mixture

1 cup cold dairy-free coconut milk
2 tablespoons cold plain yogurt (lowfat or nonfat)
2 teaspoons honey, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened wide-flake coconut
1 tablespoon raw cashews
1 tablespoon whey protein powder (optional)
2 teaspoons golden flaxseed meal
1/4 cup dairy-free coconut milk, frozen and crushed/broken into very small shards (must be well-crushed)
3 ice cubes, well-crushed

procedure

Place the cold coconut milk, yogurt, honey, vanilla extract, coconut, cashews, whey protein powder (if using), and flaxseed meal in the container of a blender jar. Cover and blend on low speed for 30 seconds. Uncover, add the shards of frozen coconut milk and crushed ice, cover, blend on low speed for 10 seconds, then increase the speed to high and continue blending for 45 seconds longer (or until well-combined). Pour the smoothie into a serving glass and enjoy immediately.

creates

one serving, about 1 1/4 cups

notes

◊ you can use any type of honey that’s on hand, though my preference is for wildflower
◊ natural, unsweetened wide-flake coconut is available in 12-ounce bags from Bob’s Red Mill
◊ though others likely will create a beautiful beverage, this is the dairy-free coconut milk used to create this recipe
◊ the frozen coconut milk must be in very small shards to process in a standard home blender; for specifics about using frozen ingredients and blending frozen items, follow instructions in the manual supplied by the manufacturer of each blender, and do not attempt to blend any collection of ingredients not intended for use in a particular blender
◊ the ice must be well-crushed; for specifics about using frozen ingredients and blending frozen items, follow instructions in the manual supplied by the manufacturer of each blender, and do not attempt to blend any collection of ingredients not intended for use in a particular blender
◊ place and blend ingredients as specified in the procedure