Lemon Teasecake

This is sooo good!  It's unbelievable creamy and fresh and you won't believe what makes it that way!Cashews and millet!  Oh, and did I mention it is REALLY easy?  This is a recipe from a vegetarian restaurant  in Seattle called Cafe Ambrosia.  (I'm not sure if it is still there.)  It is one of their signature desserts.  Both the crust and the filling are free of eggs, dairy, wheat, and soy so it's great for people with allergies.  If you think you can't make it because you don't have a fancy blender...you're wrong! I just have a blender I got at Target and it works great!  (A fancy blender is still on my "wish list".)  It wasn't quite ready to eat by the time my kids went to bed so I promised them I'd save some for them for the next day.  My husband and I seriously had a hard time stopping once we tasted it.  We had to keep telling ourselves, "Remember the children!"

Lemon Teasecake

Oatmeal Cinnamon Crust
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown rice flour (I just run brown rice through my wheat grinder)
1/2 cup ground walnuts
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1/4 cup safflower oil (I didn't have any so I used half canola and half olive oil)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, walnuts, cinnamon, and salt, and mix well.  In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, combine vanilla, maple syrup, and oil, and stir well.  Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients; mix to incorporate liquid.  Press firmly into an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool about 30 minutes before filling.

Filling
1/2 cup uncooked millet
2 cups water
1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 1/2 lemons)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon extract

In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring millet and water to boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat for about 50 minutes, until water is absorbed and millet is soft.  While millet is cooking, place cashews, lemon juice, maple syrup, and extracts in a blender.  Process on high for 3 minutes or until perfectly smooth.  If necessary, scrape down sides of blender with spatula and process for another minute.  While cooked millet is still warm, add to blender mixture.  Process on high for another 3 minutes until creamy.  Pour into cooled crust.

Cool filling and crust at room temperature for 1 hour.  Place in refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.  Place plastic wrap over surface to prevent excess cracking.  Teasecake will keep for about 3 days, refrigerated.

Topping (Optional)
8 ounces cherry preserves (fruit-juice-sweetened jam)
2 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced thin into rounds

Place cherry preserves in a small saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until barely softened.  Spread evenly over filling that has chilled and set.  When ready to serve, garnish with slices of kiwifruit.