Tart Lemon Cashew Cheesecake

When you go vegan and gluten free, you really miss a lot of goodies. One thing for me was cheesecake. I used to LOVE cheesecake in all forms with all toppings. But when you go dairy free, you need to find an alternative. This cashew cheesecake is tart, sweet and smooth. Everything you could want from cheesecake. And that crust, oh that crust. It is made with oats, dates and honey/maple syrup and could be eaten by itself it is so good! I hope you like it as much as we did!

Ingredients:
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Crust:

• 1 cup of packed dates, pitted
• 1.5 cups of GF rolled oats
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup or raw honey (if not vegan)

Filling:

• 1 3/4  cups of cashews, soaked overnight
• 3 juiced lemons
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
• 1/4 coconut or almond milk
• 3/4 cup maple syrup or raw honey  (if not vegan)
• dash of salt

Directions:

1. Make the crust. In a food processor, pulse the dates until a large ball forms. Remove the ball and set aside.
2. Add the oats & salt and shred until it is pulverized. Break up the date ball and add to the food processor.
3. Add the maple or honey and blend until a lose but sticky dough forms. You can add more maple/honey if too dry OR more oats if it is too wet.
4. Press the crust onto the bottom and up the sides slightly in the pan. I used a 9 inch spring form cake pan. If the crust is really sticky, I just put a little oil on my hands to help spread it out.
5. Make the filling: drain cashews, add all the filling ingredients into the food processor. Blend for up to 4 minutes to ensure it gets really smooth. You can add more milk if you need it thinned out a bit. Taste and add more sweetener or lemon if needed.
6. Pour the mixture into the pan, tapping the pan on the counter to make sure no air bubbles are in there.
7. Either put into the fridge for 8 hours to harden or in the freezer for a faster set time, usually 2-3 hours.
8. Remove and let sit for 5-10 minutes and remove spring form sides of pan. You can top it with whipped coconut cream, nuts, lemon zest or drizzle melted chocolate with fruit.