PB + J SMOOTHIE | wholefood, plant-based & tasty

Some flavour pairings are just a match made in heaven and are classic for a reason: they just work. 

Think basil and tomato, chocolate and mint and of course, peanut butter and raspberries. Yum, yum, yum. 

When I have the below ingredients on hand, this is my absolute go to smoothie or smoothie bowl. There are a few little tricks to this one to make it extra tasty, ultra satisfying and very sustaining so make sure you check out the cooks notes at the bottom of this post.

This simple recipe can make a thick and creamy smoothie, a delicious smoothie bowl or can be poured in to popsicle moulds to make delicious wholefood ice-creams for those warmer days on the way down here in the southern hemisphere! 
 
x Harry

Makes: 1 litre  
Prep time: 2 minutes 
Difficulty: Super easy
Equipment: High speed blender 

3 ripe frozen banana (frozen segments - see cooks notes) 
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tablespoon hemp seeds (optional) 
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter (made from just peanuts) 
3/4 cup whole rolled oats 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
1 lemon, juiced 
1 cup plant-based milk, more if needed (I used oat - see cooks notes) 

Place all of your ingredients in a high-speed blender. Pulse to combine then blend until super smooth and creamy. Sprinkle with your choice of toppings, if any, and enjoy. 

Smoothies are best enjoyed immediately. If you are going to store some for later, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator and consume within one day. If not, you can always pour the excess into popsicle moulds and freeze to enjoy later.  

COOKS NOTES

SWAPS:

Peanut butter - This is a pretty key flavour ingredient in this recipe and swapping it out will change the flavour. For a peanut free version, try any other nut butter. E.G. cashew, almond or ABC. For a nut-free version omit the butter all together or swap for more oats or hemp seeds. 

Raspberries - These can be swapped for any other frozen berry you have on hand. I love blueberries as a substitute! 

Hemp seeds - While optional, they are a powerhouse of nutrients and are great to pop in if you have them on hand. Removing them will not effect the flavour or consistency.

Oats - They hold the key to thicken this smoothie and make it super sustaining and filling. If you want to remove the oats I suggest replacing it with more of either berries or banana. 

Banana - If you don't like banana, don't worry. You can't taste it much in this smoothie thanks to the lemon juice. However, if you have a very big aversion to it, you can swap for the same amount of another frozen fruit, although this will change the flavour a bit. I would go for something that is also sweet and blends well, such as mango. Frozen zucchini can work but the only sweetness will come from the berries. 

Lemon juice - This can be replaced with lime. 


GENERAL: 

On plant milk: Any good quality plant milk will work in this recipe. I love oat. Be sure to look for one with minimal ingredients and without preservatives and fillers etc. Other 'mylk' that works includes cashew, quinoa, almond, coconut and hemp. In a pinch, you can omit for chilled water. 

PRO TIPS 

I have shared loads of my smoothie secrets and tips learned over the years in THIS post. But here are a few that are specific to this recipes: 

* Add your frozen and larger ingredients first and your liquids last. If you have liquid sitting around frozen ingredients for a while it can start to freeze some of the larger bits together which can make your smoothie hard to blend. 

* The smaller the pieces of frozen banana (or a replacement) you use, the easier on your appliance. Ripen, peel, chop and THEN freeze fruit. Break pieces apart before adding to your blender. 

* The higher-powdered your blender, the smoother the result. Unfortunately, there is no way around this one. When you use a high-powdered blender they can cope with less liquid and therefore achieve a thicker and smoother texture. It also eliminates the need for ice as you can use frozen fruit to cool and thicken the whole thing! 

* In general, when I am not recording a recipe for you I tend not to measure out ingredients to the millilitre or gram and prefer to use what I have on hand. As a general rule, I make sure that when adding the liquid it doesn't go over the top of the other ingredients. I have found this helps to achieve a nice thick smoothie!