Chocolate Cherry Nirvana Smoothie

You know what's hard to take a good picture of? Smoothies!
That said, this was by far the most delicious and decadent smoothie I have ever tasted. I got the recipe from my pal, Katherine Lawrence, at her sister site Delectable Planet.

Here's the original recipe:  

Delectable Planet's Chocolate Cherry Nirvana Smoothie

It's just four simple ingredients, it's packed with vitamins, and it is truly so rich and chocolatey that you feel like you're somehow "cheating," but you're not! My daughter and I knocked it back in a minute flat. Delicious!

2 cups unsweetened frozen cherries

1 banana

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk

• Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth and serve.
• Makes 2 servings.

Chocolate No-Milk Shake Redux

I've been reading a fantastic book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right. I have underlined, starred, and dog-eared at least 80% of what I've read so far. Tons of great information!
I'm bringing this up because when I was reading this morning, I was particularly struck (stricken?) by the following passage:

"Raw nuts, seeds, and avocados are also foods rich in fat, but they contain healthy fats, important for normal growth and development, and they are rich in nutrients as well. Consumption of these foods has been shown to have powerful protective effects against disease. The results are so striking that in one study men who ate raw nuts had half the heart attack rate compared to men who did not eat nuts. Furthermore, eating raw nuts and seeds has been shown to decrease the death rate from all causes, extending life-span... Eating nuts and seeds makes us live a lot longer and prevents both heart disease and cancer. Eating walnuts, almonds, pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and many more varieties is the best way for us and especially our children, to get the healthy fats we need from nature's tasty and unpolluted source...
When children obtain most of their essential fats from raw nuts and seeds, they not only get the healthier fats, but they also receive lots of beneficial minerals and antioxidants in the process."

This got me thinking about the amount of nuts and seeds I eat. Not many! Nuts and seeds are expensive, and I can only get them when they are on sale or I find them at the salvage store, which happens but is rare. So, basically, I'll just have to give up something less essential (perhaps chocolate chips, for example) so that I can afford the dang nuts. And, even more importantly, I need to find ways for my daughter (who hates nuts) to do it too. And that reminded me of a no-milk shake recipe that I posted on here almost two years ago.

Here's the link to the original post: Chocolate No-Milk Shake

This no-milk "milkshake" is comprised primarily of raw cashews, and it truly does taste like a bona fide chocolate milkshake. I remember in the summer of 2010, right after I discovered how to make these, my daughter and I drank them daily. She had no idea she was chug-a-luggin' a bunch of raw nuts. So, it made me feel great because I was giving her something healthy, and she felt great because she thought she was having chocolate. Win-win! I'm definitely going to start making these again.

1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 tray of ice cubes (about 3 cups)
1/8 cup powdered unsweetened cocoa
1 cup soy or nut milk
1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Toss all ingredients, except the ice, into a strong blender and blend until smooth. 
• Add ice cubes through the hole in the lid one at a time, and continue to blend until nice and creamy.
• Try substituting maple or mint flavoring for the vanilla sometime. Both are equally yummy!
• Makes two large servings, or four small ones.
• Enjoy!

Guilt-Free Hot Cocoa

It's not unusual, at this time of year, to find me on my predictable "new year's resolution diet." Let's just hope I manage to make it stick this time! In an effort to quell my chocolate cravings without breaking the calorie bank, I started fiddling around in my kitchen to create a diet version of my favorite hot cocoa recipe, and I think I've done it! It's not as creamy or as rich as your standard hot cocoa, but the chocolate hits that part of my brain that cries out for it, and I feel satisfied without chomping into a bar of candy.
I also got lucky and found a grocery store that allows you to stack coupons from different manufacturers. I had four $1.00 off coupons for Truvia, all from different vendors, so I was able to get one of those big jugs of the loose stuff for only a couple of bucks. Whoopee!
Try this out if you're on a diet. I think you'll like it! Here's how to make it...

1/8 cup (3 tablespoons) water
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Fair Trade preferred)
1 tablespoons non-caloric sweetener (I used Truvia)
1 cup light soy or nut milk (I used plain Silk Light)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• In a small sauce pan, whisk together the water, cocoa and sweetener until no lumps remain.
• Add soy milk and vanilla, and whisk again until well-blended.
• Heat on medium-high until just about to boil.
• Pour into your favorite mug and settle in for a guiltless chocolate treat.
• Makes one serving.
• Enjoy!

NUTRITION FACTS:
Calories: 106.8 / Total Fat: 3.5g (Saturated Fat: 0.9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.0g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1.0g) / Cholesterol: 0.0mg / Sodium: 122.6mg / Potassium: 470.8mg / Total Carbohydrate: 17.4g (Dietary Fiber: 4.6g, Sugar: 6.7g) / Protein: 8.1g

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SUPER EASY GREEN SMOOTHIE

"Good morning, gorgeous!" That's what this delicious, healthy smoothie says to me when I make it for breakfast. This is the easiest green smoothie you'll ever make. And it's chock full of excellent vitamins and fiber. It will get your body going and your face glowing in the morning. Try it out for breakfast tomorrow!

2 large kale leaves, stalks removed
1 apple (I used Pink Lady), cored and sliced
1 banana
1 cup soy, rice, oat or nut milk
1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1 tray of ice cubes

• In a blender combine everything but the ice and mix until smooth.
• Add ice through the hole in the lid, one cube at a time. You can do this in quick succession.
• Keep blending until it reaches the consistency of your liking. Then pour and enjoy!

Kristen Suzanne's EASY Raw Vegan Smoothies, Juices, Elixirs & Drinks

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Chocolate No-Milk Shake

Oh. My. God! This tastes just like a chocolate milkshake made with ice cream. You could easily fool any die-hard dairy lover. It's sooooo good! And, best yet, it's pretty healthy too.
The recipe calls for a cup of raw cashews, and raw cashews don't come cheap, but I got lucky and found them for 2 bucks a pound at my local salvage grocery store! Big-time score!!!
Here's the recipe...
(you are going to love me so much for this)

1 C raw, unsalted cashews
1 tray of ice cubes (about 3 cups)
1/8 cup powdered unsweetened cocoa
1 C soy or nut milk
1/4 C agave nectar, maple syrup, sugar, or stevia
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

• Toss all ingredients, except the ice, into a strong blender and blend until smooth. 
• Add ice cubes through the hole in the lid one at a time, and continue to blend until nice and creamy.
• Try substituting maple or mint flavoring for the vanilla sometime. Both are equally yummy!
• Enjoy!

Kristen Suzanne's EASY Raw Vegan Smoothies 

Green Smoothie Revolution

Monstrously Delicious Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa is one of my favorite things in the world! Snuggling into the sofa with a hot cup of cocoa is one of life's perfect little moments for me. The cheap store-bought packet stuff is all total junk, with ingredients you wouldn't feed a gynecologist you don't like, so why on earth would you feed it to yourself?! Whenever you want hot cocoa, just stick to the basics: cocoa, sugar, milk and vanilla, and you can't go wrong.

Here's how I do it...

2 tablespoons powdered unsweetened cocoa

4 tablespoons sugar, agave nectar or preferred sweetener (I use stevia)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 to 1 full cup non-dairy milk, to taste

1/8 cup water

• Place cocoa, sweetener, vanilla and water into a small saucepan and stir together to make a paste, until all ingredients are well-blended and no lumps remain.
• Add milk and stir while heating, until mixture just starts to boil/bubble around the edges.
• Pour into a mug and top with vegan marshmallows (if, unlike me, you can afford them).
• If you want it to be foamy on top, like you see in the photo, use an immersion hand-blender to do the stirring after you add the milk. It works great!
• Makes one serving.
• Enjoy!

You Won't Believe It's Vegan!

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Soyapower Plus Soy Milk Maker

Kalappange Smoothie

What is "kalappange," you ask?

Why, it's kale-apple-orange all mingled together. Oh yes! And it's fabulous.

I got the original recipe from The Cancer Project cookbook (it's the "Green Goddess"), but I changed it up just a hair by adding an apple and a teeny bit of stevia. I also like to stick in a few tablespoons of vanilla-flavored soy protein powder when I have it on hand.

Here's the recipe:

1 banana

1 bunch green grapes (red grapes have more sugar, so I avoid)

1 apple, or 1 pear (I used a Pink Lady apple in the picture)

2 stalks of kale, leaves only

1 orange, peeled of course

1/2 C soy milk

Optional:

3 T vanilla soy protein powder

1-2 teaspoons stevia, to taste

Preparation couldn't be easier. Just toss everything into a blender and mix on High for about a minute. It may look done before then, but it takes a lot of muscle to break up those kale leaves. So, be sure to wait the full minute.

Unless your fruit was refrigerated beforehand, your drink will be at room temperature. So, you can blend in some ice cubes if you like. Or just pour over some cubes. Or do what I do and serve in a chilled pub glass. Or just be hardcore and drink it straight. It's delicious no matter what.

My daughter goes crazy for it. Here's a picture of her knockin' back the batch I made this morning. Her cheeks are all puckered because she's trying so hard to suck the fruity bits through the sippy cup holes. I tried to teach her to drink it through a straw, but whaddaya gonna do....