I have a confession….I love ice cream. Love, love, love ice cream. Give it to me in a bowl, in a cone or in a milkshake and I’m at my happiest. Now that I’m transitioning to a plant based diet, regrettably the only non-dairy ice cream I can find in Jamaica is soy based. Given my current condition, I’d prefer to stay away from soy products as much as possible, so no luck on the ice cream front 😦
The ice cream cravings haven’t gone away so I set out on a mission to come up with the next best thing…vegan smoothies that would fake me out into thinking that I’m drinking an ice-creamy milkshake. I’m happy to report that this weekend’s experiment was a success. I’ve come up with two winners – Blueberry Almond & Chocolate Strawberry. Both have a few things in common….frozen bananas, almond butter and almond milk. I actually used dried berries in both because I refuse to buy the super expensive imported fresh berries on the market here. Feel free to substitute with fresh or frozen berries. Right now I’m staying away from refined sugars, so I threw in dried dates for some sweetness. Its perfectly fine to sweeten by adding up to a tablespoon of maple syrup, agave or honey (bearing in mind that honey takes it out of the vegan realm).
They both turned out creamy and delicious. Can you say milkshake craving satisfied!! Can’t wait to try my hand at other flavour combinations. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Blueberry Almond Smoothie (serves 1)
Ingredients: 1/3 cup dried blueberries, 1 frozen banana, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal, 2 dates & 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Toppings – dried blueberries, cacao nibs & hemp seed hearts
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie (serves 1)
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, 1/3 cup dried strawberries, 1 frozen banana, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 2 dates & 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Toppings – dried strawberries, cacao nibs, sliced almonds
Method – Blitz ingredients with 4-5 cubes of ice in a high speed blender until well combined and smooth. Garnish with toppings and enjoy!
My Aha! Moment 