How to make healthy choices every day

Green Dream Chlorella Cream

Okay, Sarah B. has got another superfood obsession on her hands and she needs you to get on the bandwagon so she doesn’t seem so insane (perhaps not talking in third person would also remedy this).

What is it this time? It’s chlorella. Yup, I’m mowing down on the pond scum. Have I sunk to a new low? Nope, I’ve reached a new high in fact, all thanks to some very green algae and no fear.

I find that most people are pretty freaked out when it comes to green things. Kale, spinach, wheatgrass juice – perhaps it’s because that colour signals “healthy”, and healthy sometimes don’t taste so good. Not that I completely disagree with ya’ll, but I think once you know how to get the green stuff down your gullet without gagging, it really ain’t so bad. How am I possibly going to convince you to eat algae? Well, I would like to think that making green things taste good is one of my fortés, and the crazy fool inside me just needs the challenge. Here we go.

What the deuce is Chlorella?
Chlorella is a single-celled, water-grown green alga that contains the highest chlorophyll level per ounce of any plant. Who cares? Well, you should.
Chlorophyll is that stuff that helps plants convert energy from the sun – think of it like “vegetation blood”, as it acts nearly the same way inside us, (and for those science geeks out there, it is molecularly structured nearly the same way as hemoglobin too! Ooh! The only difference between the chlorophyll and hemoglobin molecules is the central atom – chlorophyll’s is magnesium, while hemoglobin’s is iron. Isn’t that just incredible?! Ahem.) The benefits of consuming chlorophyll-rich foods are numerous, including slowing cellular damage caused by radiation, aiding wound healing by stimulating new cell growth, building blood, reversing the mutagenic activity of some cancer-causing compounds, neutralizing toxins such as pesticides, fighting infection, improving liver function, and it even helps eliminate mouth and body odors. Yum.

Besides being ram-jammed with good, green powers chlorella has the special distinction of containing all of the amino acids, which of course includes all of the 9 essential ones – incredible! We know that this is a very groovy thing for vegans and vegetarians because the proper balance of all the essential amino acids in the diet is required to build complete proteins in our body. FYI – by weight, chlorella is 58-60% highly-digestible protein. And while we’re on the good-for-the-vegetarians-kick, chlorella contains more B12 than liver. Liver. Boo-ya. It has the rest of the B-vitamins covered as well, along with a sizeable amount of beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and rare trace minerals.

On the whole, chlorella strengthens the immune system, promotes bowel health, helps to detoxify the body, cleanses the blood stream, liver, and kidneys, alleviates peptic ulcers, increases oxygen to your body’s cells and brain, promotes proper growth in children, fights infection, helps raise the pH of your body to a more alkaline state, promotes the production of friendly flora in your gastrointestinal tract, and even helps to counteract the fatigue and mood swings associated with PMS and perimenopause. Good news for everyone.

Chlorella is a wonderful whole food supplement to take during fasts and cleanses, as it is incredibly detoxifying. Chlorella acts as a solid support because it is so nutrient-dense without saddling the body with a lot of material to metabolize. Add it to your routine during your next juice feast!

Where can I get Green?
Chlorella is available at health food stores and natural food shops, as well as online. It is sold in tablet form, and as a powder that looks like green cocaine, and well, costs about the same (you’re after the powder if you want to make the Chlorella Cream). Yes, chlorella is relatively expensive, but think of it as extra life insurance. And maybe instead of buying yet another pair of fancy shoes, you splurge on a special treat that actually gives you something in return, besides blisters.
With chlorella, a little goes a long way. Even adding a teaspoon to a big ol’ smoothie will do you worlds of good. Yes, it’s a little pricey, but it lasts a very long time, and in my opinion, it’s worth every penny.

And how does it taste?
Darn, I knew you were going to ask that.
Ever gone down to the bottom of a lake and taken a huge mouthful of sludge? You have? Weirdo.
That’s pretty much what chlorella tastes like. But remember how I said I have a talent for making yucky green things taste good? Trust me on this one. Even your kids will be begging you for the chlorella cream, promise.

Green Dream Chlorella Cream
There really isn’t a “recipe” for this per se, but here is the basic mix that I throw together. I would start with just a teaspoon of chlorella, taste, and work your way up to your flavour tolerance. You will get used to it (gasp! Maybe even like it!) over time, but start slow and build your taste for it. Your body will tell you when you’re ready to up the ante.

Ingredients:
½ cup raw liquid honey (vegans use maple syrup)
1-3 tsp. chlorella
2-4 Tbsp. raw tahini

Directions:
1. Place honey in a bowl and whisk in chlorella until thoroughly combined.
2. Add the tahini, one tablespoon at a time and whisk. You can add as much tahini as you like, but I find the cream tends to become quite solid if I put in too much (plus it will depend on how runny your tahini is). I like to drizzle this stuff after all, not roll it into balls (but that could be another great snack…)
3. Store chlorella cream in the fridge, either in a squeeze bottle for optimal drizzle action, or in a glass jar.

You don’t have to use raw honey and raw tahini in this recipe, but it does make a difference on the health end of things. If cost and/or availability is an issue, just use whatever you have to get the green in ya! No more excuses!

How to use Green Dream Chlorella Cream
Right now my favorite breakfast is a large fruit salad drizzled with chlorella cream, some raw granola for crunch and maybe some nut milk if I have any on hand (speaking of which, the nut milk video is coming soon!!!). Be careful, this combo is crazy-addictive!

Chlorella cream is a wonderful addition to smoothies.

For a totally boss afternoon snack, try spreading chlorella cream on a rice cake, top with banana, some hemp seeds, goji berries…whatever!

How about a delectable dessert drizzled with Green Dream Chlorella Cream? Raw Brownie? Peachy Keen Raw Cobbler? Raw Cashew Dreamcake?

I swear you could pour chlorella cream all over a compost heap and I would probably dive in. Embarrassing? Maybe.
I have no shame.

Please experiment and tell me what YOU love to eat with your Green Dream Chlorella Cream. The possibilities are endless!

Do you get why I am so stoked about this stuff?! Its like a frickin’ miracle food! Wait, it is a miracle food, and I get to stuff my face with it. So let’s get a show of hands from those who have the guts to stand up to green food and say: yes! I will try you out because I love my body and my body definitely loves you! It’s not that scary, just a silly little mental hurdle to throw yourself over. And once you’re over, oh my friends…the grass is greener for a reason.

And the next time someone calls you pond scum, just tell them you take it as a compliment.

Source: Balch, Phyllis A. Prescription for Dietary Wellness. New York, NY: Penguin, 2003.

Copyright 2012 My New Roots at mynewroots.blogspot.com


58 thoughts on “Green Dream Chlorella Cream”

  • Hi Sarah,
    I’ve been reading your blog for a few years now, and I must say it is exceptional! …thank you so much! 🙂 Anyway, when I read this recipe just now I couldn’t resist going straight to the kitchen and making it, and wow! …tAstE seNsAtioN!!! I am eating it right now out of the pot I used to mix it up in, and it is deeeeelicious! Can’t wait to give my husband some on his dessert tonight, lol!! 😀

  • Hi, I’d love to try chlorella, but I don’t dare to give it a try after having read about people experiencing extreme nausea and throwing up after consumption. Do you have any experience with this? Any suggestions how to avoid it? Maybe staring out with a very small dosis and slowly increasing the intake would help?
    Thanks for the inspiration, always.

    • Even though it’s been a while since your post, a good quality clean chlorella shall not give you any nausea of throwing up, unless you physically have a total refuse of consuming it as such. We eat pure chlorella in an amount of 30-50 tabs every day + juice of young barley 2 to 3 times a day. So don’t worry, give it a try.

  • OMG. Seriously? So delicious. I ended up making it more like tahini with plenty of chlorella and a little honey and a tiny pinch of sea salt and I’m standing in my kitchen eating with a spoon.

  • This is very similar to a face masque I found and tried on tailorskincare.co.nz recently – greens powder (or chlorella powder) mixed with raw manuka honey, slather on your face and leave for 15min-1hr! Super detoxifying and full of vitamin c and all the goodies 🙂 Skin felt fantastic afterwards!! Now I can mix some tahini with it and add it to my food! Although I was licking up the drippy bits of the face masque -yumm! Hehe

  • I’m eating your raw caramel dip as I type….and it’s so sinfully good that I feel like I should be whipping up a green smoothie for “dessert.” 😉 😉 No, really. I love chlorella in breakfast shakes (can you call them that when they are so thick you eat them with a spoon???). My son just turned one, and chlorella (and spirulina) was one of his very first foods. We like having “green eggs” for breakfast, too! Now, I can’t wait to try it your way. Mmmm.

  • I had a craving at midnight for a sweet snack after reading your raw brownie post. After taking notes for my trip to sunflower, our town’s health food store, I finally decided to raid my kitchen. Out came an apple, organic peanut butter, chia seeds, honey, and liquid chlorophyll. Combined they were a marriage of ingredients on my apples 🙂 I used to put chlorophyll in my smoothies in Colorado because of its hemoglobin-like properties. I stopped getting asthma attacks and maintained that healthy glow.

    Anyways, I never thought that I could sneak that in to everyday items such as my fruit salad, but now the possibilities seem endless! Thank you 🙂

  • I’ve been reading a lot about chlorella and there are reports that some of the chlorella comes from contaminated areas. Can you tell me if you know of a good clean source ? Thanks much!

  • I have mixed a small amount of Chlorella powder into pesto before using the pesto on cold pasta. I thought that was a good way to incorporate some into regular food that my family would not detect.

  • Sarah B., I’m in love with you! Thank you for making chlorella delicious, you have no idea how happy you made me! I dipped fresh strawberries in it as if it was melted chocolate – incredible dessert! Drizzling over blueberry spelt pancakes for breakfast tomorrow… Is it tomorrow yet??!

  • This stuff is amazing! I thinned mine down a bit using lemonjuice to cut through the sweetness, since my cream came out really thick, because I kept tasting and putting more and more chlorella in. It’s amazing how you can turn chlorella in such a wonderful tasting thing.

  • Have consumed loads of Chlorella in the past to detox my body from mercury poisoning (fillings). It worked ! Mixed 1 tablespoon of powder in 1 ounce of juice and drank it as a shot every morning. It seems to be the only thing that detoxes on a deeply cellular level. Will try the green-dream-chlorella-cream now as a treat. Thank you.

  • Sarah you are such a genius! I’ve been trying to work chlorella in anywhere and everywhere but it really does taste like a** – thank you for this. Is there any substitute for the tahini?
    And thank you for the amazing bread recipe – it changed my life 🙂
    Love you Sarah B

  • i’m vegan, live in hanoi and have an 18 month old son, much of my time is devoted to researching, sourcing and creating beautiful, safe food for my family. i want to sincerely thank you for your blog which is a rare haven and an inspiration, you’ve helped me so much. at the moment i’m really worried about b12, i’m supplementing with b12 tablets.. we have spirulina, chlorella & nutritional yeast at home, but i’m scared that its not enough. since b12 deficiency in children causes major, irreversible damage – i need to know for sure that what i am giving my son is bioavailable and adequate. do you know of any research that backs up the chlorella-b12 claim, and if so, would you mind pointing me in that direction?

  • hello my dear Sarah! I made this today (for breakfast) and could not stop putting the spoon back in the jar for more&more (which suprised as I was not convinced I would like the tast)…so yummy+so different! I really love the flavour, thanks SO much for the inspiration (once again)! I had only (raw)black sesame paste, but it fits perfectly!

    I have 2 questions: any other usage/recipes for chlorella powder? can I do the same with spirulina too btw?

  • I’m loving your blog and very interested in this idea! But is it overly sweet? I worry that the benefits of chlorella would be outweighed by taking in so much honey. Am I off-base here? I would love to know what you think.
    Thanks for the ideas!

  • ahahah, you should have seen me, eating a whole spoon of spirulina !!! Even if spirulina and chlorella aren’t the same, I’m sure the tatse of sludge IS the same ! So thank you very much for this cream. I use your amount of honey and tahini, plus 3Tbsp of spirulina. It spreads beautifully.

    And thank you very much for all the things you share there ; I love your recipes and the way you write them !

  • You have such wonderful recipes! Thank you. I was wondering if you would share the brand of chlorella that you use.

  • Hey Iren – thanks so much for your lovely comment! I am thrilled you like the recipe!

    And Lili – I would love to share some raw granola recipes on the blog, but it requires a dehydrator (which VERY few people own) so chances are I won’t write about it! I try to make things everyone can enjoy at home in their own kitchen 🙂 Thanks for understanding!

    I eat a rather simple raw granola, but this site has some awesome recipes! Here is a fav: http://www.sweetlyraw.com/2010/03/sweet-tooth-coconut-vanilla-crunch.html

    Enjoy!
    Love, Sarah B

  • Oh my goodness…!!
    I read the chlorella post – got curious and went to the shop to buy it – and just made this dream cream five minutes ago. – It’s really super delicious, I love it truly!!!
    Thank you so much, dear Sarah B. for all your love and creativity you share in your blog. You are a true inspiration!! I LOVE all your posts… and I’m very happy to have you found out there, in the magical space of internet…

  • Interesting to read about chlorella. From the pictures, this looks to have the same drawback as spirulina, i.e. in powdered form it appears to be a bright, fresh-young-pea, best-green-in-the-world type of green but when mixed with liquid it turns an unappetising dirty sludge colour. Not my dream green at all. Any idea why? I’ve tried mixing it with turmeric to no avail.

  • So, I used to go to London to enjoy the sites and sounds. Now, what do I look forward to along my 55-minute train journey to the big city? Whole Foods Market! Why? Because of My New Roots’ crazy delicious recipes that contain ingredients such as one that looks like a green drug that I MUST try! (And can’t possibly find in my little town of local grocers and delis.) Thank you for sharing all your knowledge and recipes. Inspiring, as always. You know I’ll be back and let you know how I get on with this one… -Grace

  • At first I was reeaallly reluctant to this one. Green slimy goo, even on fruit with granola just didn’t look all that tastey (sorry…). But after reading your post I must admit you have convinced me to give it a try so next time I’m at the health store I’m bringing a pack with me home. Exciting!

  • You’ve sold me on this green stuff. The next thing that needs to happen is a name change. The whole way through your post I kept reading chlorella as cholera, and I’m probably not the only reader discovering their dyslexia on this one!

  • Wow, this actually sounds like it could taste good! I love tahini,but i have a hard time eating/drinking Chlorella. Spirulina- no problem. But Chlorella.. not big fan. Like you said, its like drinking bottom sludge.
    BUT, I do trust your tastebuds! I ALWAYS love your recipes, so I think Ill give this a go too!
    Thanks for sharing all your recipes with us!

  • sounds awesome.

    I love how informative these posts are, helping us all to get to know some good foods a little better.

    keeping an eye out for chlorella!

    thanks 🙂

  • Hey everyone! Thanks for the great feedback so far! It’s nice to know I’m not alone on the green bandwagon 😉 Thanks for lovin’ the green with me!

    To Lauren – no, chlorella and spirulina are different. Chlorella is a green alage, whereas spirulina is a blue-green alage. Both offer a vast range of health benefits, and many of their strengths overlap. Google spirulina to find out about its amazing properties…and maybe I’ll write about it someday soon!

    All the best,
    Sarah B

  • Chlorella, spirulina… you’re preaching to the choir! :o) Hopefully your post got us some NEW choir members though, eh?! I love your posts, Sarah. They are so informative while still an absolute delight to read. And you make me laugh! Thanks for this one..
    xo

  • You had me at chlorella. I LOVE the stuff. But no, I wouldn’t go trudging through a lake to eat the bottom sludge. My gosh that doesn’t sound appetizing at all! You’re brilliant with combining these 3 things together. I bet it’s unbelievably tasty. Can’t wait to try it!!

  • I love how enthusiastic you are about green foods 🙂 I have never tried chlorella, but I am a spirulina fan… that is, I love to hide it in things 😉 I will have to try this!

    xo

  • I was about to go to a health store to buy some dried fruits and oat flakes tomorrow, now chlorella is definitely on the list too!

  • I’m sold on this stuff!
    I was just thinking about buying it in pill form, but now I’ve got to get my hands on the powdered chlorella.
    Your rice cakes look awesome!
    I love having something green with everything I eat 🙂

  • I just recieved my first chlorella powder last week and was thinking of different ways of including it in my diet, right now it is chlorella/chia/blueberry pudding and chlorella green smoothies. BTW, it tastes great as a salad dressing too! Thanks for another sweet idea!!

  • *raises hands* 🙂 Yes I am going to try it and I might even like it ! “green dream chlorella cream” sounds like a disease or something .

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