Cheezy Artichoke Crostini

Kozmic Blues's Note:

This is an appetizer I made for Mother's Day this year. I used as a base, the cashew cream recipe from Color Me Vegan, and then added some extra garlic and nutritional yeast to give it a bit more cheezy artichoke dip flavor. prep. time includes the time it takes to soak the raw cashews overnight.

• Total Time: 12 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 12 hrs
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional oil for brushing
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon miso (white or yellow)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 -2 garlic clove, minced
• 1 -2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can artichokes, chopped
• 1 baguette, sliced
• fresh chives, minced, for garnish

Directions:

1. Soak the cashews overnight in just enough water to completely cover them. The next day, drain and rinse the cashews, then set aside.
2. In a medium sauté pan, sauté the onions in the 1 tablespoon of oil until translucent and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Place the soaked cashews, sautéed onions, miso, lemon juice, minced garlic and water into a blender and process until smooth.
4. Mix in the chopped artichokes, and nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, to taste.
5. In the meantime, preheat broilier to high.
6. Brush the baguette slices with a light layer of olive oil and broil for 2-4 minutes, watching closely to not burn.
7. Top each toasted slice with 1 tbsp of the cheezy artichoke spread then sprinkle with chives.