First off, sorry for the delay in posting... I was on vacation!
If you didn't take the hint, this Pink Lemonade involves a secret ingredient... BEETS! I was first introduced to beet-dyed pink lemonade during my time in New York and decided to recreate it at home. Truthfully, I didn't actually write down measurements, but I think I can make fairly accurate approximations. My lemonade came out extremely tart, which is how I like it. However, my mom found it overly tart. So you might want to change up the measurements (for example, using less lemon juice) to suit your own taste buds anyways.
Here's a rough estimate of what I did:
Ingredients
fresh lemon juice
agave nectar
water
1 red beet
fresh mint
I combined about 2-3 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice with 1/2 cup of agave nectar. Then I diluted it with (give or take) 8-9 cups of water. Next, I stirred in shaved pieces of a red beet until it was the perfect pinkness! Finally, add some fresh sprigs of mint and call it a day!
Level of Difficulty: it's a smoothie!
Pots/Pans Used: just a blender
Ingredients
1 & 1/2 Frozen Bananas
1 cup Almond Milk (I used Unsweetened, but that's up to you)
2 TBL Cocoa Powder
2 TBL Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp Agave Nectar
OH MY GOOOODDDNESSSSS. This tastes like a super decadent milkshake without any of the guilt. In fact, you could have this for breakfast... like all the time.... :^O!!!!! Just blend all ingredients in a blender and then indulge in the best smoothie EVERrRrRrRrRrR!
Level of Difficulty: Flipping a switch
Pots/Pans Used: 1 blender
Ingredients
1 cup spinach
3-4 large basil leaves
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 sliced rings of pineapple (plus some juice)
1 banana
1 cup plain soymilk
I'm on a healthy food kick right now (knock on wood) and I recenlty stocked up on everything I needed to make green smoothies for breakfast. Ironically, this turned out to be a blue smoothie, but it still has enough green ingredients to make your body love you. I got the idea to add basil after having a green smoothie at a raw restaurant that consisted of spinach, basil, parsley and various fruits. It was delicious! I have to say the same applies for this little creation. Luckily, there is hardly any prep, and it's a good way to get some fruits and veggies in on a day that you haven't been very kind to your bodacious bod. Lemme know what you think...
All you've gotta do is throw it all in a blender and ta da!
Level of Difficulty: Anyone (with a blender) could do this!
Pots/Pans Used: just a blender
Ingredients
1 banana
1 cup strawberries
the juice and flesh of one grapefruit
1 cup ice
2 tsp agave nectar (optional)
I happen to love smoothies but rarely make them. Contrary to what the photo makes it look like, this is not a rose-infused smoothie (although that's an interesting idea I should work on)... the roses I had in my apartment were just too pretty to not utilize in the photo. I decided to make this really simple smoothie because I had some fruit that only have a few days left and needed to get put to good use. The great thing is that you can really mix it up and add whatever you have. You could add some spinach and make a "green" smoothie, do whatever. If anything, this is just a reminder of how simple and awesome smoothies are.
All the effort required is blending all ingredients. Ideally, I like to use frozen fruit so that I can bypass using ice. Usually the ice never breaks down enough and so you're left with little chunks. If your fruit is frozen, usually that's enough texture to thicken up the drink. Now go and get your smoothie on.
Sorry these posts have been going up slower than I would like lately, but I've been busy moving into a new apartment. No worries, that's over and done with and I have an even larger kitchen now to do my experiments in!
In other news...
POM wonderful was nice enough to send me a case of blueberry pomegranate juice in the mail to try out. Because I was already a fan of POM juice, I was really excited for it to arrive so that I could start trying it out in some recipes. I tested a few out, but these were definitely the favorites. Best part about them? You don't have to clean any pots and pans!
Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Level of Difficulty: no brainer
Pots/Pans Used: none
Ingredients
5 TBL POM blueberry pomegranate juice
3 TBL apple cider vinegar
1 TBL agave
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 TBL mustard
s & p
Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Serve over a salad with some sliced Gardein chik'n nuggets.
Pomegranate Lemonade
Level of Difficulty: see above
Pots/Pans Used: none!
Ingredients
(this is for a single serving)
1/2 cup lemonade
1/4 cup limeade
1/2 cup POM blueberry pomegranate juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
fresh strawberries and mint to garnish
I recently went to Olive Garden and they're featuring these new fancy lemonades which was the inspiration for this drink. I got a strawberry-mango lemonade and it was pretty amazing. All you do is combine ingredients lemonade through pineapple juice and serve with ice. Garnish with strawberries and fresh mint. Depending on the flavors you like best, you can mix up the measurements. You can also chop up an assortment of fruits and add them into the drink. Enjoy!... this drink compliments the Florida heat pretty perfectly.
Level of difficulty: just flip a switch and pour
Pots/Pans Used: one blender
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups fresh pineapple
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup shredded coconut (optional if you're not crazy about the texture)
2 cups ice cubes
1 TBL agave nectar
the juice of one lime
2 bananas
"ahhh summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my miiiiiiiiiind ba da da da da dum"... Sorry, I just couldn't be more happy that it's finally summer (despite the florida heat). However, it doesn't truly feel like summer until I get my fruity frozen drink on. For me, that drink has always been a pina colada. I know, I know... super girly. Regardless, I am just pretty much obsessed with coconut at this point and therefore I wanted to make a simple smoothie version of the popular drink.
If you typically like a thicker smoothie, I recommend freezing the fruit. If that's the case you can probably go light on, or even omit the ice. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. To make it fancy, you can garnish with a slice of pineapple and some toasted coconut.
Level of Difficulty: Just turn a switch!
Pots/Pans Used: Just a blender!
Ingredients
1 can pumpkin puree
6 oz (1/2 pkg) silken tofu
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup french vanilla Silk creamer
1 ripe banana (I recommend using a frozen banana)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
sprinkle nutmeg
1 cup ice cubes
My friend Shannon told me that I absolutely needed to try a pumpkin pie shake. I did a little searching around online and based on various recipes and the ingredients I had on hand, I whipped up this fall-appropriate treat. It seriously tastes like liquid pumpkin pie! Considering I haven't enjoyed a bite of pumpkin pie since I've been vegan... it felt looooong overdue
Now for the painstakingly specific directions:
Combine everything in a blender. Pour and sprinkle with some cinnamon!
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