Mango-licious Cauliflower Pineapple Banana Smoothie

Recipe: Vegan, Gluten-Free

Hi, everyone! After going on vacation and then playing catch-up, I am finally posting a new recipe on here! I hope you all are doing as well as possible as you are reading this! :)

The other day when I was talking on the phone with a very kind woman who knew that I was an RD, she asked me what ingredients I like to use in my smoothies. After sharing some ideas with her, it dawned upon me that I don’t make smoothies very frequently. This is probably because I typically prefer to eat my produce versus drink it. I like the process of sitting at the table and enjoying my meals, bite by bite. But there are times when it’s really convenient or just plain refreshing to sip that deliciouness in a glass.

As fate would have it, one day prior to my smoothie conversation, I was happily reading an article called, “In Season: Cauliflower,” in the Rachael Ray Every Day magazine, September 2017 issue. The article mentioned that cauliflower is currently being used more frequently in smoothies. Yep. Cauliflower!

Given that cauliflower can be blended to generate a creamy effect in soups and sauces, it makes sense that it can be used in a similar way in smoothies – without its mellow flavor being very detectable.

After having had my smoothie conversation on the phone and having realized that I just had to try cauliflower in a glass, I created a few different types of cauliflower smoothies over the weekend. Naturally, I asked Colin (Hubby/super honest taste tester = Invaluable) to try out my different concoctions. One of his most favorite smoothies is the one that I’m sharing with you today. This Mango-licious Cauliflower Pineapple Banana Smoothie is tropical, subtly sweet, and offers almost one serving of vegetables (1 cup of cauliflower is equivalent to one serving of vegetables). If you want to make this smoothie even sweeter, add the rest of the banana (If you use ½ of the banana you can slice and freeze the other half for future smoothies in a freezer bag or freeze container)!

Yield: 1 Serving (Around 2 cups)

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup unsweetened almond/coconut milk (Preferably Califa Farms Unsweetened Almondmilk or Califa Farms Toasted Coconut Almondmilk Blend)

*-3/4 cup cauliflower (Frozen) (See cook’s note)

-1 cup ripe mango, diced (1 mango)

-¼ cup pineapple, chunks (Fresh or frozen)

-1/2 small banana (About 2 inches of banana, frozen or fresh)

-1/4 tsp ground ginger (Spicely’s “Organic Ginger Ground” is listed as “Certified gluten-free”) (Or freshly grated ginger)

-1/2 tsp of fresh lime juice

*I chop the cauliflower florets into smaller pieces to help with the blending process. Blending frozen cauliflower or frozen fruit creates a frothy effect in a smoothie. If your blender does not easily blend frozen produce, then you might want to partially thaw the quantity of cauliflower that you’re using - in the refrigerator or microwave - in order to blend the florets more easily.

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

Note: If you’re looking for some extra protein, you can add your favorite protein powder or a tablespoon of nut butter.