Vegan "cheese" Spread

This recipe is one of my first experiments making a vegan "cheese" style sauce. It is from "How it all Vegan", which is such a fabulous book. When I first made it, I misread and used sunflower seeds instead of sesame - and now I'm not sure which version I like better. If you're wondering, the consistency is similar to hummus, and if you've never made one of these so-called "cheeses" don't expect it to be like the dairy cheese you know, it's quite different. Great, different. Note that this makes quite a bit - the recipe says 1 cup, but I'd say it's close to 2. So if you're using this as a sandwich spread, that's quite a bit to go through unless you try freezing (I haven't tried that yet). According to the book it should last 7-10 days. Having said that, if you've got people over - put this out with some crackers and it won't last long!

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Yields: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1  small  red pepper, chopped
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 cups raw cashews, unsalted
• 1⁄4 cup sesame seeds
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 2⁄3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice (or sub vinegar)
• 1⁄4 cup flax seed oil
• 1  tablespoon  Braggs liquid aminos (or light soy sauce)

Directions

1. Saute the pepper in the olive oil until soft.
2. Using a blender or food processor, blend the cooked red pepper and all the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasoning to your tastes.
3. Keep refridgerated for up to 10 days.