Since I’ve started making homemade coconut milk for coconut milk kefir, I’ve also been experimenting with using it in some other recipes.  This is one I concocted around Christmas time but is a recipe that I know I’ll be making year round. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day with a natural green color. You can use regular cow’s milk or almond milk in place of the coconut milk, but I prefer coconut milk.  The cashews really provide a creamy texture to the shake that is just so satisfying.

Again, similar to my strawberries and cream smoothie recipe, I sweeten this recipe with dates as well.  I have always used bananas in the past but I feel like dates make a smoothie extra sweet and sometimes that’s what you want.  I also added just a touch of spinach to bring a natural minty green color to the smoothie but you don’t taste it at all.  You could use peppermint extract but I used peppermint essential oil to flavor this smoothie and be very careful you only need 1 or 2 drops to flavor it.  Check out another yummy mint chocolate kale smoothie recipe that also uses peppermint essential oil.  Add all of your ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth.  I use a Vitamix, I saved for a while for one but it was worth every penny!