Monday, November 10, 2014

Not Your Average Smoothie: Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Recipe


It's fall and I'm pregnant. That means I have weird cravings for all things pumpkin. I was recently contacted by Williams-Sonoma with a challenge to create "Not Your Average Smoothie". My response? Challenge accepted.

I wanted to incorporate an unexpected ingredient and thought of the pie crust in a pumpkin pie. A graham cracker is blended into the smoothie and the spices meld together perfectly for a quick ode to my favorite Thanksgiving dessert. Since I am plant-based, I opted for almond milk and vegan cream cheese (yet another unexpected ingredient). The banana gives the smoothie a creamy texture and can hardly be tasted amongst the pumpkin puree.

Fun fact: Since it was so late at night when I wrote this recipe, I didn't want to disturb my roomies. I ended up using an immersion blender instead of my standard blender. It was much quieter and I was surprised at how quickly it blended the bananas into the smoothie!

Try out this recipe the next time you crave this fall favorite. If you have a variation, I'd love to hear it! For now, enjoy this early Thanksgiving treat.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
yields 2 cups

Ingredients
1 frozen banana
3/4 c, pumpkin puree
2/3 c. unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp. vegan cream cheese
1 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 large graham cracker
1/8 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of cloves
Dash of nutmeg
Dash of allspice

Directions
1. Cut the banana into smaller pieces and add pumpkin, milk, cream cheese, and agave nectar.
2. Crumble the graham cracker into the smoothie and blend in spices.
3. Serve chilled with topping options below.

Topping Options
Soyatoo soy whip cream
Crumbled graham cracker
Cherry (Because, why not?)



Tried this recipe and realize you have extra pumpkin? Double up on your desserts and make a batch of Pumpkin Spice Oat cookies.

Kelsey is a passionate vegan living in Houston, Texas, spreading the word about the benefits of eating a healthy, plant-based diet. She's also a minimalist enthusiast, a self-proclaimed financial guru of her household, and founder of The Little Red Journal.

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