Crazy Sexy smoothies continued...

Here are two more Crazy Sexy Kitchen smoothies that I made earlier this week before coming down with the flu. I really like this smoothie chapter of the January VegCookbook Club selection. Kris Carr makes me want to invest in the Cadillac of high speed blenders: the Vitamix. (And a juicer, a dehydrator, some sprouting equipment, a nut milk bag, etc.) But my current situation (tiny budget, small kitchen) means that I'm using my trusty Cuisinart food processor to blend these drinks.  

A.J.'s Power Smoothie
I made this smoothie recipe twice. The first time I used blackberries and it came out an ugly brown-shade. Also I accidentally dumped a large amount of cayenne pepper into the Cuisinart bowl. (I was trying to add a sprinkle of cinnamon. Unfortunately, the cayenne pepper bottle looks remarkably similar and was missing its lid.)

The second time I mixed the correct ingredients: almond milk, berries (strawberries this time for an attractive hue), mango, raw almond butter, kale, spinach, and cinnamon. Much better! This smoothie was light and dreamy. The book says that Chad Sarno's daughter is a big fan. She clearly has mature and enlightened taste buds. I'm also developing a taste for greens in my smoothies.    

Aztec Spirit
This smoothie put me in mind of a café mocha. I got to add cayenne on purpose to this recipe. (A pinch, not half a bottle.) Also in the mix are: unsweetened almond milk, cacao powder, vanilla, agave, kale, and a shot of espresso. I went with cold coffee here but maybe you could use hot? This combo made a heady brew, rather bitter to my green tea drinker's palate. So I added some banana to mellow the sharp flavor. A tasty treat but not a smoothie I'd make a habit of drinking.

In the meantime, I've been browsing the excellent Crazy Sexy Kitchen Project, where Brooke is taking on the entire cookbook. She calls her blog "like the Julie/Julia project but without the butter and meat!" (Ugh, those bone marrow scenes.) It is fun to read about Brooke and her family's foodie adventures. She is inspiring me to try some of the more difficult, "cheffy" level 2 recipes. The smoothie chapter has been all "easy breezy" level 1.