My love for tahini is almost a year long affair. It’s wild to think I hadn’t ever tried tahini prior to that. Heck, I was not even a fan of peanut butter two years ago. YES. I’m not kidding. This girl was not a fan of nut butter.
I once heard that our taste buds change every 7 years. I’m not sure how accurate that is so don’t take my word for it but I know our tastes are cyclical. Whenever my last taste bud change last occurred it made me a fan of dark leafy greens, too. Leafy greens used to taste like dry, bitter plants to me but I’ve come a long way. Look at me now, putting both of them in my smoothie!
If you’ve seen or tried my classic Banana Tahini Shake, then you’ll be a fan of this one! It is similar in texture but uses a few different ingredients to make it thick and shake-like. Smoothies and shakes are both breakfast favorites of mine but, unlike smoothies, shakes are nice and thick!
Also, I’d describe the flavor of this shake as being refreshing. It’s lightly sweetened but it tastes fresh thanks to the peppermint extract. You could use fresh mint, or simply omit. Though, I recommend it for a flavor booster! You could even experiment by substituting your favorite food-grade extract.
Let me know what you come up with if you give this recipe a try!
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp ground flax seed
- ½ cup water or milk of choice
- A cube of frozen aloe vera juice, optional
- A large handful of fresh baby greens ~ 1 heaping cup
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower
- ½ frozen banana
- 1 ½ tbsp tahini
- 4 drops peppermint extract
- 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla protein powder ( I used chocolate)
- 1 tbsp cacao powder, for enhanced chocolate flavor
- Add the first three ingredients to the blender and let sit for 5 minutes. This will give the seeds a chance to expand and, thus, provide a thickening power to the shake. You can also prep and soak the seeds overnight, if desired.
- After the seeds have expanded, add the fresh greens and blend until smooth.
- Next, toss in the remaining ingredients and blend. If necessary, pour in an extra splash of water or milk.
- For the best experience, pour the shake into an empty tahini jar to enjoy!
It looks like you’ve got a lot of exotic ingredients in the smoothie. Would you say it tastes less sweet than the usual smoothie? Also, is it meant to be a chocolate flavored smoothie?