Mango-Cardamon Smoothie

It has been over two weeks now and I'm still sick with my cold.  I actually think that it has turned into bronchitis or something and a trip to the doctor's office is in my near future.  Anyway, totally bums me out...I'm so over it!  So the last thing I wanted to do was cook tonight and so made myself a delicious and healthy smoothie.  I could drink this smoothie anytime, day or night--it's that good, plus it really helps soothe my sore throat and my hacking cough.
 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight, drained

5 dates, pitted, roughly chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen mango

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cardamon

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1 cup crushed ice

Note:  Instead of using raw almonds and the water, you can use 1 1/2 cups already prepared almond milk.  Just look for a low sugar version, or cut back on the dates or it might be too sweet.

Method:

• Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high-speed until smooth and creamy.
• Garnish with additional cardamon and a mint sprig.