I think that I get my greatest inspirations lately while answering the awesome comments that you guys leave here on a daily basis.
I can’t thank you enough for that, by the way. Reading your comments every day is what keeps me going, is what makes this whole blogging thing worthwhile for me. You have no idea just how much I appreciate reading you all day after day after day. I must confess that I even read them in the middle of the night, sometimes… That’s how much I like them! 
So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for being here, thank you for reading me, and thank you for inspiring me!
Interacting and exchanging ideas with you guys seems to really help me expand my horizons and try things that I would otherwise probably never even think of.
Such is the case with this brilliant smoothie. This one here, I dedicate to Joann. Without her, it would’ve never seen the light of day. And what a shame it would’ve been.
Just wait ’til you see the list of ingredients…
It’s bold! In fact, it’s bolder than bold. Is there a word for that? Bolderer? Bolderest?
Right… Bolderest! I like that one.
So I’m officially naming this baby The Joann Special Bolderest Smoothie.
Alright, so what’s in it, you ask? What’s so special about it?
HA!
Check this out… this one contains avocado, mango, goat cheese, coconut, balsamic vinegar, vanilla and fresh basil.
Yes, really!
WAIT! WAIT! DON’T GO!
Seriously, I’m telling you, you HAVE to give it a try.
It might sound like a strange combination, but it works so utterly beautifully, I can’t even find the words to express it. When I tasted it, I was so excited that I wasn’t even half way through it when I had to come sit at my computer and tell Joann about it. After all, it was her who had challenged me to do something with her mango / avocado combination. And since we’d been discussing the addition of goat cheese to smoothies, it was only natural that I would add that ingredient too.
The rest of it just came to me as I went: a little bit of this, a little bit of that, oh, and why not try a splash of this… you know.
I have to be honest, though, the last thing to have gone in was the basil. I was just thinking garnish and was wondering what to use, when I saw the plant sitting on the window sill. Hummmm… I thought, why not ADD some to the smoothie? Surely I can’t use basil as a garnish if there isn’t any IN it, right?
So I chopped some up, quick quick, stirred it in and OH MY GOD! Did it ever elevate that smoothie to the next level. I mean wow! Talk about tasty. I think I died. Seriously!
I’m begging you, if you do try this one, don’t leave any of the ingredients out!
They ALL play a very unique role and contribute, in their own special way, at sending you right to heaven.
If only for a few minutes…
AVOCADO, MANGO AND GOAT CHEESE SMOOTHIE
(aka The Joann Special Bolderest Smoothie)
INGREDIENTS
(Serves 1)
- ½ ripe avocado, diced
- 140g frozen mango (or you could use half a fresh)
- ¾ cup milk of choice (I used home made almond)
- 2 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt
- 25g unripened goat cheese
- 2 tbsp vanilla flavored whey protein
- 1 tbsp flax seed meal
- 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp white balsamic (or wine) vinegar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all the ingredients except avocado and basil leaves to your mini blender or food processor and process until smooth
- Add avocado and basil leaves and process until smooth, but not fully incorporated, so that you get a little bit of a swirl going on
- Transfer to serving glass and garnish with a dollop of yogurt and basil leaves
- Make sure you grab a seat and ENJOY!
OMG!! I feel like a celebrity – HAHA!!! The pics are beautiful and this sounds amazing!! I can’t wait to try it tomorrow morning. I really want to try it tonight but I just had some applesauce and it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to eat that much this late at night. I’m going to pick up a bottle of mango infused balsamic vinegar this week for when I make it again (because I know I will be!) THANK YOU!!
WOW! First of all, you were right – I am nuts!!! I discovered while I was assembling everything in the blender that my goat cheese had gone bad. I’m not sure how this happened because cheese of any variety never lasts long enough in my fridge to go bad, but it definitely did not smell right. So, I tossed it in the garbage, left everything sitting in the Ninja and told my boss I had to run out to the grocery store. It was definitely worth the trip. This is absolutely divine!! It would only be better if I was sitting on the beach in Aruba while drinking it!! Thank you again for taking my flavor combination and turning it into something extraordinary!!
Oh nooooooo! What a shame! To have an entire smoothie end up in the garbage. I can’t bear to look.
I can’t believe you actually ran to the store to get more right then and there, but real glad you think it was entirely worth the trip! I am so relieved to learn that you too, think this smoothie is simply divine. It seriously is one of my favorites so far, if not THE favorite. It’s definitely one that I will be making often, and every single time I have one, I’ll have a thought for you! 
LOL! You’re so funny Joann! Glad you like and hope you enjoy the smoothie as much as I did! I tried it the next morning with peaches, instead of mangoes, and it wasn’t quite as good. Mangoes are definitely a winner! Thank YOU for inspiring it…
That mango infused balsamic vingegar sounds really yummy! I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. Must be absolutely delicious in salads! (and smoothies, of course!)
It was only the goat cheese that ended up in the garbage. I left everything else in the blender while I ran out for more goat cheese!
Here’s a link to the specialty store where I buy my olive oils and vinegars. It’s local for me…I’m not sure if they ship to Canada.
http://www.folivers.com/
Oh, good! I thought you had added the goat cheese to the smoothie before you’d realized it had gone bad. Now that would’ve been a shame!
And OMG! That store! I want to taste everything! Their vinegars are just out of this world. I wish they were local, really! Then again, maybe not… it would only cost me a fortune!
I just always love the combinations you come up with! That’s almost more special then the end result. Lol. I am wishing my kitchen to be ready soon so I can find my blender and try this intriguing combi!
LOL, thank you Simone! Glad you like! How long still before your playground is ready? Saw the pictures, by the way! WOW! I am so envious! GORGEOUS kitchen!
I sense another excellent combination. Can’t wait to get back home to try it out. Plus, I will definitely make the moussaka (after Easter:).
Glad you think so! Let me know how you like it if you try it! =D (and the moussaka too!!)
That is for sure a bold combination but also fun!
I love the flavor combination- it sounds delish! The smoothie looks so pretty in that glass. Thanks for sharing.
Thank YOU for sharing your impression, Jennie, but mostly, thank you for sharing with your twitter followers! I truly appreciated that!
I made the pear chocolate goat cheese tart! It is amazing! Thanks for the inspiration!
Ooooooh… so exciting!!! Will you be posting this on your site Lauren? I have a vision for my version in my head, I have all the necessary ingredients at home too… just waiting for Lent to be over to finally give it a try, as I do want to use a little bit of honey in these, thus making them off limits to me for the time being. I’m thinking I want to keep them grain and gluten free, though. I’ll see. Can’t wait to make them! Sure would love to see yours… hope you’ll share!
AWESOME!! I never really cared for goat cheese, but this recipe really intrigued me. So yesterday, I went out and bought goat cheese. I had everything else I needed in my kitchen already, so this morning, I whipped up your smoothie and it was excellent. I used regular aged balsamic because that’s all I had. The smoothie was delicious! I even pulled out the rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the glass lol
) I’m so glad I came across your website and I’ll be a frequent visitor from now on. Thanks so much!!
LOOL! Your comment really made me laugh out loud when I got to the point about the rubber spatula! I could totally picture it! I usually use my fingers, at least to get what’s around the rim…
Super happy to hear that you liked the smoothie THAT much! So glad you came across my site too, and that you decided to visit often! 
Thank YOU so much!
I couldn’t resist trying something that sounded so strange, and it was so good! I drink LOTS of smoothies and I have to say this one was the most innovative. Its got a bit of tang to it that I really enjoy.
I still love that I can put my name into the search box to find this recipe quickly to comment…haha!! Today I subbed frozen cherries for the mango (and left out the basil because I am out). It wasn’t bad but I’m wondering what you could do with a cherry smoothie, maybe some type of cherry almond coconut? Or I’m open to other flavor combos. Hope you accept the challenge…haha!!
LOL, you’re too funny Joann! And what a great coïncidence, I was JUST thinking this morning that I was way overdue for a new smoothie recipe AND that I should create one using frozen cherries, since I still have well over 3 pounds left in the freezer.
Let’s see… how does that sound: cherry, chipotle, walnuts, sherry vinegar and vanilla. Maybe I need to add a little bit of cheese to that? I’ll see! But I think I’m on to something…
Sounds good! I’ll have to substitute because of the walnuts but I can either just leave out or use almonds, etc. Can’t wait to see you what you come up with!!
(I have all the ingredients for the coleslaw and the ratatouille so hopefully tonight I will try one of them).
I’ve been drinking protein smoothies every day for breakfast for over a month now. I’ve been doing mostly the same … peanut butter & banana… that is until now that I found your site!
I tried this this morning with some modifications with what I had on hand:
- mint instead of basil
- coconut yogurt instead of greek yogurt
- opt out on the vanilla extract
It was so good! What a clever combination of ingredients! Thanks so much, can’t for to try the other smoothie recipes!
Thank you so much Emily. I am extremely happy to hear that you liked this smoothie and are now inspired to try new combinations. I hope you like the next ones as much as you did this one.
Oh, and thanks a bunch for taking the time to leave this awesome feedback as well as substitution ideas. I really, truly appreciate that. =D
Do you have a calorie count on this? I just put it in a recipe analyzer and it came up with over 600 cals for 1 smoothie… can that be right??
That sounds about right, Danielle. I crunched the numbers and I’m at 577. I’ll edit and post the actual numbers soon!
Lol can’t wait to try this! Just wondering what brand of protein powder you use, I have been searching for a good one for recipes like this but all of the vanilla powders I have tried either taste nasty or have lots of junk in them!
I use Ergogenic’s New Zealand Whey. It’s entirely natural and tastes super good too! Been using it for over 6 months now and am truly happy with it.