This smoothie is an early Dimpled Date recipe that I never photographed until a couple months ago (while I was figuring out website storage stuff). I actually drank it today, as a matter of fact! It is SUPER veggie-rich, fruit-rich, high-protein, and loaded with superfoods! (That teal color is all-natural, oh HEY spirulina!). This smoothie may gross some of you out because: green. And it's full of green spirulina AKA blue-green algae as well as veggies. Well I'm here to tell you: this smoothie is a sweet, creamy, creamsicle-y, blueberry-ish, gingery glass of deliciousness. You don't taste the spirulina or the veggies at all, and trust me when I say you will love the flavor and texture. Let the detoxing begin!
So, as you know, I have another creamsicle-flavored smoothie on The Dimpled Date, that being my Green Clean-sicle Smoothie. But this one is different. Add more fruits, veggies, and superfoods (and extra nutrients!), more creaminess, a gingery + blueberry + coconuty flavor, and a teal color, and you get this smoothie. But they are 100% different smoothies, so forget all of this, and just make this smoothie to taste the difference yourself!
It is extremely simple: all you need is a high-speed blender, add the ingredients, and blend till smooth. It's as simple as that. This smoothie is raw, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, fruit-sweetened, and naturally colored. And- as I can't iterate it enough- it is VERY superfood-rich.
This smoothie has not 1, not 2, but 10 superfoods in it (almost all of its 13 ingredients are superfoods!)! Plus, it has a whopping 7 to 8 servings of fresh fruits and veggies in just one smoothie!! (8 if you count the spirulina [bc it's a sea vegetable] and if you count the 2 servings of veggies in one scoop of Vega's Protein & Greens Plant Based protein powder). Btw: if you want, use the Unflavored/Plain Unsweetened flavor of Vega's Protein & Greens Plant-Based protein powder, as this has no sweeteners (unlike the Vanilla flavor, which has a little stevia).
If you're looking for more spirulina recipes (w/ green spirulina specifically), check out my Sweet Spinach Spirulina Apple Muffins (despite the off-putting name, these are delicious). For recipes of mine with blue spirulina, there are many. Browse my recipes, or check out the "Find Recipes" tab on my website and click "By Color" to search for blue recipes.
What funky colored dessert do you wanna see next on The Dimpled Date? Let us know in the comments!
Substitutions
The unsweetened plant milk in this smoothie is tricky to substitute. It forms the base of this smoothie. But you can use any kind of unsweetened plant milk, store-bought or homemade (if homemade, just please make sure it's NOT thick/extra-creamy homemade plant milk, as this will be too thick/creamy for this smoothie). Some ideas for plant milks: almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk (thin/carton-ed), Brazil nut milk, macadamia milk, pea milk, hemp milk, pumpkin seed/pepita milk, sesame milk, quinoa milk, buckwheat milk, banana milk, etc. (just make sure it's unsweetened if you can't have refined sugar on your diet). If you want you can *try* this recipe with filtered water OR coconut water instead of the plant milk, but I CANNOT guarantee this won't slightly water down the smoothie and make it less creamy.
The ripe banana can be fresh or frozen. If you must substitute this, please use 1-2 pitted dates (pref. Medjool). Alternatively, you can use 1 Tbsp 100% pure maple syrup (but I prefer not having to use maple syrup in smoothies bc it's healthier and so easy to use fresh fruits instead). If you're keto, sorry but this smoothie isn't for you bc of the fruit/carb content. Stay tuned for keto smoothie recipes in the new year (that are unsweetened but still taste great!). The fresh apple can be replaced with one fresh pear OR one cup of fresh strawberries OR one cup your fresh fruit of choice OTHER THAN the ones already used in this recipe AND that will work flavor-wise in this smoothie, sliced if need be (some ideas: sliced dragon fruit, fresh raspberries/blackberries, sliced kiwis, sliced papaya, 1 passionfruit, sliced mango, chopped pineapple, grapes, etc.). You can omit the apple, but if you do make sure you use the blueberries. The blueberries can be fresh or frozen. They can be replaced with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, OR pitted cherries. Alternatively, you may omit them (but make sure you use the apple).
The fresh orange is a great way to add that creamsicle flavor to this smoothie. But, you can replace it with 1/2 cup unsweetened orange juice (NOT from concentrate) instead (if using orange juice, only use 1 cup of the unsweetened plant milk). Otherwise, try using orange extract, starting with 1/8 tsp, then adding additional in a few drops at a time (BUT be careful because orange extract is EXTREMELY potent). Instead, you can try using fresh grapefruit, but use 1/2 of a pink grapefruit and you'll have to adjust the sweetness because grapefruit is more bitter than orange. You can use fresh spinach or fresh kale in this smoothie, OR you can really use any neutral-flavored leafy green instead, such as collard greens, lettuce, green chard, etc.
I highly recommend using the vegan/sugar-free vanilla or unsweetened protein powder (esp. one with veggies in it), but instead you can try adding 1-2 Tbsp almond butter OR cashew butter OR pumpkin seed/pepita butter OR sunflower seed butter OR mild tahini OR your mild nut/seed butter of choice in place of it for extra protein. Just keep in mind that the nut/seed butter will impart flavor on the smoothie and too much will change the creamsicle flavor. The ground turmeric can't be replaced. I haven't tried this recipe with the root form of turmeric and therefore I don't know how much to recommend as a substitute. You can omit the turmeric if you want. The fresh ginger root can be replaced with 1/4 tsp ground ginger. I do not recommend omitting the ginger.
The hempseed can be replaced with chia seeds OR flaxseed meal. The green spirulina is kinda the point of this smoothie, so you can't replace it. But if you must, then use blue spirulina instead. You may use any kind of unsweetened dairy-free yogurt, such as unsweetened coconut milk yogurt, unsweetened almond milk yogurt, unsweetened cashew milk yogurt, etc. If you must, you can omit the vegan yogurt. The vanilla extract can be replaced with a pinch of ground vanilla beans (the black powder) or a pinch of the scrapings from a whole vanilla bean.
Add any add-ins you want to this smoothie. Orange zest, ice, spinach powder, açaí powder, and ground cinnamon are just some ideas.
More Recipes, Coming Up!
Stay tuned for the latest & greatest. Valentine's/Galentine's/Late Winter recipes coming soon <3
Until then,
Enjoy!
-K.
Spirulina Superfood Smoothie (Raw, Vegan, Paleo, GF, Fruit-Sweetened, Naturally Colored, Superfood-Rich)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1 large smoothie OR 2 smaller smoothies
Ingredients:
-1 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened plant milk of choice (nut-free and soy-free as needed)
-1 ripe banana, fresh or frozen
-1 fresh apple, cored
-1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
-1 fresh orange, peeled
-1 cup fresh spinach OR fresh kale (can sub 1 cup chopped fresh romaine lettuce in a pinch)
-1 scoop // 2 to 3 Tbsp vegan/sugar-free vanilla (or better yet unsweetened) protein powder (pref. one with veggie powders in it // I use Vega's Plant-Based Proteins & Greens Protein Powder in vanilla flavor. It has 2 servings of veggies and 20 grams of protein per scoop!)
-1/4 tsp ground turmeric
-1 Tbsp fresh ginger root, peeled OR 1/4 tsp ground ginger
-1 Tbsp hempseed (can sub chia seeds OR flax meal)
-1 scoop // 1 tsp green spirulina powder
-(optional): 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk yogurt OR unsweetened dairy-free yogurt of choice
-(optional): few drops vanilla extract
For serving:
-orange juice + green spirulina powder for the rim
-fresh blueberries, for the rim of the glass
Directions:
1. If you want the fancy garnish like is shown in the pictures: pour a little freshly squeezed orange juice in a shallow dish or on a small plate and sprinkle a little green spirulina (or blue spirulina for contrast) on another small plate. Dip the outer rim of the glass(es) in the orange juice while turning the glass so it goes around the rim, then dip in the spirulina, turning the glass while pressing slightly so it sticks to the orange juice. Take 1 to 5 fresh blueberries and slit a small hole in the bottom of each. Wedge them onto the rim of the glass next to each other. Et voilà, your glasses are garnished, now it's time to make the smoothie!
2. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix, but any high-speed blender will work!).
3. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds (but could take up to a minute).
4. Pour into one tall glass or two smaller glasses (garnished if desired), serve immediately, and enjoy!
Best fresh, I don't recommend saving it for later.
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