Mix and Match Smoothies

I wanted to post a smoothie recipe for Breakfast Week. When I was trying to decide which one, I realized that most smoothies have the same basic ingredients: fruit, something creamy, a liquid and a sweetener. I thought that providing a Chinese menu of sorts plus a recipe would help you create smoothies specifically tailored to your tastes and eating plan.

There is no easier, more portable breakfast than an ice cold, creamy smoothie. I like to drink mine out of a beer glass (it makes me feel naughty), but you might want to put yours in a travel mug and hit the road.

To make a delicious smoothie, pick one item from each column below. You want roughly 1 part creamy to 2 parts liquid to 2-3 parts fruit, a hint of sweetener and maybe one or more of the extras. For two servings, your amounts would be about ½ cup creamy, 1 cup liquid, 1½ cups fruit and 1 tsp sweetener.

If you use vanilla yogurt or vanilla almond milk, I would skip the sweetener altogether. If you use frozen fruit, you probably won’t need ice cubes. I like to partially defrost frozen chunks of fruit (strawberries, peaches, mango, etc.) in the microwave so that they are still icy, but not frozen solid. Put your icy ingredients (frozen fruit or ice cubes) in the bottom of the blender, then add everything else. You may find that you want to adjust the ratio of creamy to liquid. I tend to like my smoothies on the thin side so I can drink them without having to use a spoon.

  * Don’t use any sweetener with this option.
 ** Don’t use if fruit is frozen or partially frozen.
*** Thanks to E.A. Stewart, The Spicy RD for these suggestions!

Obviously, I’m not going to provide nutritional information for each combination that’s possible from the chart above. If you make something specific, comment on this post with the ingredients you used and the amounts and I’ll provide a nutritional analysis for your special smoothie. Also, if you think of another ingredient that should be in the chart, let me know and I’ll add it.

The particular recipe below is low in Cholesterol, Saturated Fat and Sodium and is a good source of Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and Calcium.

Strawberry Banana Tofu Smoothie with Candied Ginger

Adapted from Diabetes Forecast (September 2011)

½ cup frozen whole strawberries
1 tsp candied ginger, finely minced
1 banana, peeled and cut into chunks
1¼ cups soy milk
½ cup soft tofu, cut into chunks
1 tsp honey

Slightly defrost frozen strawberries in microwave. You want them still icy, but not frozen solid. Place in bottom of blender with candied ginger. Add remaining ingredients and purée until smooth. Serve immediately in tall glasses.

Makes 2 servings
Per serving: 212 calories, 4g fat (1g sat), 0mg cholesterol, 79mg sodium, 39g carb, 3g fiber, 26g sugar, 7g protein