This is the stuff that smoothie dreams are made of; ultimate nutrition that tastes like dessert. If you enjoyed my “Raw Blueberry Cheesecake” recipe (April archives) or look for it under “Desserts”- you will absolutely love this drink. It’s not overly dense, just the right amount of sweetness & tastes like well, raw cheesecake. I had completely forgotten about posting this recipe, so thank you to those 2 good souls who e-mailed asking me about it. I think my mind was deep into “fall mode” & all things pumpkin & apple.

Let me just talk a little about cashews, as they’re one of my favorite things. Growing up in Central America, street vendors carrying small translucent bags of fire-roasted cashews were very popular at almost every pit stop. I would beg my father to buy me some, but I was not allowed to try “street food”. When I was a little older, I finally sneaked in a bag & I thought these cashews (which were likely roasted in some sort of open fire) where probably the next best thing after chocolate. And coming from a self-professed chocoholic, that’s a huge compliment. Like, huge.

It just recently occurred to me to start throwing handful of raw cashews into my smoothies. They’re loaded with healthy fats, calcium & will make your smoothie creamy & filling. Mixed in with the blueberries, the cashews give your smoothie that raw cheesecake taste. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you could do one of two things: soak your raw cashews in water overnight & they’ll blend in beautifully. Alternatively, you could add 1 tablespoon of cashew butter. I love that coconut yogurt is high in fiber, blueberries are loaded with antioxidants, the banana adds more healthy fats & potassium & the nut milk throws more calcium into the equation.

Makes 1 Large Smoothie, You Will Need:

• 1 cup of nut milk of your choice, I used coconut milk *carrageenan free
• 1/3 cup vanilla coconut yogurt (coconut & cashew yogurt would also work)
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 ripe frozen banana (peel before freezing)
• 1 handful of raw cashews (for easier blending, soak the cashews overnight)

Blend on “High” until desired consistency is achieved. I usually blend for 25-30 seconds. If your banana is not frozen, you don’t need as much blending time.

*Carrageenan has been flagged as a potential carcinogen, I try to avoid it whenever possible.