Green is a color that I happen to love for food; All of those vibrant shades ranging from lime to emerald are more than welcome on my plate, and the more intense that hue, the better it tends to taste. Certain veggie-phobic people that I may or may not know (*cough* my sister *cough*) would disagree, but I think that anything can be lovely through green-tinted glasses. It’s when that color is added as an after thought, however, that things could get a bit dicey.

Every year of my compulsory education for the week surrounding St. Patrick’s day, a myriad of edibles would be dyed unnatural shades of the most unappealing puke-green, causing more concern than delight as intended. Seriously, green, moldy-looking bagels? Drab olive-tinted milk, hinting at spoilage? No thanks, I’ll wait until I get home to eat!

Thus, the appeal of the “legendary” Shamrock Shake failed to register, and it’s hard to understand what all the hubbub is about. Still, the idea of a mint smoothie struck a chord, as mint has been one of my latest obsessions. So refreshing and invigorating, mint has been sneaking into my desserts left and right, so why not a drink to shake* things up a bit?

*I swear, I only noticed the pun after typing it!

Unlike the artificial-everything monstrosity available at certain fast food franchises, my shake takes on its color naturally, thanks to a helping of matcha. Mint and matcha were meant to be together in my opinion, with the bright, clean flavor of mint accentuating and working well with the bitterness of matcha. By no means is this drink bitter, though- Maple syrup sweetens things quite nicely, although you could substitute agave if cost is a concern.

I may not be even of .001% Irish descent or know the first thing about St. Patrick’s Day, but I’m still celebrating in my own small way, putting festive green foods back on the menu, naturally.

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Yield: 2 Servings

Shamrock Shake

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Make your own shamrock shakes from scratch with a natural green hue, thanks to a hearty pinch of matcha powder. Even better than the original inspiration, clean mint flavor and light sweetness serves to accentuate and harmonize with the bitterness of matcha.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Plain Non-Dairy Milk
• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
• 2 Teaspoons Matcha
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 Teaspoon Mint Extract

Instructions

1. Place everything into your blender and let it rip. Once the mixture is homogeneous, pour half of it into ice cube trays and set that on an even surface in your freezer. Allow it to freeze completely, about 3 – 4 hours. Once frozen, return the smoothie cubes and reserved liquid to the blender, and process once more. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 120mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 0gSugar: 37gProtein: 8g