'Green Smoothie' peppermint cheesecake

I wasn't planning to post a recipe today (well actually I was since yesterdays post was supposed to be today but my fingers got clumsy and hit 'publish' and not 'schedule'...oops!)

But that's ok cos I accidentally came up with a little gem of a recipe that relates to yesterday's recipe and is oh so green I had to share it in the final run up to St Patricks Day!

P.S...I apologies now for the overuse of the word 'exciting' and the number of !!!! and ... you'll see in this post.

This receipt is indulgent whist being ridiculously healthy... I mean totally ridiculously healthy- so much healthier than you'd imagine when tasting a bite! Even my mum was wide eyed at how good it was and she won't go near my green smoothies! :-)

Just quickly scroll down now and take a look at the ingredients list!

I have been playing around with coconut flour and yoghurt combos a lot these last few days....such a revelation of simplicity and so versatile. I was almost dancing around the kitchen when I took this cheesecake out of the freezer, allowed it to thaw out and dove in...the texture is amazing- so soft and creamy!!

I am so excited to have created a vegan cheesecake that doesn't rely on tofu or cashews! Whoop whoop!

I have a few more experiments along these lines to bring your way soon, all equally exciting (in my opinion) but this will have to keep you going for now. Just promise me this....next time you make a green smoothie, reserve a little bit to make this!! I made a mini cheesecake as I wasn't sure if it was going to be a success or disaster, but you could easily make 3 or 4 times the amount and make a regular sized cheesecake. It really is good enough for dessert I promise (although it might freak out your dinner guests!) You can also cheat and use extra sweetener if you need to.

Right...gotta go, so much to do and so little time. All the taste testing I've been talking about that has largely sabotaged my '6 pack challenge' these last few weeks is soon to be coming to an exciting conclusion! Phew- there really is only so many dried fruits and nuts a girl can consume, so it's a good thing I had this little beauty and a big glass of the Super Green smoothie to hand for my post-work out lunch today!

Recipe: 'Green Smoothie' peppermint cheesecake

Serves 2 (or one hungry person!)

Ingredients:

3 tbs leftover green smoothie (I used this recipe)
1 tbs fine coconut flour
3 tbs vegan yoghurt (I used soy) Note: for non vegans this does also work with regular plain yoghurt
1 tbs white chia seeds (plus more for topping if desired)
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
4 drops pure stevia (or to taste)

Cheesecake base: I used some leftover 'smoosh bar' style mix from one of my testing samples. Basically its a mixture of dates, almonds and raw cacao nibs. You can use any raw crust mixture.

Method:

Mix everything together very well to form a smooth thick paste with no lumps of flour.

Press the cheese cake base into the bottom of a large silicone muffin case or a mini pie dish with removal base/sides (approx 8cm wide). Note: it may be hard to remove the cheesecake otherwise.

Spoon the cheesecake mix on top of the crust and firmly smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon. add chia seeds (or other decoration) is desired- or you can add these at the time of serving.

Freeze the cheese cake for a minimum of one hour. To serve remove from the case whilst still solid (it should peel away easily). Allow to defrost on a serving plate at room temperature for at least 30 mins.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Green smoothie...I found a recipe I like!

Good day to you all!

I'm a little overexcited as some of you may have seem a few 'oh my gosh' type of announcements over on my Facebook page in recent days....all due to the fact that I have actually finally concocted a Green Smoothie I actually quite enjoyed!

I did this 30 day experiment some time ago and whilst a few flavour combos kinda hit the spot- mainly the mango infused versions, I always felt it was a compromise with the proportion of fruit being too high. I'm not generally a smoothie girl as I prefer to eat my fruits whole in stead of drink them, but I was intrigued by the green smoothie 'revolution' that seemed to have taken the world by storm...I felt like I was missing out big time!

So, a week or so ago I tried a change of tactic. Instead of using fruits to try and 'hide' the greens I thought I would 'celebrate' the greens by addding just a little fruit simply to complement them. You know what...it worked! For me anyway, I totally appreciate that for many people the whole hiding the greens thing does work- my taste buds were simply not fooled, plus it was very easy to end up with a 'grey sludge' when using greens and red berries. Not the prettiest look.

I will warn you now, this smoothie is very refreshing and 'green' tasting, no bananary berryness to try and cover things up. The subtle hints of ginger and lemon work perfectly to give a refreshing tart kick whilst the apple gives a little touch of sweetness and the avocado offers the smooth undertones. You can omit the avocado if you prefer, I've had it like that to, it's just not so smooth. I use frozen pureed apple to thicken and chill the smoothie without the need for ice cubes- speeds things up that little bit more too!

So here is my Super Green Smoothie. The greenest of the green...just check out these ingredients!

It's perfectly timed for St Paddy's Day too. I'll toast with a big glass on Sunday and I hope you do too, whatever your favourite greens combo is.  Let me know your favourite flavours in the comments- you never know there may well be another amazing smoothie combo I just haven't tried yet.

Recipe: 'Super Green' Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup water (or more to reach desired thickness)

1 cup packed spinach (or other greens)

1/3 cup cucumber

½ cm fresh ginger

2 tsp lime juice (or lemon)

1/3 cup frozen pureed apple or pear

Approx. 1/4 cup sized chunk of avocado

Optional extras:

1/2 tsp greens powder

A couple of fresh mint leaves

A few drops of stevia or sweetener of choice

Chia seeds to garnish

Method

Blend everything together until as smooth as possible. I find it easiest to add half the water first, blend well and then add the remainder and re-blend to get the smoothest consistency.

Note: I partially defrosted the apple/pear puree ‘blocks’ before adding to the processor. Serve immediately.

P.S just a few more green recipes from the archives to continue St. Paddy's Day style.

Mint choc brownie

Pea and bean dip

Peppermint chocolate slice

Pea, courgette and mint soup

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

Green Smoothie Challenge- revealed!

You may recall that last month I took it upon myself to undertake a 30-day Green Smoothie Challenge. It was inspired by thispost which presented the concept of trying something new for 30 days. In the spirit of discovery and self-development I went for it!

So now the 30 days are up…what have I learnt?

Did I come to love the Green Smoothie?

Well I have certainly found my preferences and have also come up with a few ideas in terms of preparation….more investigations yet to come on that.  I didn’t try a new flavour every day since I usuall made up a large pitcher and then froze two portion for following days, so roughly a new flavour combo every three days.

I quickly discover my favourite fruit mixer….mango! The intense sweetness and the high pectin content make for a super smooth smoothie capable of disguising a lot of greens! Also the yellow colour makes for a refreshingly coloured smoothie whereas red berries create more of a green sludge…not so easy on the eyes! I found that with mango I could use lots of different types of leafy greens without really noticing the difference.

This guide is also a really great reasource in making your own.

Here are a selection of my smoothie combinations (they make anywhere between 1 and 3 glasses worth):

1)      2 cup spinach, 1 small banana, 2 cup frozen mango, 1 cup water

2)      2 baby gem lettuce, 1 cup water, 1 medium banana, 1 cup tinned peaches

3)      2 baby gem lettuce, handful spinach, 1 banana, 1 cup frozen raspberries, 1 tbs cacao powder, 1 cup water

4)      carrot cake smoothie

5)      2 cups lambs lettuce, ½ cup cucumber, 1 apple, 1 banana, pinch cinnamon, 1tsp maca powder, 1 cup

6)      1 large cup frozen strawberries, 2 cups spinach, ½ tsp fresh ginger, 1 large cup water (tasted odd)

7)      1 cup fresh mango, 1 ½ cup mixed greens, 1 cup water

8)      1 cup mango, 1 cup apple, 1 cup lambs lettuce, 3 romain lettuce leaves, half an avocado, 1tbs maca powder, 2 cup water, ½ cup apple juice

9)      1 cup spinach, 3 leaves romain lettuce, 1 stick celery, 1 apple, 1 banana, ¾ cup water

10)   1 cup spinach, 5 basil leaves, ½ cup blueberrys, 1 tbs cashew butter, 1 tsp maca powder, 1 tsp carob powder, 1 cup water, 6 dates (tasted horrible)

11)   1 cup mango, 1 large cup spinach, ¼ cup cucumber, ¼ cup orange juice, 1 cup water, 4 large fresh mint leaves (best flavour)

12)   1.5 cups spinach, 1tsp coconut oil, 1tsp maca powder, 2 tsp cacoa powder, 1 tsp super greens powder, ½ cup blueberries, ¼ cup strawberries (based on this shake)

13)   1 orange peeled, ½ mango, 1 scoop hemp protein powder, 1 tbs ground flax or chia, 2 cups mixed greens, ½-1 cup water (hemp powder was gritty- see note below)

Key things I discovered:

Using red berries turns the smoothie a sludgey dark colour, using banana/apple/mango keeps it a lighter green  colour. If using berries (Particularly blue berries) add cacao/carob so that it looks chocolatey and not sludgy.

Celery and cucumber  and mint leaves were refreshing additions.

Fresh mango is my favourite fruit mixer, fresh is much better than frozen as it has a sweeter stringer taste.

Apple makes the smoothie a bit frothy, not my preference as it isless smooth than banana/mango on its own.

Fruits with a high soluble fibre content work best at creating a smooth consistency. Use mango, peach kiwi or banana.

Really cold smoothies make the taste of the greens much less noticeable

I had a play with combining proteins, fats and superfood powders in my shakes. The protein just didn’t work for me as I found it gritty. I have since had an idea of a simply recipe that would provide for the fats and proteins separately so the smoothie can be drunk in its pure and simple state. More on that to come!

So the ‘Citrus Mango Cooler’ has become my ultimate smoothie combination:

1 cup mango, 1 large cup spinach, ¼ cup cucumber, ¼ cup orange juice, 1 cup water, 4 large fresh mint leaves (mint is optional but extra refreshing)

This is also great frozen and then served as a granita…more on that to come too!

So am I going to keep it up? Well I have a few more experiments up my sleeve…. I wouldn’t necessarily continue with a daily smoothie in its current form, partly due to cost since that amount or organic fruits and veg consumed each day soon adds up! I will keep you posted. 

In the mean time if you are not already a Green Smoothie convert…give it a try and find out you own favourite combinations. What have you got to loose?

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.