Carrot Cake Smoothie

Y’all, this turned out surprisingly well.  Really, really good, actually.  I’m not going to lie and say “it tastes just like Carrot Cake”.  But, for a healthy smoothie, it’s pretty darn good.  I think it’s the little bit of Greek Yogurt that does it.  It just hints of a cream cheese frosting.

Seriously, try it.  I think you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

Carrot Cake Smoothie

• 2-3 medium carrots (peeled and chopped)  Is peeled the right word?
• 1 cup Almond Vanilla milk
• 1 frozen banana (chopped into 1″ slices)
• 1 Tbsp Chia seeds or powder
• 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 tsp Coconut Oil
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• Dash Cinnamon
• Handful of ice cubes

1. Throw all ingredients (but only 1/2 cup of Almond milk) into a blender.
2. Whirl
3. Add the rest of the Almond milk until you reach the consistency you want.

Pretty good, right?  A perfect cool treat after a run.

Hurricanes in a Hurricane

Hurricanes with homemade Cherry Syrup

Does this say “Hurricane” to you?

How about this?

Well, it’s 6pm and Hurricane Irene is starting to make herself known here in the NYC/NJ area.  And we expect to be hardest hit between midnight and 2pm tomorrow .  Now, just a bit of rain and slight wind.  The biggest indicator of what’s to come is the eerie quiet on the streets and the stacks of sandbags piled up at all the ground floor / garden apartments.  Iain and I are tucked away inside and I took it upon myself to cook and bake like we won’t be leaving for months!

But, the best thing I’ve made so far, this variation on Pat O’briens’ in New Orleans Hurricanes.  Appropriate, no?  The typical Hurricane calls for Passion Fruit Syrup.  But, I had a bunch of cherries on hand and thought I’d swap it with a homemade cherry syrup instead.  It’s easier than you think.  Even if a Hurricane isn’t pointed directly at you, I recommend this refreshing drink.

Hurricanes with homemade Cherry Syrup

• 1 oz orange juice
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz lime juice
• 1 oz Cherry Syrup (recipe below)
• 2 oz Rum
• Ice

1. Place all liquid in a cocktail shaker.
2. Fill shaker with ice.
3. Shake baby shake.
4. Pour into a glass and batter down the hatches!

(Iain approved – yes I made him go stand on the deck in the rain for this picture) 

Homemade Cherry Syrup

• 1 1/2 cups cherries, pitted
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 Tablespoons sugar

1. Place pitted cherries in a food processor and pulse until liquid and all skin is integrated.
2. Pour liquid cherries into a heavy pot on the stove and add water and sugar.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to “medium” and stir continuously for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let come to room temperature.  Use immediately or cover and store in fridge for up to a week.

Voila! You have just made homemade cherry syrup.  Perfect for Cherry Hurricanes or on top of pancakes.  Which I’ll make if we have power in the morning….