Valentine's Day Smoothie (Vegan)

It’s no secret that we love smoothies over here. My Vitamix blender is a serious workhorse and gets used at least once or twice a day. I really don’t know what I did before this epic blender entered our lives. I’m always having fun coming up with new smoothie creations, especially for special holidays. Our fun Christmas smoothie was a huge hit! This delicious Valentine’s Day smoothie is made with strawberries, cherries, banana, coconut cream, non-dairy milk and a bit of dark chocolate. It was a huge hit with both the hubby as well as K, it’s healthy, and it also happens to be #vegan! When it comes to seasonal fruit, we try to freeze as much as we can during the warmer months. This smoothie is also similar to the amazing strawberry cream smoothie I made on a weekly basis last summer, but with the addition of sweet cherries and dark chocolate to make it extra special for Valentine’s Day. Mix this up to serve to your loved ones and they will love it, I promise.

Strawberry Cherry Valentine’s Day Smoothie (Vegan)

Ingredients

Smoothie

1 cup strawberries, topped (preferably frozen)
1 cup sweet cherries (I used frozen)
1 banana
1 cup non-dairy milk, such as almond or coconut
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Chocolate Sauce

1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
1/4 cup non-dairy milk

Coconut Whipped Cream

1/3 cup coconut cream (thick stuff from the top of the can)
1 tbsp non-refined sugar

Method

Scoop out about 1/3 cup of the thick coconut cream from the top of the can and place it in a bowl. You just want the super thick cream here. Place the bowl with the cream in the fridge while you make the smoothie.
Add the chocolate pieces or chips and the milk to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring often. Once most of the chocolate is melted, remove from the stove and stir to combine until everything is completely melted and mixed. Set aside for a minute.
Add the non-dairy milk, strawberries, cherries, banana, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup of the canned coconut milk to the blender.
Blend on high until everything is fully mixed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
Pour smoothie into cups, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. You can place the cups in the fridge at this point if you want.
Remove the coconut cream from the fridge. Add 1 tablespoon of non-refined sugar. Using a hand beater, beat at low speed for approximately one minute, until the cream turns fluffy and the consistency of whipped cream.
Remove smoothies from the fridge and scoop the coconut cream on top of each one. Drizzle the smoothies with the melted chocolate mix. You can add as much of the chocolate sauce as you wish. Serve right away.