Vegan Homemade Shamrock Shake (Dairy-free)

One thing I appreciate about my food allergies is how they enable me to eat a lot more healthful than I might otherwise. That's not to say I never indulge in treats now and again, but I'm of the mentality now that treats can be made quite healthy and beneficial. I regularly like to hide veggies in my homemade desserts and stay away from refined sugars. Most of the time, my trusty taste tester can't tell the difference.

With all the hype around the McDonald's Shamrock Shake returning this March for St. Patrick's Day, I definitely wanted in on the creamy minty goodness. Since I'm lactose intolerant, I knew that wasn't going to happen; not conventionally anyway. I was inspired by Emily over at Cupcakes and Cashmere to embark on creating my own homemade dairy-free and vegan version of this coveted shake. With no added sugars, fresh mint leaves, almond milk and SO Delicious vanilla bean no sugar added dairy-free ice cream, this shake came out better than I anticipated and was pretty close to how I remember the original tasting. The best part? I even added a handful of baby SPINACH to increase the green hue of the shake! It can't be detected at all in the taste! This would be a great trick to get an extra serving of veggies in for the kids. I topped it with my own Coconut Whipped Cream recipe featured in Delight Gluten-Free Magazine's Winter 2012 issue which can be found here on Delight's Recipe page (I substituted 15 drops of liquid stevia instead of xylitol in this recipe).

So I might be a lot more French than Irish, but from a partially Irish girl to all of you, have a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day!

Vegan Homemade Shamrock Shake (Dairy-free)

This recipe is free of: Gluten, Soy, Dairy, Eggs, and Peanuts. Can be modified to be free of tree nuts.

• 2 cups SO Delicious No Sugar added Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
• 1 cup almond milk
• 6 to 8 fresh mint leaves
• 1 handful baby spinach (optional, but adds great nutrients and natural green color)

1. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender.
2. Blend until creamy and smooth consistency is reached.
3. Top with my Coconut Whipped Cream (dairy-free) recipe. Enjoy chilled, garnish with a sprig of fresh mint leaves.

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Healthy Raw Chocolate Truffle Pie (Vegan)

I'm nearly speechless about this recipe, but I'll do my best to describe it's deliciousness. Its nothing short of fabulous, silky, chocolatey heaven. With no dairy, sugar, gluten, soy, or eggs, this is the ultimate decadent chocolate dessert. While I used my almond pie crust recipe that I lightly baked, this pie can be made completely raw by using a ground nut and date crust if desired. This is by far my favorite, easiest pie recipe to date and it's so healthy, you can feel free to give in to the power of the chocolate--guilt free. The main ingredients are surprisingly avocado, coconut/almond milk, and coconut oil; all great sources of healthy monounsaturated fats, key vitamins and nutrients. Topped with crispy toasted coconut flakes, it's completely over the edge. Enough said.

Healthy Raw Chocolate Truffle Pie (Vegan and Paleo)

This Recipe is free of: Gluten, Grains, Sugar, Soy, Dairy, Eggs, Yeast, & Legumes.

For the Crust(s):

You can choose to make this completely raw, or semi-raw depending on your tastes. In the photos, this is my semi-raw version. Both are completely vegan and paleo.

Raw Nut Crust:

• 2 cups raw nuts of choice (I love using pecans)
• 3-4 medjool dates

Combine ingredients in a food processor and process until course. Press into a pie plate and chill in the fridge.

Almond Pie Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut butter (I use Olivio Coconut Spread, Earth Balance also makes a version of this)
• 2 tablespoons xylitol (birch "sugar")
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine ingredients and press evenly into a pie plate using your hands.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool.

For the Filling:

(Inspired by this recipe from Tropical Traditions).

• 2 medium ripe avocados (I used 1 large avocado and 1/2 of another large avocado)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk or almond milk (I used SO Delicious Original Sugar Free Coconut Milk)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
• 2/3 cup xylitol (birch "sugar")
•  Small dash of salt
• Optional: 1 drop orange oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients at room temperate in a high speed blender and process until smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides to make sure everything is well incorporated. It should be a pudding like consistency.
2. Pour/spoon pudding mixture into your pie crust of choice and smooth evenly with a spoon or spatula.
3. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours or until set.
4. When ready to enjoy, take the pie out of the fridge about 10 minutes prior to slicing and eating. Top with toasted or un-toasted (for raw) coconut flakes (optional, but I highly recommend this!)

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