Dark Chocolate Nectarine Shake

Looks quite similar to a Chocolate Banana smoothie - ha!

Dark Chocolate Nectarine Shake Recipe
Makes 2 servings. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups soy milk
• 2 frozen nectarines
• 1/2 Tbs Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder

Instructions:

1. Toss all ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend well.

To prepare the nectarines for this recipe, you'll need to freeze them at least the night before. Be sure to remove the pit and quarter the nectarines before bagging them. If you want, you can leave the skin on, just be sure that when you blend, you let it process extra well. Enjoy! 

Special Dark Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Chocolate-y shake and the master ingredient

Special Dark Chocolate Banana Smoothie Recipe
Makes 2 servings. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup soy milk
• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 Tbs Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder

Instructions:

1. Toss all ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend well.

An easy recipe for a quick snack between breakfast and lunch when your energy is starting to lag! Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder really makes this a rich treat, but be careful as it really changes the taste in baking recipes.

Pumpkin Pecan Smoothie

Comforting and wholesome

Pumpkin Pecan Smoothie Recipe
Makes 1 serving. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 2-3 Tbs canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup pecan halves
• Maple syrup or agave to taste
• Dash of pumpkin pie spice
• Dash of cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Toss all ingredients in the blender except maple syrup.
2. Blend well. Add maple syrup to taste and blend again.

Don't have time to make a Pumpkin Pecan pie, but still want to savor the taste of pumpkin + pecan goodness? Whip up a glass of this Pumpkin Pecan smoothie and you can have it now! I like to use soy milk for this recipe, because I have found that sometimes almond or hemp mylk can conflict with the nutty flavor from the pecans - but feel free to experiment!

Smoothie-Making 101: The Liquid

Liquid ideas
A great smoothie can be sabotaged by using the wrong liquid base. Choose from these proven winners. Look out for another post that will help you match them with fruits and veg. 

• Soy milk. I recommend Silk soy milk for it's smoothness. 
• Almond milk. I recommend Almond Breeze almond milk for it's tastiness.
• Coconut milk. Can or carton is fine. Beware: high fat content.
• Cashew milk. The recipe can be found here. 
• Sunflower seed milk. A strong taste and can be bitter. 
• Hemp milk. Easy to make at home, expensive to buy at the store.
• Apple juice. Sweet and thin, to reduce the apple-y taste, just dilute with water or OJ.
• Orange juice. Tangy and slightly sour, pick one with very little added sugar.
• Coffee. A bitter, strong-scented liquid.
• Cranberry juice. A slightly, bitter berry juice.
• Guava juice. A very sweet juice.
• Hot chocolate. Cool it down first, of course. 
• Coconut water. Great refresher liquid.

Super Strawberry Smoothie Recipe

Remember art class, where red and green paints make brown? 

Super Strawberry Smoothie Recipe
Makes 1 serving. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hemp milk
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves
• Maple syrup or agave to taste
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Toss all ingredients in the blender except maple syrup.
2. Blend well. Add maple syrup to taste and blend again.

I made this health-boosting drink for a friend who was having a sick day. Later that day, he was feeling better, nearly back to 100% - whoo!

Hemp Milk Recipe

Frothy, fresh hemp mylk

Hemp Milk Recipe
Makes 3 cups. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup hemp seeds
• 3 cups filtered water
• Maple syrup or agave to taste
• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Toss all ingredients in the blender except maple syrup.
2. Blend well. Add maple syrup to taste and blend again.
3. (Optional) Run liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove pulp.

Hemp milk (or mylk) works perfect as a liquid in smoothies but is smooth enough to drink by itself hot or cold. Warm it up with a pinch of cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg on a cool fall day. 

Hazelnut Pumpkin Smoothie

Goes great with warm hazelnut scones!

Hazelnut Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe
Makes 2 servings. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1 cup hazelnut-flavored coffee
• 1/2 cup cooked pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup soy milk
• 2 Tbs maple syrup
• Dash of pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:

1. Toss all ingredients in the blender.
2. Blend, serve and enjoy.

Celebrate the cool weather with this autumn-inspired smoothie. Hazelnut and pumpkin go great together. Take your smoothie to the next level by using fresh, cooked pumpkin instead of canned.