Raw Vegan Chocolate Cherry Ripe Smoothie

Piggies! I fear I am writing yet another letter of apology for my lack of new recipes this month! (Note to self: as a food blogger you need to post recipes!) No recipes for Easter from me this year! But if you are inclined to make some Anzac biscuits for Anzac Day, I have a fantastic gluten free recipe. Suffice to say, it has been a very busy, exciting couple of weeks in the healthy blender world.

First thing on the agenda: I travelled to San Francisco to shoot some videos for Chow in their test kitchen at the CBS Interactive headquarters. Some of you might remember that I was Chow's "Member Of The Month" back in February. If you haven't seen it, check it out. The Chow team tested some of my vegetarian recipes in their test kitchen and featured my raw vegan mayonnaise, vegan roasted beetroot dip, raw vegan chocolate cinnamon mousse, and gluten free honey carrot and date muffins as part of the story. Chow's senior food editor, Jill Santopietro, and I got along so s'blendedly during our interview that the Chow team invited me to San Francisco to shoot some vegan Chow Tips. This was a food blogger's dream.

So off I went, with two Vitamix machines in hand. It was an absolute blast. I worked with Chow's phenomenal executive producer, Meredith Arthur, who is such a kind, generous, amazing lady, and kindred spirit of the theatre. We got on like a house on fire and were sisters from the start. Crewmembers Mathew and Daniel were wonderful to work with too. I was disappointed not to have met Jill, who was on maternity leave. Next time! But I did chat with Jane Goldman, founder and Editor in Chief of Chow, who entertained me with wonderful stories about "the early days of Chow." I must confess to being a Jane Goldman groupie, so meeting her was a highlight of my day. She is such an inspiring woman. Oh, and let's not forget the Chow tradition of sticking your CBS pass on the Chow kitchen wall. I was like a giddy school girl placing my name alongside some of the most famous chefs, restaurateurs and foodies in America. Thankyou to the whole team at Chow for this wonderful opportunity, and for making my day with you so enjoyable. I will let you all know when the Chow Tips are available.

Next: I attended the Go Green Expo 2011 and interviewed some of America's leading green companies with Jeff Davis from Go Green America TV. Mariel Hemingway, Ed Begley Jr, Paul Watson from Whale Wars, and many other incredible environmentally conscious people spoke at this wonderful event. I came away feeling optimistic about change. I look forward to attending the second annual  Women Of The Green Generation event next month and getting involved with many other initiatives in and around the LA area.

OK, enough with the updates and apologies, and onto the chocolate! I promised to post this raw vegan chocolate cherry ripe smoothie over two weeks ago, and it has been cruel of me to make you all wait this long. I did laugh getting some of your piggy emails, asking "When are you posting the cherry ripe smoothie?" Before I even opened them, I knew you were all proud "Cherry Ripe gobbling" Australians. For those of you not familiar with this, a Cherry Ripe is an iconic chocolate bar produced by Cadbury Australia. It has been enjoyed by chocolate-loving Aussies for over 84 years and remains a household name. With its decadent combination of juicy cherries, moist coconut and rich dark chocolate, this Aussie chocolate bar is a winner.

When my family came over to stay last month, I asked them to bring over a stash of Cherry Ripes for Mika and Olivia, who both LOVE them. Needless to say, this precious stash was devoured in less than a week (we were quite proud that it took that long) and we were left wanting. So what does any self-respecting piggy do when their favourite chocolate bar is beckoning and there is no way to get any more? Grab for your blender and make a chocolate bar in a glass. Trust me, this is one of the best Vitamix recipes and blender recipes out there!

So here it is: my chocolate cherry ripe in a glass. This vegan chocolate smoothie is pure chocolate berry decadence. Admittedly, not quite the same thing on the lips, but a lot more forgiving on the hips, without all of the refined sugar and processed ingredients that, I fear, make the original so enticing. You could thicken this raw chocolate smoothie up with an extra avocado and add more cacao powder and serve it as a s'blended raw vegan dessert. This also tastes delicious with raspberries or strawberries. 

Either way, forget the spoon. I just adopt the "Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman" approach and guzzle this good stuff down straight out of the carriage. It is good for the chocolate soul. Well…not quite. But it makes for a better ending.