I love smoothies as they offer a quick and nutritious snack, and often are a great way to make sure we get more fruits and vegetables in our diet. I don’t substitute my meals with a smoothie, and I don’t think you should either. They are rather a great way to start your day, and offer a delicious alternative when you need a little pick-me-up in the afternoon. But the recipe I’m about to share with you today takes smoothies to another level. You could say this is a meal by itself. It is really filling, and certainly it is a nutrition bomb, as it contains so much goodness. It kept me full for a few hours before I needed to eat something else, and that’s no surprise considering what’s in it! You might be a little surprised as you read the ingredients, but trust me, and give this recipe a go! It will pleasantly surprise you. I found it so delicious and satisfying and I’m definitely going to make it more often.
The thickness and creaminess of this smoothie is just out of this world and all this is thanks to the steamed and frozen cauliflower. Wait, cauliflower in a smoothie? That’s just not right, you might think. Well, you’re up for a big surprise my friend. First of, it’s important that you use steamed and not raw cauliflower – it is much easier on your digestion and it will reduce the bitter taste of the cauliflower. In fact, I promise you, you won’t even notice there is cauliflower in the smoothie! Steamed and frozen cauliflower is a great base for a smoothie that will give it a nice, thick texture. What I like to do is steam a whole head of cauliflower, separate the florets and put them in the freezer in advance. This way I have them on hand when I’m cooking, or for smoothies like this one. 😉 Cauliflower is packed with nutrition so make sure you eat more of it.
I love baked sweet potatoes, and as I happened to have some in the fridge, I decided to throw them in the smoothie too. The creaminess and rich flavor they offered to the smoothie perfectly complements the cauliflower. Told you it might sound weird at first, but stay with me! A few dates, cacao and a pinch of salt and we’re pretty much there! The brazil nut, hemp seeds and almond butter offer some healthy fats (you can omit the hemp seeds and brazil nut to make it lower in calories) and give the smoothie it’s nice flavor. And the cacao and cinnamon are the final two ingredients that will make this smoothie taste amazing.
Note: I have used a vanilla plant protein powder for this smoothie (this one to be exact) so without it the smoothie will have a different flavor!
I enjoyed it after a serious workout (I ate it with a small spoon :)), and it gave me such a burst of energy.
I hope you’ll give it a try; it is definitely amongst my current favorites! Here is the recipe:
Creamy Sweet Potato Smoothie
Ingredients
- 4-5 big florets of steamed and frozen cauliflower
- 1 small baked sweet potato
- 2 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tsp hemp seeds
- 1 Brazil nut
- 1 tsp cacao
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 scoop of Vanilla plant based protein powder
- about 150-200ml oat milk (depending on how thick you want your smoothie)
- a pinch of salt
Directions
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until thick and creamy.
- Pour in a glass and top up with some coconut flakes, hemp seeds and some more almond butter.
- Enjoy!
