Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with smoothies? It may not be quite as traditional as a pint of Guinness, but I’m sure it’ll catch on š
I woke up early on our national day of celebration and was feeling creative, so decided to create a trio of yummy smoothies, based on our national colours. Patriotic or wha’!
I love my green smoothies, but this one is definitely special because I used cacao nibs and mint to create a mint choc-chip ‘Shamrock Shake’. Had to be done.
It actually made a healthy smoothie (with spinach in it. Shhh!) taste wonderfully decadent, smooth and creamy, especially with the addition of almond butter.
Having bought a bottle of orange blossom water, I was so keen to try it out as it’s a flavour I’ve always loved. With a ripe mango sitting in the fridge begging to be used, it made perfect sense to make a parfait using orange, mango, orange blossom water, and layering it with coconut cream or coconut milk yoghurt. And my goodness! It tasted just like a dessert and lasted about 20 seconds after the final photo had been taken. So yum.
The Coconut and Salted Caramel Soft-Serve Ice-Cream is just ridiculous. And totally healthy too, as it’s jut based on natural whole ingredients and absolutely no refined sugar. I’m also a big fan of the granola, which uses just three ingredients and can be popped into the oven while the ice-cream is being made.
Make one or all three to impress your nearest and dearest. Shamrocks are optional š
- 180ml unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp smooth unsalted almond butter
- 1/2 tsp peppermint essence OR 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 handful baby spinach
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp raw cacao nibs and extra to garnish
- 1/4 ripe avocado
- 1/2 a ripe mango
- 1 satsuma orange
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
- 125g pot coconut milk yoghurt OR a can of full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 1 tsp vanilla extract/vanilla seeds
- Liquid Stevia, to taste
- 2 bananas, peeled, chopped into chunks and frozen for at least 2 hours
- 1 tbsp coconut cream or yoghurt
- 5 raw unsalted cashew nuts
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
- 75g (1 cup) pitted dates, soaked for 20 minutes in warm water to soften
- 1 tbsp tahini paste
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of pink Himalayan rock salt
- 75g (1 cup) pitted dates, soaked for 20 minutes in warm water to soften
- 156g (1 cup) gluten-free oats
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Dash of unsweetened almond milk, to blend
- coconut oil, to grease
- Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Top with cacao nibs.
- Place the mango, satsuma and orange blossom water in the blender and blend until smooth.
- Open the coconut milk yoghurt and stir in the vanilla and Stevia, to taste.
- If using a can of full-fat coconut milk, gently remove it from the fridge without shaking it and open the can. The cream should have separated from the liquid.
- Use a spoon to scoop the thick cream into a bowl and save the water part as it works well in smoothies!
- Whip the vanilla and Stevia into the coconut cream with a fork, or use a handheld blender to mix until light and fluffy.
- In a glass or jar, layer up the coconut cream and mango-orange mixture, and top with fresh mango cubes.
- Remove the banana from the freezer and place it in the blender with the coconut cream/yoghurt, cashews, vanilla and desiccated coconut.
- Blend until a thick ice-cream texture forms. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides occasionally.
- Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.
- Mix it in with the ice-cream and serve, topped with spiced granola.
- Preheat the oven to 190C and lightly grease a baking tray with coconut oil.
- Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor, adding the almond milk slowly until a sticky dough forms.
- Transfer the mixture to the greased baking tray and break it up with your fingers into bite-size pieces.
- Bake at 190C for 20-25 minutes, until it turns golden-brown and crisp.
- Any leftovers can be kept in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days and they freeze well.