left, so I saved it as a dip for chips and veggies. I think the possibilities with this are endless. I would recommend making a little on the thicker side, because you can always thin it down for whatever recipe you're using.

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews (raw, unsalted)
Approx.1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp onion power
3 T nutritional yeast
1 "squirt" Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Sea salt to taste (if needed)

Directions:
Soak cashews in hot water at least one hour and drain. This step is optional if you have a high powered blender.

Put all ingredients in a blender, starting with about half of the milk. Process on high until very creamy, adding more milk as necessary to reach desired consistency. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an air tight container.