Easy Beef or Buffalo Mexican Taco Meat (No commercial flavor packet used!)

Favorite taco meat

Here is our family's favorite taco meat. it is incredibly easy to make and it tastes so much better than taco meat made with those commercial flavor packets you can buy at the store. I actually hate the taste of those flavor packets, but my mom always made hers from scratch...Yes, I know I'm spoiled.

You can make this taco meat with either organic ground beef, ground buffalo, or beefalo. Even ground turkey works.

At times, I have also added up to 30% of a soy protein meat substitute into the mix, to extend the meat. I pre-hydrate the meat substitute first before adding it to the rest of the meat. Then I add the onion, garlic, and seasonings and saute it all together. I do prefer the 100% meat version, but my family hasn't seemed to notice the difference.

I like to make a big batch of taco meat and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for quick meals later in the week. This meat also freezes well.




Best Taco Meat Recipe:

2 pounds organic free-range ground beef or buffalo
2 onions, minced
8 cloves garlic, smashed with the salt
1 t. sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. onion salt
2 t. Ancho chili pepper powder
2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. paprika
1 t. organic beef base
40 grinds black pepper
1/4 t. psyllium husk powder
1/4 c. purified water


Method:

Brown the meat with the onions and garlic over medium-high heat in a large skillet, until the onions are translucent and the meat is cooked through. Break the meat up as it cooks.

Add all of the seasonings, psyllium, and water and simmer until thickened.

Taste for seasoning and serve while hot.

Serve as a topping for a taco salad, inside organic corn tortillas, or gluten-free flour tortillas.

Saute the meat with the rest of the ingredients.

The finished taco meat- beef in this case.

This large grater is fun for shredding the cheddar cheese.

Heat deodorized coconut oil until a piece of corn tortilla sizzles and quickly browns.

A piece of corn tortilla sizzling away...

Fry your desired amount of corn tortillas.

Fry the tortillas until they start to brown. For stiff shells, bend in the center and fry a little longer.

Place tortillas between layers of paper towel.

Putting the taco fixings on the table.

Start putting on your taco fixings: first the meat, then cheese, then lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc.

A beautiful plate of tacos!

YUM!

Enjoy,

Leila.

Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup - Easy and Delicious!

Leila's Easy Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup

I created this soup after I made a bunch of chicken stock from a couple of Costco rotisserie chickens. I wanted a Mexican-style soup that was loaded with healthy vegetables, had a hit of smoky flavor and was not creamy.

This soup turned out super! our family loves it and we have really enjoyed the leftovers. It is warming for these cool fall evenings we are having.

I really like the zucchini in this soup. I used a huge tough zucchini from our garden for this soup. I peeled it and then removed all the seeds. I then chopped it into small cubes. The older zucchini stay nicely firm in simmered soups. If you have tender zucchini, add it towards the end of cooking time, so that you don't turn it into mush.


Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe:

1/2 pound bacon
1 extra-large onion, minced
6 large cloves garlic, smashed
2 stalks celery with tops, minced
3 large mild chiles, fire roasted and then cored, seeded and minced
4 tomatillos, minced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles
1 7-ounce can La Victoria Fire Roasted diced green chiles (this brand has the best roasted flavor)
3 quarts chicken stock (home made is best)
1 bay leaf
1 t. ground cumin
2 14.8-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 29-ounce can Mexican-style hominy, drained
2 zucchini, cubed
1 T. sea salt, to taste
35 grinds fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken meat
Smokey paprika, optional, to taste


Method:

Over a gas flame, char the whole chiles, then remove stem and seeds and mince. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble, then set aside.

With the bacon fat left in the pot, saute on medium-high heat, the onion, garlic, celery, chilies, and tomatillos, until the onion becomes transparent.

Add the canned tomatoes and canned green chiles. then add the chicken stock.

Add the bay leaf, cumin, canned beans, hominy, and diced zucchini. Bring up to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and let it simmer about 30 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt and pepper, to taste. Add the crumbled bacon and shredded cooked chicken meat. let simmer a few more minutes before serving. Check the seasoning.

Garnish the soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, corn chips, as desired.


Notes:

Use gluten-free corn chips if desired.

If avoiding corn, omit the hominy and corn chips.

If dairy-free, omit the cheese and sour cream garnishes.

For a vegan option, omit bacon and saute the vegetables in deodorized coconut oil. Add smokey paprika to give a nice smoky flavor. Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock. add an extra can of beans in place of the shredded chicken.

In place of the canned petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles, use regular diced Mexican or plain diced tomatoes. Add these additional seasonings: 1/4 t. Mexican oregano, 1/4 t. dried chipotle powder, 1/4 t. additional cumin, to taste.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Speedy Thai Turkey Snacks - Low Carb, Gluten-Free

Thai Turkey Snacks

Try this quick tasty snack next time the munchies hit - You will be doing yourself a favor with this high-protein, low-carb treat.

This is a very tasty and very quick use for canned turkey or chicken. Our low-carb, sweet Fiji Hot Sauce is the perfect accompaniment to this mayonnaise based meat mixture. Topping with fresh basil leaves adds a little cheer and flavor dimension. Use Thai basil if you have it!

I like this as a quick lunch, served along side some fresh sliced fruit. I love that it's so low-carb when used to top cucumber slices. I do love the taste of sesame rice crackers though...

If you are short on ingredients, you can omit the Fiji Sauce and basil, but that kinda takes all the fun out of it. Don't get me wrong, it's still good though.

Try this for a lunch at work, or take on a picnic and serve with a salad and fruit. Serve this to your kids as an afternoon snack. When you get the munchies before bed, eat this in a romaine lettuce leaf, or on top of cucumbers, and you will have avoided the tempting high-carb snacks most people reach for. It's SO easy to make, it's hard not to try this recipe :)



Thai Turkey Snacks:

1 can turkey or chicken meat
1/4 c. mayonnaise, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
seasoned salt, to taste
cucumber slices or artisan GF sesame seed rice crackers
Fiji Sauce (Thai chili sauce) See recipe on this blog
fresh basil leaves


Method:

Drain the juice from the canned turkey or chicken and place the meat in a small bowl.

Add a dollop of your favorite mayonnaise, to taste. Mix together well.

Season the meat mixture with ground black pepper and seasoned salt to taste.

Portion the meat mixture on top of the cucumber slices or crackers.

Drizzle the tops with Fiji Sauce and place a basil leaf on top.

Serve immediately.

A good cracker to serve with the meat filling.

Doesn't that FIJI SAUCE look good?

Enjoy,

Leila

Classic Potato Salad - Flavorful and Sugar-Free

Classic Potato Salad

This classic potato salad is easy to make and very flavorful. The hot potatoes first soak up a seasoned brine so that they absorb nice flavor, and then after they have cooled down a while, the other ingredients are added.

This is one of our families favorite potato salads. It keeps very well for a few days in the refrigerator and it is a classic for summer outings and B-B-Q's.



Classic Potato Salad Recipe:

4 pounds boiling potatoes (like Yukon Golds, long whites, round Maine, red new potatoes)
1/2 c. raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup xylitol (or sugar)
1 T. BioSalt or sea salt
1 t. dry mustard powder, optional
1 c. minced white onion
2 c. diced celery
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 c. Best foods or Hellman's mayonnaise
1 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 c. diced dill pickles or sweet hot pickles, optional
Additional BioSalt or sea salt, to taste


Method:

Scrub the potatoes and place in a large pot of cold water.

Bring the potatoes up to a gentle simmer and simmer 15 to 25 minutes, just until firm-tender.

Drain and let cool slightly.

Make the vinegar brine by mixing the vinegar, sweetener, salt, and mustard powder in a small sauce pan. Gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Taste your brine and adjust to your liking. Set aside.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, if desired (the peels are usually bitter), cut into 1" pieces and place in a medium-large bowl. Add the onions to the bowl.

Pour the vinegar brine over the hot potatoes and onions, and gently toss to coat the potatoes.

Let the potato mixture cool to room temperature. Or chill for a while.

Add the celery, eggs, mayonnaise and pickles (if using) and stir gently.

Serve immediately at room temperature or chill until serving time.









Enjoy, 

Leila.

Sugar-Free Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Would you like a delicious, lighter, crunchier, grain-free, low-carb granola? Well, here it is!

Here is our unique and delicious recipe for a sweet cinnamon-frosted grain-free granola. Our recipe calls for an unusual ingredient: YAMS. That's right, soft baked yams or sweet potato. It is a great binder for our granola, making cute crunchy clusters of goodness. 

We will be posting many other unique yammy recipes under the Kitchen Cheetahs category called, "I Yam That I Yam". 

This granola stays crunchy in milk for a long time and the dried fruit stays nice and chewy too. We like that.

There are no almonds (give the poor bees a break!), no grain, and no sugar added to this recipe. It is sweetened only by the erythritol, dried fruit, and sweet potato.

This is a very versatile recipe. There are 4.5 cups of mixed nuts and seeds in this recipe (in addition to the coconut). Feel free to make your own substitutions with any kind of nuts or seeds you wish. For example, you could swap almonds for the walnuts. You may also use other dried fruits like dried diced California apricots, organic raisins, chopped dates, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc. There could be almost limitless variations...


We can think of many uses for our granola:

You could make a granola "crumb crust" very easily out of it.
You could use it as a base for killer granola bars.
You can sprinkle it on top of ice cream sundaes.
You can make yogurt parfaits with it.
You can create awesome trail mixes with it as the base, adding more dried fruit, chocolate chips...
You can sprinkle it on top of our chocolate or butterscotch protein pudding recipes.

Yes, we really like this granola. It is crunchy and chewy at the same time, and has a real nutty- cinnamon-y flavor. PLUS, it's "CINNAMON FROSTED" 

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola

Cinnamon Frosted Paleo Granola Recipe:

Dry Ingredients:
2 c. chopped walnuts (or pecans or almonds)
1 c.  coarsely ground raw sunflower seeds
1 c. dried coconut chips (wide thin ribbons)
1 c. flaked dried coconut (macaroon-style)
1 c. organic raisins (or chopped dates or chopped dried figs)
1/2 c. freshly ground flax seed meal
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/2 c. Brazil nut flour (or other nut flour)

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. powdered Lakanto
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. sea salt
1 c. warm mashed sweet potato (baked until soft)
1/3 c. coconut oil
1/3 c. hot water

Cinnamon Frosting:
1/2 c. powdered Lakanto
1 T ground cinnamon


Method:

Mix together the listed dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a food processor puree the listed wet ingredients together until smooth.

Scrape the pureed wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and combine well.

Crumble the combined mixture into small clusters onto 2 large rimmed cookie sheets.

Bake in a preheated 300 degree F. oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Lower the heat to 200 degrees F. and bake for another hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheets.

Toss thoroughly with the Cinnamon Frosting mixture and let cool completely.

Store in an air-tight container.

Enjoy with your favorite vegan milk.

Enjoy with your favorite milk.
This is almond coconut milk and I was surprised how delicious this combination is!

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce - Sugar-Free, Low-Carb, High-Fiber, Paleo

Amazing Vegan Hot Fudge Sauce

Enjoy this rich, smooth, and chocolaty hot fudge sauce over your favorite ice cream or use as a chocolate fondue. 

The secret ingredient here is soft baked sweet potato. It adds body to the sauce as well as healthy fiber. The quality of this yummy chocolate sauce surprised even us. We are having a lot of fun playing with soft baked yam/sweet potato in our test kitchens. More recipes using these lovely tubers are coming. I created a special section for our recipes containing yams and sweet potatoes called, "I Yam That I Yam". Don't tell me that's corny, I already know.

We love that this is a guilt-free hot fudge sauce. It's sugar-free, dairy-free, high-fiber, vegan, paleo, and contains healthy coconut oil.

Try it,we think you will like it!


Amazing Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe:

2/3 c. of your favorite milk (vegan, coconut, almond, cashew, lactose-free, low-carb...)
1 c. powdered white or golden Lakanto brand sweetener (or erythritol)
2/3 c. dutch cocoa powder
1/3 c. white sweet potato flesh (baked until soft)
3 T. coconut oil (deodorized)
1 pinch sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. real vanilla extract
1 to 2 T. of your favorite sweet syrup (IMO syrup, agave, maple...), optional
A few drops stevia glycerite, if you want it sweeter


Method:

Puree all of the ingredients together until smooth with a stick blender.

Heat and stir the mixture until it reaches 180 degrees F. to fully dissolve the Lakanto crystals.

Cool the mixture 5 minutes.

Taste the mixture to check for sweetness and adjust as desired.

Puree the mixture again on high speed with the stick blender until it is smooth and thickened.

Serve the sauce warm over your favorite dessert.

Store the unused fudge sauce in the refrigerator and gently reheat to serve. Any crystals from the erythritol that form will easily dissolve when the sauce is reheated.

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Zippy Slimming Cabbage Soup - A yummy clean-eating lunch or dinner

Try this robust, delicious and easy to make metabolism-boosting soup. 

This yummy soup is a great clean-eating meal that is also kind to the pocket book. Even though this is "just a cabbage soup," I feel it is of restaurant quality. It is full-bodied with a nice zippy warmth that makes things interesting. I really like it and can eat it frequently without tiring of it.

It's nice to have a large batch of this in your fridge for quick meals. You can feel good in knowing that this is a great weight loss menu item too. I'ts full of fiber and flavor.

I like to make my own chicken stock when ever we buy a rotisserie chicken from Costco, or when I roast my own chicken. Stock made from our Easy Juicy Roast Chicken recipe is the best! Of course you can use boxed chicken stock if you want to, it just isn't as rich and flavorful.

I make the stock ahead of time by putting the picked over chicken bones and skin into a big stock pot. I add all the left over chicken drippings too! I roughly chop up some onion, celery and carrot and throw that in the stock pot, and cover the whole mess with purified water. I bring it to a boil, reduce the heat, put on the lid and let it simmer on medium for at least 3 hours, or on low heat over night. Make sure you check your water level before going to bed!

Then I strain the stock, pick out any usable meat, transfer it to 1/2-gallon mason jars and store it in the fridge to use for a meal later that week.

In the winter, if it is really cold, I will set the pot outside on the cold cement over night to chill. The fat floats to the top and solidifies and you can easily skim it off. If I have room in my fridge, I'll chill it in there (Ha, that's funny, I never have that much spare room in my fridge). Anyway, I'm not too worried about having some organic chicken fat in my soup. It makes for a rich soup, and eating fat doesn't make you fat. Eating a bucket-load of white flour, white sugar donuts, fried in hydrogenated oil - now that can plump you up a bit.

I use a can of tomato sauce and a can of stewed tomatoes in this recipe. The stewed tomatoes have more ingredients and flavor than just regular canned tomatoes. I used a can of organic stewed tomatoes, Italian-Style from Costco and it has the following vegetables: Onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, basil, and oregano. If you only have plain canned tomatoes, toss in some minced celery and bell pepper into the onions as you are caramelizing them. Add a pinch of basil and oregano to the soup as it's cooking. When seasoning at the end, you will need to add up to 1 T. erythritol too.

Another substitute idea is to use 8 cups of canned spicy tomato juice instead of the tomato sauce, canned stewed tomatoes, and the 4 cups water. That tastes good too, I just prefer my recipe the way I listed it below. I like to have options, and thought you might as well.



Zippy Slimming Cabbage Soup Recipe:

1 large to jumbo sized yellow or white onion, chopped
1 T. organic butter or deodorized coconut oil
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch baking soda
4 large cloves garlic, smashed or minced fine
1/2 c. white wine
2 quarts homemade chicken stock (or boxed organic chicken broth)
1 15-ounce can organic stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 14.5-ounce can organic tomato sauce
4 c. purified water
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 large head cabbage, cored and chopped
60 grinds fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 to 1 1/2 t. Louisiana Hot Sauce (If Tabasco Sauce is used, use at least half this amount), to taste
1 T. sea salt or BioSalt


Method:

Heat the butter or coconut oil over medium heat in a large heavy stock pot.

Add the chopped onion and sprinkle with the pinch of salt and the pinch of baking soda.

Stir and cook until the onion starts to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. do not let the garlic brown (it gets bitter if too browned).

Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan.

Pour in the chicken stock, canned tomatoes, water, and lemon juice, Bring to a simmer.

Once simmering, add the chopped cabbage, cover and let simmer 20 to 30 minutes.

After simmering up to 30 minutes, check to see if the cabbage is cooked down and submerged in the cooking liquid. If the cabbage isn't fully submerged, add a little more chicken broth or water.

Let the soup simmer uncovered for at least 30 more minutes, until the cabbage is completely soft. You may also let the soup very gently simmer for a few hours, until dinner time. Add more water as needed.

Season with Louisiana Hot Sauce, salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste. Serve hot.


Tip: My mom likes to garnish of a dollop of sour cream flavored with caraway seeds.

Deglazing the pot with white wine.

The soup has simmered and is ready to serve.

Delicious!

Enjoy,

Leila.

Raspberry Cream Protein Shake Recipe using our Vanilla Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Protein BASE

Raspberry Cream Protein Shake

This is a fabulous protein smoothie recipe. It's thick and creamy with a big raspberry punch.

It's a favorite refreshing smoothie around these parts. We love - love - love that this is sugar-free and high in protein. You will feel like you are drinking a dessert but you are really doing your body a favor.

For this smoothie, we use our VANILLA Protein BASE recipe (pictured below in the mason jar). This convenient BASE only takes a couple minutes to whip together and then you are prepared in advance for several smoothies. We love that too.

Oh, did I mention that all of our Sun Warrior smoothie recipes are great for athletes, and those who want to slim down? They are also for the lactose intolerant and those of us who are watching our sugar and carb consumption. It's all good!

Mom's Favorite Raspberry Cream Protein Shake Recipe:

1 c. prepared Vanilla Warrior Blend Protein BASE (made with coconut + almond milk is best)
1 c. frozen raspberries (a generous cupful)
1 c. cold water
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. almond extract
6 ice cubes


Method:

Put 1 cup prepared Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Vanilla Protein Base into a VitaMix container (a high powered blender).

Top with the frozen raspberries, lemon juice, almond extract, and ice.

Blend on high speed until creamy. Taste for sweetness and add a little of your desired sweetener to taste (we like our stevia glycerite).

Blend well to fully incorporate the sweetener into the smoothie.


Tip: Sweeteners that can be used:

Stevia glycerite, vegetable glycerine, agave nectar, raw honey...

Vanilla Protein BASE at the ready to add to smoothies any time!

1 cup of the Vanilla Protein BASE is added to a blender.

A generous cup of frozen raspberries is added to the blender.

Add the rest of the raspberry smoothie ingredients and blend. YUM

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.

Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Creamy Vanilla Protein Shake Recipe + A Vanilla Protein Base Recipe Too!

Mug Shot of our Vanilla Warrior Blend Smoothie.

Here is another recipe for creating an even creamier, tastier Sun Warrior protein shake!

The flavor we are featuring in this post is VANILLA and we also show you how to make a super fast and easy Vanilla Protein BASE that can be used in smoothies, ice creams, puddings, etc...

We love using the Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" vegan protein powders and we have created a way to make this great protein powder even better. You can create creamy, smooth , and delicious vegan protein drinks, shakes, smoothies, and more with Sun Warrior's "Warrior Blend" protein powders and our techniques we show here at Kitchen Cheetahs.

Vegan protein powders by nature, are not the smoothest substances on the planet. They can have a bit of grit to them, not fully dissolving in beverages. Sometimes vegetable proteins also have off-flavors from the vegetable sources they are used from. We show you how to counteract this.

Are you sensitive to the taste of stevia sweetened drinks? Stevia is now commonly used as a healthy sugar substitute and also sometimes causes off-taste issues for some people. We personally love stevia and use it daily in our homes. we have learned some tricks in using it that we will pass along to you here.

So my dad was wondering what my mom was whipping up in the kitchen this time (there are always adventures to be had in my mother's kitchen). A vanilla protein drink, she said. Hmmm, he said. Do you want to taste it, she asked? He acted only minorly interested (after all, it's only vanilla, right?). He took a sip, and he thought it was nice. Well, my mom walked away for a few moments, and when she came back to her vanilla protein shake dinner, it was all gone. He drank it all. Oops. The good news is, he loved it. He told her it tasted really rich and creamy and he felt full and satisfied after drinking it. This drink will keep you nourished for quite a while. My dad drinks a lot of protein drinks and he's really picky about them. He really likes this vanilla shake. We think you will love it too.

First I will give you the formula for the easy to make VANILLA Protein BASE. Make the BASE ahead of time so that it is cold before using.

Next, I will give you a smoothie formula using this BASE.


Just so we are real clear:

Recipe # 1 is the Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Vanilla Protein BASE.

Recipe # 2 is the Sun Warrior Creamy Vanilla Protein Shake.

Are you ready?

Sun Warrior "Warrior Blend" Vanilla Protein BASE:

Put in a VitaMix or other high powered blender:

3 c. cold milk of your choice (almond, coconut, cashew...)

Start blender on med-low and add:

1 c. Sun Warrior Vanilla flavored "Warrior Blend" protein powder

add the protein powder 1/4 cup at a time.

Add:

1/4 t. lecithin

Put the blender lid on tight and switch to the highest speed and blend until the mixture heats up to the desired temperature (from 118 to 155 degrees F). *

For the smoothest texture, use the tamper that comes with the VitaMix blender and heat to 150 to 155 degrees F.

Add:

1 t. almond extract and blend in very well.

Pour and scrape the finished BASE into a 1-quart mason jar and refrigerate overnight before using in the Creamy VANILLA Protein Shake recipe below.

This BASE needs to be kept cold and used within 4 to 5 days.



Tips: 

* 118 degrees F is for "raw"smoothies - heat up to 155 degrees F for the smoothest texture.

The BASE will be cooked at a low temperature and will be steaming at 150-160 degrees F. Some people find this "cooked" pea protein easier to digest.

Use an instant read thermometer for more accurate results.

Our favorite milk combination is 2 c. almond milk and 1 c. full fat coconut milk. Any combination of vegan milks will work to equal 3 cups of total milk used.

Lecithin is a healthy addition and makes it creamier and smoother. Lecithin is especially good for emulsifying the coconut milk.

1 cup of this prepared BASE contains 1/4 cup of the Warrior Blend protein powder.



NOTE: See our Raspberry Cream Smoothie recipe using this Vanilla BASE HERE.

____________________________________________

The following protein shake recipe is like a blank canvas, ready for you to add any combination of fruits or other ingredients that you want. Have fun with this basic recipe!


Sun Warrior Creamy Vanilla Protein Shake Recipe:

Put in a VitaMix or other high powered blender:

1 c. cold almond milk (or other vegan milk of choice)
1 c. prepared Vanilla Warrior Blend BASE, well chilled
1/4 c. coconut milk powder or 1 to 2 T. of your favorite nut butter, optional for a richer shake
1/4 to 1/2 c. mashed baked white sweet potato, or banana (makes it creamy)
3/4 to 1 t. real vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 t. almond extract
1 pinch cinnamon, optional
10 ice cubes (use only 8 ice cubes if not using coconut powder)

Blend everything together on high speed until nice and creamy.

Taste for sweetness level and add:

 2 T. vegetable glycerine, optional to sweeten to taste

Blend in well and serve while cold and icy.



NOTES: 

The vegetable glycerine is super low on the glycemic scale. Glycerine also enhances athletic performance by preventing dehydration. Cool huh?

The baked mashed yam, sweet potato, or banana both thickens and sweetens the drink and also cancels out the taste of the stevia, which is part of the Sun Warrior protein powder formula.

You may use other sweeteners to sweeten to taste like: Stevia glycerite, raw honey, agave nectar, etc...

Have fun with this rich and creamy basic vanilla shake recipe. You will see us use this a lot in upcoming smoothie recipes.


Here's some photos of my mom making the Rich & Creamy Vanilla Shake:

Adding ingredients for the Vanilla Shake (including the Protein BASE above).

All of the ingredients are now in the VitaMix blender.

The ready to drink Vanilla Shake topped with a sprinkling of fresh chopped figs!

Enjoy,

Leila & Nancy.