May 2016

Coconut Cashew Smoothie
AKA Million Dollar Milkshake

Hi friends! I have a quick and easy recipe for you today. This is one of my favorite drinks (right behind root beer). I discovered it a few years ago. A bunch of people in my chef training class would go to a local juice shop not far from the school. On certain days, mainly baking days, we all felt like we had to balance our sugar and carb intake with greens and something simple, like a juice. For the longest time I’d just get greens with apple and it would do the trick. After the baking portion of the training we all discovered this drink that tasted like a milkshake. Definitely not something that you want on days when you have to taste 8 varieties of 8 cookies. Not complaining.

I love this smoothie as a mid-morning snack. (Is that a thing? Because I always need one.) It’s also a favorite when I’m feeling umm… dehydrated. This smoothie is high in electrolytes and healthy fats. I find myself saying, “Mmm,” after every sip. Enjoy!

A few tips:

1. I’ve only tried this with raw coconut water (I like Harmless Harvest). I’m not a huge fan of pasteurized coconut water just because I don’t like the taste as much. Ask my cousin, Laura, what she thinks it tastes like. The raw stuff is more expensive, but so much more delicious and fresh tasting.
2. When I blend nuts I like to soak them over night. If you forget to (like I do most of the time) just boil enough water to cover the cashews and set aside until they plump up.
3. This is a “make ahead of time” recipe. Because this smoothie uses coconut oil, it needs to melt in the blender by leaving the blender on for a few minutes. The blender creates friction and heats up the drink. I like to pour mine in a bottle and put it in the freezer for a bit before drinking. Be sure to shake before drinking.

PS – When I was photographing the ingredients, I dropped the entire jar of coconut water on my bedroom rug. This is my confession to my husband.

Million Dollar Smoothie
1 large smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raw coconut water
• 1/3 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, coconut butter will work too
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of spinach, loosely packed
• A large pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for a few minutes or until coconut oil is incorporated.
2. Chill until you can’t hold out any longer because this is so delicious!