As I said in my 350 Vegan Recipes review, I am crazy about the Desert Sunrise smoothie… all of the recipes I’ve tried from the book have been great, in fact.
One of my favorite things to do with recipes is (after trying them as is) to take them for spins around the block to see what else we can get into. Since raspberries are a particular obsession of mine, I knew this particular spin around the block would involve these outrageously beautiful berries.
I love Deb Roussou’s idea of using aloe vera juice and sparkling water in smoothies – then adding juice at the end. It makes for a gorgeous smoothie that’s also downright delicious.
I’ve been a smoothie fanatic for years, now, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be one for life. The tricky thing about smoothies is that they’re like another personal reason for getting out of bed in the morning – SALADS. They are only “healthy” if you, literally, make them healthy. Throw in too many bad or borderline bad ingredients and you’ve defeated your healthy purpose and shot yourself in the foot.
If you are accustomed to sweetening your smoothies to the point that they taste like milkshakes, I’d love to propose that you put down the sugar and step away. Some green smoothies or other vegetable-based smoothies DO need a little honey but fruit-based smoothies are perfectly sweet, as is. Your tastebuds will adjust to the difference and you will soon (very soon) prefer the ability to actually taste the fruit and healthy ingredients as opposed to just automatically thinking, “Sweeeeeeet.”
The smoothie recipe below is paleo, vegan (and, of course, therefore gluten-free and vegetarian).
All smoothies don’t have to have milk, alternative milks, or yogurt in them. Experiment and always try to keep your smoothies as natural and organic as possible.
This is the Grape Juice and Sparkling Water I Use
Raspberry Gradient Smoothie (based on Desert Sunrise, 350 Best Vegan Recipes.)
1-1/4 cups frozen raspberries
1/2 cup aloe vera juice
1 cup ice
2 TBS chia seeds, soaked in a little water for two minutes
1 cup sparkling water
1/2 cup grape juice
Combine the ingredients and pour into 2 glasses. Top each with 1/4 cup grape juice.
The pictures in the post were before I stirred the smoothie together – something you’ll want to do to distribute the juice throughout the drink. I just had to take a picture because it looked so darn pretty!
Experiment with juices and frozen fruit in this smoothie – make it your own and give it a name. All smoothies should have names, after all.
The recipe in 350 Best Vegan Recipes called for fresh peaches (instead of raspberries), chopped dates (instead of chia seeds), and pomegranate juice (instead of grape juice).
