This was just like that time. Because let’s face it, we’d all be drinking cake batter straight from the bowl every day if our skinny jeans would let us.

Next stop on this Love Train?  Behold… the Apple Pie Smoothie! TOOT TOOT!

Heavenly Smoothie Tips

Base Basics:

• Use organic, unsweetened coconut water instead of plain filtered water to add easy, low- GI sweetness – so you can use less actual sweetener and have less of an impact on your blood-sugar levels.
• Frozen bananas add icy-cold creaminess. Use very ripe bananas and peel and break them in half before freezing for easy single serve portions (and less work for your blender).
• Pre-soak nuts in a bowl or jar of water in the fridge overnight to aid digestion and make blending easier.

Sweetening the Deal:

• Low GI sweeteners provide a slow release of energy, efficiently fuelling you without the nasty highs and lows experienced with most commercial sugars.
• Medjool Dates have a GI of 55, taste like sweet caramel, and boast high levels of fibre, antioxidants, potassium, copper, magnesium, Vitamins A, B6, C and K, niacin, calcium and iron.
• Coconut Sugar has a GI of just 35, tastes like rich toffee, and is a rich source of Vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron.
• Although these sweet loves are much healthier than sugar, they should still be used sparingly. For super sparkly health, reach for the Green Juice every day and save the Dessert SuperSmoothies (like this one!) for special weekend treats.

Print

Apple Pie Smoothie

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Author Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 cup stewed organic apples or organic applesauce
• 2 medjool dates pitted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp lucuma optional
• Pinch sea salt
• Handful of ice

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in blender, and blend on high speed until smooth. Enjoy!

The post Apple Pie Smoothie appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Being vegan-healthy doesn’t mean missing out on all the good stuff, beautiful. Quite the opposite!

Join me on a journey from traditional old desserts laden with refined sugar, trans-fats, lactose, gluten, preservatives and cholesterol…

To sparkly Superfood Smoothies glittering with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and most importantly – scrumptious flavour!

The days of healthy food tasting bad are OVER, my friend. There’s a new Sheriff in town (and he’s delicious).

First stop on this Love Train?  Behold… the Tiramisu Smoothie!

Heavenly Smoothie Tips

Base Basics:

• Use organic, unsweetened coconut water instead of plain filtered water to add easy, low- GI sweetness.  This was you can use less actual sweetener and have less of an impact on your blood-sugar levels.
• Frozen bananas add icy-cold creaminess. Use very ripe bananas and peel and break them in half before freezing for easy single serve portions (and less work for your blender). These are also great to have on hand for one-ingredient ice-cream!
• Pre-soak nuts in a bowl or jar of water in the fridge overnight to aid digestion and make blending easier.

Sweetening the Deal:

• Low GI sweeteners provide a slow release of energy, efficiently fuelling you without the nasty highs and lows experienced with most commercial sugars.
• Medjool Dates have a GI of 55, taste like sweet caramel, and boast high levels of fibre.  They’re also loaded with antioxidants, potassium, copper, magnesium, Vitamins A, B6, C and K, niacin, calcium and iron.
• Coconut Sugar has a GI of just 35, tastes like rich toffee, and is a rich source of Vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron.
• Although these sweet loves are much healthier than sugar, they should still be used sparingly. For super sparkly health, reach for the Green Juice every day and save the Dessert SuperSmoothies (like this Tiramisu Smoothie!) for special weekend treats.

Print

Tiramisu Smoothie

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

BASE

• 1/2 cup espresso cooled
• 1/4 cup coconut water
• 2 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1/2 frozen banana peeled
• 2 tbsp almond meal
• 1 tsp organic coconut sugar
• 2-3 medjool dates pitted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maca optional
• 1 tsp mesquite optional
• Pinch sea salt

CREAM

• 3/4 cup macadamias presoaked overnight
• 1/2 cup coconut water

Instructions

• Combine all Base ingredients in blender first. Blend on high-speed. Pour into glass.
• Rinse blender and macadamias. Blend Cream ingredients until smooth and creamy, and layer on top of Base layer in your glass. Enjoy!

The post Tiramisu Smoothie appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Happy VVP Saturday, beautiful soul!

If you’ve been around these digs for a while now, you’ll remember how much fun we had at the previous Virtual Vegan Potluck parties with Raw Red Velvet Cake Ice-Cream, Beetroot & Vegan ‘Goat Cheese’ Tarts and Pickled Beet Mini Tacos:

 

Well it’s BACK, baby, bigger and better than ever!

More than 85 food bloggers worldwide have teamed up to bring you an incredible smörgåsbord of vegan dishes to delight and inspire you!  Click on the buttons below to follow the drool-worthy trail around the world.

A huge thank you to An Unrefined Vegan, Canned Time and Bunny Kitchen for hosting this amazing, global party once again.

Lately I’ve been mixing up a storm of delicious, alcohol-and-sugar-free elixir recipes for Sexy Sobriety, so I thought why not bring some to the VVP Party as well!

The first time I made this drink, my grapefruit was a lovely pink colour inside. This time around, my magical grapefruit was a light-orange colour. The result was a lot sweeter, but both versions were delicious.

My point? Any grapefruit in a storm should do it. The sweetness of fresh basil tones down the grapefruit’s bitterness and together they produce a sophisticated, flavour sensation.

Best of all? It’s super healthy, a cinch to make, and will thoroughly impress your guests.

Happy holidays!

Print

Basil Grapefruit Elixir

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves firmly packed
• Sparkling mineral/soda water
• Ice cubes

Instructions

• Using a mortar and pestle (or similar tool), muddle grapefruit juice and basil leaves until well crushed.
• Using a small strainer, strain juice into two glasses.
• Add ice, and top up each glass with sparkling mineral water.
• Enjoy!

 
And now that you’re suitably refreshed, it’s on to the rest of the VVP party!

Have fun!  

The post Basil Grapefruit Elixir appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Mix things up this St Patrick’s Day and celebrate in healthy, green style. These drinks will make you the sparkle more than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow…

 
 
1. Is it a juice or is it a smoothie? It’s the Mango, Mint & Lime Tropical Smoothie:
 

 
 
2. My personal fave – the always dreamy California Mint Choc-Chip Smoothie:
 

 
 
3. Feeling a little bit fancy? Pineapple & Mint Juice will get the party started:
 

 
 
4. In more of a Cheesecake-in-a-glass kinda’ mood?  It’s Key Lime Pie Smoothie to the rescue!:
 

 
 
5. It wouldn’t be a St Patrick’s Day celebration without a green drink in a pint glass, now, would it? The Monster Green Juice will see you dancing jigs well into the night:
 

 
 
6. Don’t want the craic to end? With the Rise & Shine Juice, you can do it all over again tomorrow:
 

 
 
Have you tried any of these recipes?  What’s your favourite green drink?
 

The post 6 Green Drinks for St Patrick’s Day appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Sweetness, forget cheap chocolates that cause sugar crashes, grumpiness and headaches!

Unleash your inner creative goddess and spoil your Valentine with a special, healthy treat made with love ♥ :

1. Raw Red Velvet Cake Ice-Cream

2.  Cherry Ripe Smoothie

3.  ABC Sparkle Juice

4.  Wild Berry Fools Smoothie

5.  PB&J Smoothie

6.  Healthy Hot Choc Fudge Sauce – also great as a Fondue!

7.  Raspberry Roll-Ups

8.  Watermelon Slushies

9.  Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie – from the free Dessert SuperSmoothies eBook.

10.  Acai Berry Bowl – from the Eating for Energy eBook.

The post 10 Healthy Sweet Treats for your Valentine appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Adding a little more coconut water than usual will give you the best of both worlds: a fibre-packed smoothie full of goodness with a juicy flare.  Plus it’ll help keep your blood sugar levels more stable.

Fresh mint and lime also come to the party with a tropical twist that’ll have you limbo-ing around the lounge room in no time.  xx

Print

Tropical Green Smoothie

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 2 cups coconut water
• 1 large mango peeled and pitted
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup firmly packed mint leaves
• 1/2 lime peeled
• 2 handfuls ice

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to blender.
• Blend on low-speed, increasing to high-speed, until smooth.
• Pour into glasses and enjoy!

The post Tropical Green Smoothie appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Not to be confused with the celery and apple Monster Green Juice or the tropical elegance of the Pineapple Mint Green Juice, this juice will soothe even the grumpiest of sleepy heads.  Tell them I said so.  xx

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'Rise & Shine' Green Juice

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed baby spinach
• 5 kiwi fruit peeled
• 1/2 lemon peeled
• 1 inch knob of ginger peeled

Instructions

• Chop all ingredients into small enough pieces to fit through the juicer chute.
• Juice that baby up!
• Pour into glasses and enjoy. xx

The post ‘Rise & Shine’ Green Juice appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Did you play favourites with chocolate bars when you were little or did you like them all?

I always considered Cherry Ripe bars (and Bounty bars, come to think of it) ‘too mature’ for my tastes when I was growing up.  Maybe it was a coconut thing?  Who knows.  Kids are weird.

These days I’m so mature I make them into smoothies!  And call them breakfast!

If you can get your hands on fresh cherries that you can pit and freeze yourself, this little gem will taste all the sweeter.  If not, packaged frozen cherries tend to be a little more sour but will work just as well.

Serve in a large sundae glass with two straws and invite your lovebug to share.  He won’t think you’re weird at all. 😉

xx

Print

Healthy 'Cherry Ripe' Smoothie

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup coconut water
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla essence
• 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 1 1/2 cups frozen pitted cherries
• 1/2 cup organic shredded coconut (unsweetened)
• 1 banana peeled and frozen
• 4 Medjool dates pitted
• Pinch sea salt
• Handful of ice

Instructions

• Place all ingredients into blender, liquids first.
• Blend on low speed, then high, until smooth and creamy.
• Pour into glasses, decorate with cherries, cacao nibs and shredded coconut, and enjoy! x

The post Healthy ‘Cherry Ripe’ Smoothie appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

You know, I was never even all that excited by Nutella before I went vegan.  Crazy, huh?

Now I’m all up in the kitchen flipping ‘Nutella’ & Banana Parisian Crêpes, swirling Raw ‘Nutella’ Cream Pies and whizzing up this latest creation – the insanely tasty and healthy Choc Hazelnut ‘Nutella’ Smoothie!

You can blend the hazelnuts up straight from the packet, but the flavour is so much richer if you roast them first.  We’re talking liquid-Nutella/Ferrero-Rocher richer.  Ohhh now that is ten minutes you will not regret, my friend.

If you can find skinned/blanched hazelnuts, you’ll save yourself the trouble (and mess!) of having to remove the skins yourself.  Just pop them straight into the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool.  If you can only find hazelnuts with skins intact, just follow the directions below and you’ll be sipping on this treat in no time.

xx

Print

Healthy Choc Hazelnut 'Nutella' Smoothie

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup coconut water
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup roasted skinned hazelnuts (see instructions below)
• 3 Tbsp raw cacao powder
• 2 Medjool dates pitted
• 1 frozen banana peeled
• Pinch sea salt
• 1 handful Ice

To decorate

• Raw cacao nibs
• Extra hazelnuts

Instructions

Roasted Hazelnuts

• Preferably the night before, roast hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking tray at 180C/350F for about 10 minutes until toasted and aromatic and the skins turn a couple of shades darker.
• Remove from oven and while the hazelnuts are still warm, rub between a towel or paper towel or your fingers to remove the skins. Aim to remove at least 70% of the skins (which can be quite bitter). If there are some stubborn ones, you can pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes and try again.
• Let the hazelnuts cool completely – preferably overnight – or they will not blend as finely as they should (and will be harder work for your blender).

Smoothie

• Place all ingredients into blender, liquids first.
• Blend on low speed, then high, until smooth and creamy.
• Pour into glasses, decorate, and enjoy! x

The post Choc Hazelnut ‘Nutella’ Smoothie appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.

Honey girl, forget sugary soda that only wants to take up residence on your thighs and ruin your beautiful smile.

This sweet juice is as easy to remember as A.B.C., takes just ten minutes to whip up, and will make your skin glow and your eyes sparkle.

The sweet, sherbert taste rocks and this baby packs a powerful nutrient punch:

Apple – antioxidants, Vitamins C & K, potassium
Beetroot – antioxidants, Vitamins B6 & C, folate, manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron
Carrot – antioxidants, Vitamins A, K, B6, C & E, folate, manganese, thiamine, niacin, potassium
 
Soda who??

Print

ABC Sparkle Juice

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles

Ingredients

• 1 apple washed and stem removed
• 1 large beetroot peeled
• 6 carrots washed and ends removed

Instructions

• Chop all ingredients into small enough pieces to fit through your juicer chute.
• Juice that baby up!
• Pour into glasses/bottles and enjoy! xx

The post ABC Sparkle Juice appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.