[ad_1]
This Spring Thaw Smoothie is the perfect way to welcome sunnier days. Carrots, citrus, and frozen banana combine with warm spices, nut butter, and non-dairy yogurt for a hearty and unusual vegan breakfast smoothie.
So often here, I find myself explaining a recipe like this: “I know that it sounds like a weird combination of ingredients, but it’s SO good!” Well, I’m at it again with this Spring Thaw Smoothie. Carrots, citrus, cinnamon, ginger, peanut butter (!!), banana, coconut butter, non-dairy yogurt, and sea salt combine forces here. Sounds strange. It’s great though, trust me!
I almost called it the Bunny Hop Smoothie because of the carrot and it being so close to Easter, but all the connotations of thawing in the sunshine felt appropriate. I have a pretty patch of snowdrops in my backyard with a little crust of snow still surrounding them. Their tender buds just barely emerge when the sun comes out. It’s honestly how I feel in these early days of Spring! Gently shaking off the “crust” of Winter and turning my face toward the sun as much as I can. I really love this time of year.
We’re still getting perfect citrus these days, so I had to use some in this smoothie. Something about the acidity of orange and lemon combining with the sweetness of the banana, earthiness of the carrot, the warm spices, and creamy peanut/coconut butters and tart non-dairy yogurt. It all just works! It’s a great seasonal transition smoothie. Still a bit warm, but definitely bright.
If you aren’t doing it already, I really recommend the practice of “seasoning” your smoothies. In this Spring Thaw Smoothie, I add a pinch of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon. The salt and acid lift up all of the other flavours perfectly and help them to almost “sparkle” on the palette. Plus the minerals in sea salt can help with the overall hydration factor of the smoothie 😉
I have so much more smoothie inspiration in this roundup of Healthy Vegan Smoothies. And if you don’t like banana in your blends, I recommend trying frozen pear as a substitute, which I explain further in this Creamy Vanilla Chip Smoothie recipe.
Spring Thaw Smoothie
This smoothie is the perfect way to welcome Spring. Carrots, citrus, and frozen banana combine with warm spices, nut butter, and non-dairy yogurt for a hearty and unusual vegan breakfast smoothie.
Servings: 1 (2 as a snack)
- ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup non-dairy plain yogurt (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon coconut butter
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 small orange, peeled
- 1 medium carrot, chopped (about ½ cup chopped carrot)
- ½ banana, preferably frozen
-
In an upright blender, combine the non-dairy milk, yogurt, peanut butter, coconut butter, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, sea salt, the peeled orange, chopped carrot, and banana. Blend this mixture on high until completely smooth and creamy. Enjoy immediately!
- You could add a scoop of plain vegan protein powder to this smoothie to make it extra satiating. My personal favourite is Epic Protein by Sprout Living (I’ve been drinking it for years!). My 20% of discount code with them is: thefirstmess.
- My favourite non-dairy yogurt here in Canada is by Yoggu. In the US, Anita’s or Culina are my top picks.
- A teaspoon of chia, flax or hemp seeds would be great for a little seedy boost 🙂
- If I had ground cardamom on hand, I would have added a pinch here.
[ad_2]
Source link