This Strawberry Rose Smoothie is the most delicious smoothie I’ve ever made.
It’s the smoothie of my dreams.
(It could well be the smoothie of your dreams, too, if you’re willing to give it a try.)
Truth be told, this creation is actually the smoothie of my insomnia-before-the-dreams, as it came to me in a vision at 3am. (Right before I saw Gizmo’s shadow creep across my wall and, panic-stricken, completely stopped breathing. However, I soon remembered that Gizmo himself isn’t dangerous, and so I calmed down.)
In the shimmeringly hot summer day following that insomniac night, I couldn’t stop thinking about a frosty smoothie made with sweet strawberries, a hint of rosewater, creamy almond milk, and something, something, something to give it a jazzy edge.
I needed the jazzy, you see, because post-Melbourne life has been lacking in pizzazz.
There was the usual anticlimax of coming home after an exhilarating holiday, but that wasn’t all. There was also the strange mélange of sadness and guilt that comes with being the one who ends something. There was the uncertainty of a work situation in flux, the hopelessness of being unable to fix things for people you care about, and dropping a canister of sprinkles all over the kitchen floor. Sticky-crunchy-sadface.
But soon enough and sure enough, little things appeared to make life dazzle again. There was uncontrollable giggling over Facebook-banter with someone who’s popped back into my life. Texts and tweets from people who knew what was going on and wanted to send smiles and support. Promises to drink Butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Chocolate. An email full of ridiculously cute animals and a link to this website (Thanks Jess; every time I read “Missing Missy”, I feel proud to be Australian*). Having enough sprinkles left to create a smiley face on my peanut butter toast.
And, of course, there was this smoothie. This perfectly sweet, zingy, creamy, frosty, fruity, perfect perfect Strawberry Rose smoothie, with its ruby strawberries, hint of rosewater, nutty almond milk, and dried tart cherries to gave it a jazzy edge.
My Strawberry Rose Smoothie was everything I wanted and imagined it to be. The small scoop of dried sour cherries nicely balanced the sweetness of the strawberries, and the rosewater and vanilla were subtle enough to create a taste that was not so much floral as queen-like and ethereal.
Yes, I just described the flavour of this smoothie as “queen-like and ethereal”. No, I don’t know what I mean either. All I do know is that, right at this minute, I’m walking on sunshine. And that’s all that matters.
Strawberry Rose Smoothie
Vegan, Dairy-Free, Optionally Raw
Serves 1
- 3/4 – 1 cup almond milk (homemade for raw version)
- 1/2 tsp rosewater, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) frozen strawberries
- 2 tb (13g) dried tart cherries
- sweetener to taste, optional
- Throw everything in your blender and blend to the most glorious, pretty, refreshing, deliriously wonderful smoothie of happiness. If possible, enjoy whilst fluttering over exciting dreams.
Question Time: Have you ever dreamed up a recipe in the middle of the night? And what excites you about this coming year?
* Speaking of, Happy Australia Day! Vegemite Tim Tams Bonza Mate Beneath Our Radiant Southern Cross Damper Lorikeets Cockatoos Platypus Wattle Esky Hills Hoist How’s The Serenity to you all!
I’m submitting this to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend, and Lisa’s Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love, first time in weeks and weeks. Hurrah!
{ 64 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds amazing…. just what I need in sweltering, sticky, rainy/crazy sunny/rainy again Queensland, love the addition of cherries for ziiiing! Also need a Vita Mix, sigh.
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY.
I love wombats best
Wombats are pretty wonderful, I must say. I love Red Pandas, but I don’t think they’re Australian
You know what would’ve made it jazzier? Tequila.
ALSO – i haven’t been able to find that almond milk!! i’ve tried eeeeveryyyy supermarket in the last few days, and no where seems to stock it! where’d you find it?!
IGNORE THIS. like an hour after i posted this i found it. it was just sold out :p
I’m going to tell you anyway. Woolworths Mawson. I don’t think I’ll buy it again, as it lacks the two things I rely my soy milk for: calcium and protein. Also, it was rather expensive. I think I need to stop being lazy and just try making my own almond milk already!
This sounds fantastic, I love rose and berries together, such a fantastic combination. It makes me a tad jealous as I drink my boring banana smoothie this morning.
If you’d written this several days ago, I would’ve been jealous of you! It’s been ages since I’ve had frozen bananas on hand for smoothies, but I finally do, so hurrah! Not boring at all. Hmm, I wonder if rosewater and banana would work?!
It does sound so dreamy. Even the name has a romantic aura to it. Good to hear it’s giving you an awesome mood lift!
Aw, thanks Leaf! It did help with keeping the happy going
I love rose flavored desserts. Strawberry and rose sounds perfectly complimentary and somehow I absolutely know what you mean when you call the flavor queen-like.
I love that you understand me! *heel clikc AND high five*
Given we’re about 2 days into a predicted 7-days-record-heat-wave-that-may-kill-us-all, this looks pretty perfect right now
And you found / bought the Sanitarium Almond Milk! Is it any good?
Also: I’m so sorry about your last few weeks
Really so very sorry, and I hope pizzazz and jazz and sprinkles come back into your days in large quantities very soon.
And Happy Australia Day to you too!
Oh my gosh, I saw Perth’s weather on the TV today and thought of you with a great deal of woeful sympathy! I did find and buy it! It was nice in oatmeal and the smoothie as it has a light sweetness, but I don’t think I’ll buy it again. Too expensive and lacking in calcium and protein, alas!
You always help bring back the pizzazz and jazz and sprinkles, my dear
xo
Hope your Australia Day was as nice as yours. Lamb for mains, Raspberry Whip to follow. Very anglo but very nice. We did have hummus to start with though.
You know how I feel about any meal involved Raspberry Whip
Happy Australia Day Maaaaaaayyyyyyyttttteeeee!
What a lovely lovely smoothies – I can taste the etherealness from here. Truly
I think you meant “Happy ‘Straya Day, how ya gaaaaaaaaarn?”, right?
Aw, thanks love!
One of my craziest ideas came to me in my sleep!
and David Thorne is GENIUS! I live his snowboard story and The Party one too. In fact I love them all really…
He makes me laugh so hard I cry sometimes.
And ooh, teaser! Which crazy idea was that?
Your lack of pizazz post Melbourne, and the inevitable anticlimax when holidays end reminded me of this little Philip Larkin piece: Home is so Sad. It’s kind of a downer (sorry), but if you can’t spontaneously share poetry on blog comments, then what is the point of any of it. Well actually, I’m just going to share a link, but you know…
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16659
I’m pretty sure I never knew that almond milk was a thing, but you’ve done a wonderful job selling it here
The bought-almond milk is new to Australia, but it has nothing on the almond milks available in America. I miss Almond Breeze Unsweetened with 40% calcium. *mopes*
Oh Hannah, thank you for sharing that poem. Truly, truly. xo
Lordy lord are you ever speaking my language with this smoothie. Love the addition of rosewater and equally love the almond milk. A smashing success. Next time you’re in Melbourne let’s get a coffee (that is, in a totally I’m-not-your-internet-stalker, would-just-be-cool kind of way)
Ah, sorry Yasmeen, I only catch up with people who are true internet stalkers
Seriously, though, I’d love to catch up when I’m next in Melbourne! I’m just never there long enough 
Ooooohh rosewater….. *sigh* …… I’ve just been in an Asian Spices shop in downtown Geneva which smelled of sandalwood incense, powdered ginger and rosewater. I didn’t buy any but I might do next time…. I was there for minced ginger and garlic (unheard of in common supermarkets) and curry spices.
Holy smokes, really? No ginger or garlic in normal grocery stores? I think I just started liking Australia even more
Hope you enjoyed Australia Day Hannah. No kidding, I had a burger for brekky, lots of snags for lunch and two meat pies with sauce for dinner. Just opened the fridge and what the! – no coopers ales and no strawberry rose smoothie.
What will excite me in 2012? Well, I’m looking forward this year to good health and happiness for my family and friends, more world peace and financial stability, better health, nutrition and education for world children, a cure for cancer and … and … and … singing with our favourite heel clicker! I will be very excited if all that happens.
I can help you with the smoothie, Mike, but the only beers in my fridge tend to bu Coronas and Pure Blondes. (I’m such a girl-beer-drinker…)
Fingers crossed all of your dreams for 2012 come true! I think we can be certain of the last, at least
I am pirating internet in the corner of my house, and it seems to only work properly during the morning hours. So last night I was able to load part of your post, but I couldn’t see the pictures or leave a comment. Sad pirated internet, yarrrrrrrr.
Love the looks of the smoothie. I had some organic-y friends who never had vanilla around, but they had a bottle of rosewater, and it was neat to see how cookies, etc., would turn out with that flavoring.
You are queen-like and ethereal (maybe)! I hope your friends have been a lovely net for you lately, to help keep the bad unjazzy thoughts from getting too close. xxoo.
Cookies! I must make rosewater cookies, O Inspiring One!
Also, get yo’self some proper internet so that we can skype one of these days, m’kay? After all, my life won’t be complete until I’ve seen Psychic Cat in person
Aw!!! I just read the last part of your comment and my heart goes SQUISH! My friends have been wonderful, both Aussie- and blog-based
xo
I don’t get creative in my dreams. But I do like how you’ve described your smoothie as queenly and ethereal.
I’m nothing if not airy-fairy at times
Rose water! How delightful!
Hurrah, another use for my still-unopened bottle of rosewater! I feel like I’ve gotta gather up a list of stuff to make with it before I actually open it.
All too often I lie awake in bed at night constructing recipes in my head…it’s kind of a problem.
Considering how awesomely you gallivanted around the kitchen once you finally opened your golden syrup, I can’t wait to see what you invent with the rosewater!
Darling, often during my insomniac nights I think of you, and it makes me feel less alone to know you also have such nights. Though you often get up and actually start creating, which makes you far more impressive than me!
I dropped sprinkles on my kitchen floor a few years ago and I’m positive that I still haven’t picked all of them up. If you moved my stove, I’m sure you would find half a container!
We can be kitchen sprinkle hiding buddies.
Ooh happy Australia day to you! I don’t know what a lot of those things are, but I do love platypi and Tim Tams! Heh.
Mmm strawberries and rosewater….I can totally understand how this would taste ethereal and queen-like
One day, you’ll come here and I’ll Teach You All The Australian Things.
The addition of rosewater definitely classifies this as jazzy. No doubt there
I think I have my best ideas, recipe related or not, either right before I go to bed or while I’m in the car. I try to write them down or I’ll forget! The “notes” section on teh iPhone has changed my life
Just another reason why I need an iPhone, dangnabbit!
Could that color be any more beautiful and intoxicating??!!
I love the idea of rosewater in this smoothie. Sounds delicious.
A smoothie that can be eaten with a spoon is definitely my type of smoothie.
I went to Costco a couple of weeks ago and spotted those dried cherries. I thought “Hannah would approve of these” and popped a bag in my trolley.
I put dates in my smoothies but would not have thought of adding these cherries!
Squee!! You really thought of me and bought them? *dances around madly*
To be honest, I mayn’t ever have thought of using cherries either, if it weren’t for that dang insomnia and the crazy flipping swirls my mind does when it refuses to sleep!
OK, let’s put serious faces on now. Is “mayn’t” a real word?
My dictionary says it isn’t, whereas “may’ve” is a word.
I have a lot of respect for your use of the English language. English was never a talent of mine – I’m much more comfortable with science.
You know, I actually wondered that myself when I wrote it, Margaret. I make up a lot of words on/for this blog, but I do it deliberately, and this I’m not 100% positive about. I left it in because a) it makes me feel gloriously ye olde English-y, b) I can’t really see why that contraction wouldn’t be allowed when others are, and c) it didn’t come up with the red squiggly line that this computer uses to tell me something is wrong (like it does when I wrote “fatasticamical”. See? See? Well, actually, you can’t see that.)
I shall check with my dictionary-editing grandma and language-loving mother, but for the time being I’m sticking to my guns and saying it is a word. You mayn’t agree…
holy cow this smoothie is beautiful!! I want one but I probably have to make it myself.
Strawberries and rosewater sounds sensational. I’m not too sure about the almond milk. I think I had some recently and found it somewhat disgusting. I’ve been having oat milk on my cereal of late. I’m not sure from your post if things have been good for you or bad, good of course I hope. I do realise what a downer it is coming home from Melbourne. I’m really missing it. I think it’s just over two years since I’ve been! I’m used to going every 6-12 months. It’s just too long. I will remedy it this year.
Replace “Melbourne” with “overseas” and I’m right there with you, although I of course can’t say that I go overseas every 6 months. Oh how I wish I did! I’ve never been impressed with the other almond milks available here, but didn’t mind this one. I used to drink oat milk but don’t for the same reason I won’t buy this So Good almond milk again: no calcium and almost no protein.
You must get to Melbourne soon! So I can live through you too
Happy Australia Day, Hannah! Hope you are having a great day off. This smoothie is just gorgeous, and I love the tart cherries in it! The ice cream-like texture doesn’t hurt, either.
Thanks for submitting it to WW this week! 
Happy Australia Day to you too, Ricki! I can say that because I know you love us down here
Oh yes, the ice cream texture is definitely a bonus. So happy to have something to contribute to WW this week!
Oh Hannah! You’re killing me with this smoothie…I’m in love with strawberries and anything strawberry flavoured at the moment. My current favourite colour is red and my website is named after strawberries!
The weather in Melbourne’s been unbearably hot too, can’t understand how they can play tennis in this heat! Not without a smoothie like this surely.
Clearly this is the smoothie of your dreams then, too!
Oh gosh, yes, I honestly don’t understand tennis players and cricketers playing in this heat either! Probably why I’m not an athlete; I like comfort 
I just remembered I didn’t do anything for Australia Day! Oh no! But tonight am going to an AC/DC concert on the snow tonight. (Help! Italians love cover bands!)
Maybe I need a smoothie.
Oh gosh, how hilarious! But hey, at least it isn’t a Hanson cover band?
Smoothies are always needed. Except when chocolate and peanut butter and needed more.
i dont dream much.. unless it is some totally random dream which i usually cannot remember.. but i do daydream and make up some recipes in those day dreams!
love this smoothie and the rosewater in it!
Teehee, I’ve never come up with a recipe in an actual dream, just in the weird witching hours when I can’t sleep
I’m so happy this smoothie made you dazzle
you deserve to be jazzy and full of pizzaz. I’d love a glass myself – it’s so HOT in melbs. crazy town, I tell you!
Heidi xo
Thank you so much, beautiful! I wish I could share this with you! Because then I’d be with you, giggling and dancing over wedding planning…
Yay for walking on sunshine!!!
This sounds perfect for the few actual days of summer that mother nature deemed we were allowed to have before all this rain set in. I often dream recipes, although they tend to be breakfast centred – must be my subconscious saying hurry up and feed me. That said I had a horrific dream the other night where I was on Masterchef and had to make sushi – it did not go well. Pancakes seem a much safer option.
I’m so unimpressed with summer right now. It was like this last year too! After not having a summer for over two and half years because of travelling, I remember being devastated by the stupidness of summer last year.
I wish you actually would go on Masterchef! That would be AWESOME.
Love that colour – the smoothie sounds perfect for a hot day and I think bright cheery colours also are perfect in summer too
And in this one, the second photo looks like an alien brain.
Or a coughed up lung.
I’m going with alien brain, because I don’t like the idea of a slowly-melting lung. (Whereas, you know, I’m all for a slowly-melting alien brain.)
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