Recipe: Spiced Zucchini Banana Smoothie (Vegan, Gluten Free)

 

A co-worker gave me a few giant zucchinis, and I had to figure out what to to with them. Big zucchinis aren't as good to have as a veggie side as smaller zucchinis are, but they still have their purpose. One thing you can do is shred them up and make zucchini bread, muffins, cookies, etc., but I wouldn't recommend oven food in this heat! So I decided to go another route.

I have tried a few other zucchini-based smoothies that are based on other people's recipes, and I'll be sharing some of those with you in future breakfast round ups. What I learned from those is that if you chop and freeze zucchini overnight, you have the basis for a wonderfully creamy smoothie in the morning, especially if you add some frozen banana. 

There are all sorts of ways to approach this, but here's my version. It doesn't really taste of zucchini. It's a bit like zucchini bread (which also doesn't taste of zucchini). It's just a creamy bit of goodness you can have in the morning in the height of zucchini season.

I am giving you the ingredients in the order it makes the most sense to put them into the blender (liquids first), but make sure you freeze your zucchini and bananas overnight!

Spiced Zucchini Banana Smoothie
Serves: 1

1 cup soy milk (or other plant-based milk)
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A dash of nutmeg
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped zucchini, frozen
1/2 banana, cut into chunks and frozen

Blend all ingredients, scraping down the sides of your blender with a rubber spatula if needed. Serve immediately.