Cherry Vanilla Smoothie

Everyone has a favorite taste memory and mine is Haagen-Dazs Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream. This was also my grandfather's favorite ice cream. He had a real sweet tooth and would often pick up all kinds of delicacies from the local bakery which (aside from rainbow cookies) I would decline, much to his chagrin. But whenever there was cherry vanilla ice cream in the freezer, I always had room for dessert. It's been about fifteen years now since I lost my grandfather but, whenever I'm feeling low and in need of comfort, I still always turn to cherry vanilla ice cream.

Lately, though, I haven't been able to find it at Fairway. (Has anyone else found this? Please tell me they haven't discontinued it!) And I do know that ice cream is not the best way to sneak more fruits into our diet. So I used this flavor combination as a jumping-off point and created a smoothie instead, using real frozen cherries and vanilla frozen yogurt, as well as some cinnamon, apple juice, applesauce and maple syrup (Grade B, so you really get the maple flavor). I also discovered a forgotten bag of frozen blueberries in the freezer, so those went in as well. And I snuck in some wheat bran and peanut butter for added health benefits and to thicken the mixture. (Even the vegetarian admitted their tastes weren't discernible.) This was a sweet smoothie -- more suited to dessert than breakfast in my opinion -- but it's was really delicious. The only thing to watch out for is that mine was a bit chunky; all those tiny blueberries somehow managed to escape the blender's blades. Enjoy with (or after) Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers. Bon appetit!

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie
inspired by Smoothie Web

• 1 cup frozen cherries
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 3 tablespoons applesauce
• 1 teaspoon wheat bran
• 2 scoops vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 cup Grade B maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Links to other cinnamon delicacies:

• Heart Cinnamon Rolls from Instructables
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes from From Away
• Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from Life as a Lofthouse
• Cinnamon Roll Scones from Annie's Eats
• Cinnamon Squares from Crumbs and Cookies