I have a confession to make.

I generally steer clear of refined sugar and strong cocktails these days, but inspiration for this smoothie recipe came from both.

Lovebug and I were blessed to be in Melbourne recently celebrating his birthday,  and indulged in our first visit to The Lui Bar.  At 55 floors up (or 236 metres above sea level), with beautiful live Jazz music and stunning views, it was hard to be anything but inspired.

Beautiful, isn’t it!  At one point we thought we could see Tasmania!

 

Lui Bar

 

But then we checked Google Maps and realised it was just the bottom of Victoria.  Oops.  Blame the cocktail.

Oh yes, Cocktail Hour is pretty special up there, my friend, and the hand-crafted Macadamia Martini is served with a side of smashed Lemon Macadamia Praline.

On a silver tray, no less!

Ohhh you betcha I was wishing I’d worn my Gatsby-inspired pearls from Banana Republic.

 

Macadamia & Lemon Toffee

 

But wait – Lemon and Macadamia toffee?  It intrigued me enough to try it despite the massive sugar content and ohhhhh my goodness, HELLO creamy, sweet and tangy flavour sensation!  Each element is delicate enough not to overpower the other two and they compliment each other perfectly.

I knew I had to convert it into a healthy recipe for you, pronto.

The best part about using nuts as the base for smoothies is that you can add citrus without worry about it splitting.  Have fun with this one and experiment with different levels of lemon juice.  I started off very slowly and loved it, then added a lot more and danced around the apartment with it!

Creamy, sweet, delicate and tangy, it’s the perfect way out of a smoothie flavour rut.

xx

 

Zesty Macadamia & Maple Smoothie

Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup Macadamias pre-soaked in a bowl or jar of water in the fridge overnight or at least a few hours
  • 1 peeled frozen Banana
  • 1 cup Coconut Water or filtered water
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 2 good squeezes of fresh Lemon Juice I used half a medium-sized lemon but you can adjust this to suit your taste
  • 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 3 Medjool Dates pitted
  • 2 handfuls Ice

To Serve

  • Ground Cinnamon & Lemon zest optional

Instructions
 

  • Drain Macadamias.
  • Pop all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
  • Pour into glasses and enjoy!

 

Zesty Macadamia & Maple Smoothie

 

16 Comments on Zesty Macadamia & Maple Smoothie

  1. Somer
    June 20, 2013 at 1:13 pm (11 years ago)

    Oh girl, that looks so delicious!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 24, 2013 at 10:56 am (11 years ago)

      Taste-tingling, Somer! πŸ™‚

  2. Marian
    June 20, 2013 at 3:05 pm (11 years ago)

    What a beautiful memory to recall each time you make this smoothie:)

  3. Joey
    June 22, 2013 at 6:14 am (11 years ago)

    I’m a big fan of cocktails, but I like the idea of something that I can drink and still feel healthy!

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 24, 2013 at 10:51 am (11 years ago)

      haha, right?? The best of both worlds. πŸ™‚

  4. Gabby @ the veggie nook
    June 24, 2013 at 1:12 am (11 years ago)

    YUM. Maple is one of my favourite flavours! So naturally when you combine it with all those other ingredients, I think it sounds like pure heave πŸ™‚

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      June 24, 2013 at 10:53 am (11 years ago)

      Oh you will love it then, Gabby! πŸ™‚

  5. Sophie
    June 30, 2013 at 8:06 pm (11 years ago)

    I also made your Yummy smoothies & my husband Peter & I both adored them.

    Lucky Birthday husband! What views! X

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 3, 2013 at 8:43 am (11 years ago)

      Oh YAY! Glad to hear it, Sophie! πŸ™‚ x

  6. almond
    July 14, 2013 at 10:58 pm (11 years ago)

    A little note to say you have a beautiful website and you seem like a beautiful person yourself.

    Always nice to visit your website.
    So nice of you to share.

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      July 15, 2013 at 4:44 pm (11 years ago)

      Thank you, lovely, and welcome! πŸ™‚ x

  7. Becky
    January 20, 2014 at 10:52 pm (10 years ago)

    Lovely!! I made this smoothie this morning and it was delicious!! A few more calories than I’d usually consume because of the nuts but who needs to count when your putting such goodness into your body, plus it filled me up from 7am until 1.30pm which is blooming brilliant!!

    Oh also I added blueberries but not for any reason other than they needed using πŸ™‚ thanks for the recipe! xxx

    • * Vegan Sparkles *
      January 23, 2014 at 9:56 pm (10 years ago)

      haha, love the blueberries idea! So glad you loved it as much as we did, Becky! Gotta be happy with a delicious smoothie that keeps you rocking past lunchtime! πŸ™‚ xx

  8. EsmΓ©
    April 16, 2015 at 12:56 pm (9 years ago)

    Oh my. This was almost too good to be true:D

    • Vegan Sparkles
      April 16, 2015 at 1:31 pm (9 years ago)

      Surprisingly tasty, huh, EsmΓ©? So happy to hear you loved it as much as I do. πŸ™‚ x