Creamy Vegetables… that taste good in smoothie bowls

Creamy Vegetables That Taste Good In Smoothie Bowls

What do all these vegetables have in common?...a unique ability to blend up smooth and creamy, making them especially smoothie bowl friendly. Creamy vegetables are particularly handy if you are creating a smoothie bowl without bananas. Simply pair the vegetable with a ripe pear to create a similar sweet/creamy effect.

Creamy Vegetables That Taste Good In Smoothie Bowls Ingredients & Method

Creamy Vegetables That Taste Good In Smoothie Bowls Ingredients and Method

Butternut squash, cooked and cooled (or pumpkin)

Sweet, creamy butternut squash is a wonderful smoothie bowl companion. It takes on a baked pie quality when cooked cooled and blended. Add in some spices and natural sweeteners and you have secretly healthy, dessert worthy treat. The easiest way to prepare butternut squash is to buy it already peeled and cubed (fresh or frozen) and steam it. For an economical and waste free option, simply buy a butternut squash, cut in half length wise (it helps to microwave it for 3 minutes to soften it first) and scoop out the seeds. Using a serrated knife, carefully cut off the outer peel and cut it into cubes. Now it is ready to be steamed until soft.

Yam, cooked cooled and peeled (or sweet potato)

The joys of yams are many from a simple pocket snack to fancy holiday casseroles. Their sweet and creamy flesh also blend up beautifully, making them a wonderful addition to smoothie bowls. I also love the pretty orange color which looks so nice in orange colored recipes. Simply microwave a medium sized yam for about 5 minutes and let it cool. The skin will loosen as it cools making it easy to peel by hand. Cut the cooled and peeled yam into chunks and pop it in the blender!

Avocado

The avocado is the champion of smoothie bowls and all things blended. Funnily enough, avocados are actually a fruit because they fit all the botanical criteria of a single-seeded berry, but are classified as a vegetable by the USDA, based on common usage. Choose avocados that are slightly soft but not mushy. The stone can be easily removed by cutting the vege/fruit in half lengthwise and taking a knife to pop out the pit. If the pit is stuck tight, the avocado may not be quite ripe yet.

Zucchini, raw and skin on

Mild and nearly seedless, the humble zucchini is essentially undetectable in smoothie bowls. It’s a master chameleon, adding nutrients, fiber and bulk without disturbing the overall flavor of the bowl. Green zucchini is perfect for green smoothie bowls while yellow zucchini works well in recipes where a lighter color is desired. Zucchini blends best raw so simply slice it up and add it to the blender. Zucchini is a prolific grower and you’ll likely find them in abundance at your local farmers market in the summertime. Choose smaller zucchinis with a nice firm skin, as the larger ones can taste “woody”.

Cauliflower, steamed and frozen

This secretly creamy vegetable is a wonderful way to add low calorie, high fiber nutrients to your diet. In fact, cauliflower contains some of almost every vitamin and mineral that you need. The simplest way to prepare cauliflower for smoothie bowls is to buy it already cut into florets (either fresh or frozen), steam it until it is soft when pierced with a fork and put it into freezer friendly containers with the quantity labeled on the top. (2 cup portions are handy) For an economical and waste free option, you can also buy fresh whole heads of cauliflower, cut them into florets, steam and then freeze them.

Cauliflower that is slightly thawed blends up creamier than fully frozen florets, as the blender has something to grab onto. So, pop the cauliflower in the microwave for 30 seconds or so before blending.