Basic Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce

I've been really wanting to try making my own cashew cheese sauce but have always been intimidated because I don't have a food processor.  I came to find out that by soaking the cashews I could easily make a delicious creamy cashew cheese sauce using my immersion blender.  I've since been experimenting with different takes on this basic recipe but this is the basic recipe that I have been using as a base and is definitely good on its own!

Ingredients
Makes about 2.5 cups

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 c almond milk
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/4 tsp paprika, heaping
• 1/2 tsp onion powder, heaping
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, heaping
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 c nutritional yeast
• 1/2 to 1 cup water

1. Soak the cashews in warm water for at least 2 hours.
2. Combine all ingredients except the water.
3. Using an immersion blender, work the ingredients into a smooth a consistency as possible.
4. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat for 10-20 minutes stirring very frequently.
5. Add 1/2 to 1 cup extra water to achieve desired consistency.  Don't add extra water for more of a dip consistency.  Add more water for making a cheese sauce for noodles or vegetables.

Adapted from this recipe.