Blueberry-Lemon "Cheese" Cake Smoothie

Earlier this week, my mom surprised me with Tess Masters's book, The Blender Girl.

Going well beyond just smoothies, The Blender Girl amazes me with just all the things my blender can do when it comes to recipes.
I am especially impressed with Masters's ability to make her own milk...daily. Now, I don't think I will ever get there, but she has definitely motivated me to try and make my own almond or hemp milk soon...so keep posted for that!

One of her first recipes in the book, though, is for a "decadent dessert" smoothie, Raspberry-Lemon Cheesecake that I just had to try. Since doing my cleanse I have found a whole new respect for cashews and lemons...but for very different reasons.

In many vegan recipes, cashews are what make anything creamy or cheesy. Soaking the cashews for at least two hours and up to overnight can make blending them extremely easy and they add a nutty creaminess to anything you put them in. (During the cleanse I was even able to make a creamy "Alfredo" sauce using mostly cashews.)


The power of lemon is equally astounding, but more so for our bodies. Our livers love it and it is a must on a detox...plus it just tastes so fresh! (Here are more reasons to eat and cook with lemons!)

So when I saw her Raspberry-Lemon Cheesecake shake, I just had to try it. Yet, I tweaked a few things, because I didn't actually have raspberries and I didn't want to feel so terrible having this smoothie for lunch.  PLUS, I wanted my daughter to try it, and while it doesn't look all that appetizing (the blueberries and spinach turn it a chocolate brown color), she and I both loved it. I did go heavy on the lemon and may pull back on some of the maple syrup next time...but hope you enjoy.

We had already started enjoying the smoothie when I realized I wanted a pic!

Serves 2

1c water
3/4c blueberries
1c baby spinach
3/4c cashews (soaked for at least two hours)
1/2 ripe banana
3 tbsp (or juice of about half a med. lemon) lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tbsp maple syrup
Pinch of salt
5 ice cubes

Put it all in the blender until well-combined. Enjoy!