An Orange-Mango Creamsicle Smoothie To Sip Poolside

This recipe was born from envy and disappointment.

That sounds awful, but let me elaborate.

Too often I find myself sitting on a sunny restaurant deck, basking in the sun, sunglasses and flipflops on, only to have my summer mojo brought to a screeching halt.

It comes time to order some fun, fruity drinks with umbrellas, and I'm usually left out. The only fun, summa-time drinks on the menu are loaded with artificial ingredients, milk, cream or other things I generally decline, politely, of course.

After one too many boring lemonades, I decided it was time to take my summer sipping into my own hands and make my own festive and delicious beverage, one deserving of a colorful, swirly straw! So on a hot day, when looking for a healthy, vegan, and thirst-quenching drink, you can slurp on this Orange-Mango Creamsicle Smoothie.

Bursting with bright citrus and refreshing mango and thickened with decadent cashews, it's sure to please and bring smiles to suntanned faces everywhere.

Serves 1 large or 2 small

Preparation

1. Soak the cashews and pitted dates in a bowl of warm water for about 20 minutes. Then drain, discard water, and add the cashews and dates to a blender.

2. Add all remaining ingredients, and blend on high until a smooth consistency is reached.