Summer = smoothie season! And since summer started on Sunday... 'tis the season! ;) My blender and I are *besties* during summatime -- and there is nothing more refreshing than a cold fruit smoothie to cool you down on a hot and sunny day! Plus, they're a great way to get vitamins and nutrients into your body (giving you a healthy boost of energy) - so you can't go wrong!
Yesterday, I was in the experimentin' mood and decided to add a few things that I don't normally throw in to my Monday morning breakfast smoothie. The first of these things was basil. We recently bought a basil plant, so I have been adding it into all sorts of things - and let me tell ya - fresh herbs are a TOTAL game changer. They add this irresistible layer of freshness to just about anything - and basil did not disappoint in this smoothie combo! The second thing I added was honey - because I knew honey / pineapple and honey / banana were great pairs. I suspected that when the 3 combined together, it would be nothing short of mAgiCaL. I also added a little bit of vanilla extract because, well, who doesn't love vanilla extract?! The end result was diviiiiiiiiine to say the least!
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 2 cups pineapple, cubed (approx 1/3 to 1/2 of a full pineapple) (preferably chilled or frozen)
- 1 banana, sliced (preferably frozen)
- 1/4 cup cold water (to help the fruit emulsify)
- 4-5 basil leaves, (plus 1-2 additional leaves for garnishing)
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- squeeze of lemon juice
WHAT TO DO:
My blender doesn't work as well when I load everything into it at once - so I usually like to add a little, blend a little, and then add a little more. I blended up my pineapple with the water first then added the banana. After that was all combined, I added the basil, honey, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Garnish with a slice of pineapple and a couple fresh basil leaves. Enjoy! :)
TIPS & THINGS TO TRY:
- Cut up your fruit and freeze / chill ahead of time. In my house, we usually keep cut up fruit in the fridge - ready to eat or throw into a blender at any time! Frozen bananas are especially good in smoothies - and will give the smoothie an ice-cream-like consistency. Thaw frozen fruit for 10-15 minutes before making your smoothie so that your blender doesn't hate you.
- If you don't use frozen or chilled fruit, I recommend throwing in 2-4 ice cubes to cool it down.
- Sub out the 1/4 cup water and squeeze of lemon juice for 1/4 cup lemonade if you have some homemade lemonade in your fridge! You could also probably try milk or orange juice - although I haven't tried either of those myself with this combo, those make great general smoothie additions.
- Try subbing out 1 cup pineapple for half of an avocado for an extra layer of silky smooth.
- You could leave out the honey if you don't want to add in the extra sugar content. Basil / pineapple / banana is still a yummy combo!
Happy smoothie-making!
*cheers* :)