Pink_Protein_Shake[1]“But where do you get your protein?” is often the first thing non-vegans want to know. It’s a concern that is generally misplaced, that stems from the misguided but widely held belief, deeply entrenched in mainstream Western cultures, that protein = animal protein.

Generally, vegans have no trouble at all getting enough protein in their diet. However, some vegans who lead a particularly active lifestyle may, like non-vegans, choose to supplement in order to ensure sufficient calorie intake and/or maximize muscle recovery after exercise.

This recipe uses a commercially available vegan protein powder to make a nutritious and delicious protein shake with no nasties, that makes a great post-exercise recovery drink. Better still, there’s evidence to show that beetroot juice can increase stamina when consumed regularly, due to its high concentration of nitrates.

This is a two step process – first you’ll need to follow the recipe for the Beetroot Berry Juice Boost – but it’s simple enough that once you’ve made it you’ll probably never need to refer back to either recipe again.

Better still, to save on time and washing up I’ve taken to freezing the beetroot berry juice in ice-cube bags so that I can pop a few out whenever I need them. If you use frozen juice cubes to make up your shake to take with you for later in the day they’ll also help to keep your shake cool until you need it.

Ingredients 

Beetroot-Berry Juice, 50-70 ml or 4-5 frozen cubes

Fortified soya or rice milk, 200-400 ml

Pulsin’ rice protein powder, 1-3 scoops

Soya yoghurt, 125g or one small pot (optional)

 

Method

1. Pour the Beetroot-Berry Juice into the bottom of a shaker cup (if you’re preparing this to drink later you can pop the juice cubes in frozen; if you want to drink it immediately you’ll need to gently defrost the cubes before use).

2. Add the protein powder and yoghurt, if using, and top up with milk.

3. Secure the lid and shake well. Best served chilled.

 

Notes: if you have a sweet tooth, use a little more juice and a little less soya milk – and be generous with the berries when you make the beetroot-berry juice.

Pulsin’ Rice Protein Powder lists only one ingredient, “100% Whole Grain Brown Rice Protein Concentrate”. Full nutritional information can be found here. For convenience, we subscribe to a delivery of Pulsin’ Rice Protein Powder (every two months works for us), saving 5%.

 

If you’re an athlete looking for plant-based ways to boost your protein intake, you might also like coconut-coated no-cook protein brownies.