Vegan Chocolate "Cheese"cake

It's Valentine's Day...and nothing marks the occasion quite like chocolate!  Everyone in my family has an addiction to the stuff.  In trying to keep with our vegan diet, I have scoured the web searching for vegan chocolate recipes.  This is one that I found just in time for the big day.  It is from www.pure2raw.com (great website, btw).  It looks and tastes just like chocolate cheesecake.  We certainly will not be missing anything this Valentine's Day!

You will need:

For the crust:

1 C pecan meal (aka ground up pecans.  Or you can use walnuts or almonds here)
5 fresh medjool dates, pitted
1/2 C cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of sea salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until combined.  It should be slightly clumped and sticky.  Press crust into a mini cheese cake pan (or you can use a 7" spring form pan) evenly.  Press firmly into all the corners.  Set aside while you make the filling.

For the chocolate filling you will need:

2 C raw cashews pieces, soaked for 15-20 minutes
1/2 C coconut oil, warmed into a liquid
1/2 C maple syrup (can use agave nectar)*
1/2 C water
2 tsp vanilla
3/4 C cocoa powder
*You can add 1-2 tbsp more syrup for a sweeter mix.

Place cashews into blender (a vita mix works great!) with maple syrup, vanilla, and water.  Blend until creamy.  Add cocoa powder and coconut oil and blend until creamy and smooth, scraping the sides a couple times.  Pour filling over the crust and smooth the tops.  Pop in the freezer for 3-4 hours to set.  Enjoy!