For the last recipe of our smoothie menu, we’re crafting a drink that includes produce of all kinds: earthy kale, tropical pineapple, tart cherry and bitter pomegranate juice.

And, for some reason, when you mix all of these things together (especially with a scoop of vanilla-flavored protein powder), what you end up with is something that tastes as close to a chocolate-cherry milkshake as you’ll get without having any actual chocolate in the blender.

It’s a strange combination that tastes nothing like you’d expect it to, but the results are undeniably delicious. Keep reading for the recipe. The Recipe (Yield: 4 servings)

1 cup cup pomegranate juice
1 cup cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen cherries or raspberries
1 cup frozen kale
4 scoops protein powder, vanilla or natural

Note: Chef Brian says you can find frozen kale at Whole Foods. I couldn’t find any, so I bought some lacinto kale, sliced it down into thin strips and tried to make this smoothie. That didn’t work, because I cut the strips too thick/the kale was too thick. So I bought baby kale, froze it and then crunched it up in a plastic Ziploc bag. And viola, frozen kale ready to go.

To make: Mix all ingredients in a blender and on high (food processor or puree mode) until well blended.  If you need a frostier smoothie, add a couple of cubes of ice, though the frozen fruit should suffice in this case.