My first foray into the world of protein powders was shortly after moving to Canada. Prior to that, my impression of protein powders was that they were humongous and somewhat intimidating-looking bottles of whey protein solely for body builders! Then I started using a raw vegan protein powder that I discovered at the neighbourhood health food store and was pretty happy making ‘all-in-one’ smoothies. Then my old Ninja blender died and smoothie making became less fun… still dreaming of a Vitamix!
I stopped protein powders after embarking on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP), but continued making smoothies from time to time, using an immersion blender. This time around I used collagen hydrolysate or gelatin powder, depending on what I had in the pantry cabinet (the former mixes easily with hot or cold liquids and does not gel).
Collagen Veggie Blend is AIP-compliant
One day the kind folks at Vital Proteins/ Team Paleo Mom sent me a bottle of their Collagen Veggie Blend. Thanks, you guys! It’s a collaboration between Vital Proteins and Dr. Sarah Ballantyne. I opened it eagerly and was greeted with a dark sandy coloured powder. It smelled good in a natural sort of way. Not like the overwhelmingly sickly sweet vanilla or chocolate flavoured protein powders of other brands, the Collagen Veggie Blend reminded me of acidic fruits high in vitamin C, loads of green leafy vegetables, and a very slight hint of sea vegetables. Loads of no-nonsense goodness.
What I think
There are protein powders out there that taste great mixed with water only, but this is not one of them. That’s because it has no extra sweeteners or flavours added. There’s a lot of greens in there, so don’t expect to make a sweet milkshake-y smoothie with this blend! Personally, I would use this as an ’emergency’ meal instead of incorporating it as a daily routine as I’m not really a daily smoothie person, but I love the idea of adding it to recipes and boosting one’s nutritional intake.
Dip or Dressing?
Rather than go on and on like an info-mercial, here’s a recipe for a nutrient-dense and savoury dip/ dressing I created using this whole food-based protein powder. I used kabocha squash that I had already steamed and mashed to make this recipe. You can also roast kabocha squash and mash it. The dip is quite thick, but by mixing additional water it becomes a delicious dressing. I poured mine over a spiralised and chopped salad and sprinkled black sea salt over. Yum!
If you have the Collagen Veggie Blend and are looking for ways to incorporate more nutrients, give this a go!
Where to purchase certain ingredients online (affiliate links):
- extra virgin olive oil
- Vital Proteins Collagen Veggie Blend
- turmeric powder
- Medjool dates
- Coconut aminos
- Himalayan salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup mashed kabocha squash
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen Veggie Blend
- 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
- ½ tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 medjool date, pitted and soaked in hot water until softened
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1½ tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup water (optional - use if making a dressing)
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Adjust to taste and blend in extra water if necessary.
- Serve as a dressing or a dip.
