I found this smoothie recipe from an Instagram I just followed recently called Another Hungry Vegan and let me just say my mind was officially blown. The recipe called for frozen pears and I didn’t have any frozen on account of the fact I literally went to the store and bought the ingredients primarily just for this smoothie. It would have been a great post workout smoothie yet of course I had it before my workout as a snack… and I could have made a million more.
To me, it tastes like a combination of sugar cookies, vanilla bean ice cream and a chai latte from Starbucks. A lot of flavor packed into this thick smoothie but it for sure will put a huge smile on your face. I was shocked to have a smoothie turn out so creamy without an avocado or banana but it did! Maybe it was from the sunflower seed butter… who knows. It was quite yum though. Here’s the recipe!
- 1 organic pear (frozen would help but I didn't have mine frozen)
- 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 tbsp sunflower seed butter (I used Trader Joe's which did have added evaporated cane juice which I'm against but it is cheaper than Whole Foods' brands)
- 3-5 drops liquid stevia
- 1-2 cups ice cubes
- 1 scoop SunWarrior Vanilla Vegan Protein Powder
- Combine ingredients and blend away!
- Add more liquid sweetener (could also use a few dates or maple syrup) to your liking.
- If you like your smoothie extra thick like I do - add more ice! I added maybe 3 handfuls.
- Pour into a large glass and drink away!
Like I said, I went to the store earlier yesterday just because I wanted to make this smoothie (Instagram loving problems when you’re a foodie) and I also bought a bag of Q’ia cereal. Q’ia is a great addition to your smoothies and oatmeal because it’s a combination of chia and hemp seeds for only $9 a bag. There are roughly 11 servings in a bag so it can last a while if you just sprinkle into/onto things and usually a bag of chia or hemp seeds alone costs over $10. I lived off of bags of Q’ia this past semester at school, always adding into my morning oatmeal. I definitely recommend looking into it/trying it!
I’ve tried each of the 3 flavors and my favorite is definitely the Apple Cinnamon but yesterday I decided to be plain and go with the original. Just chia, buckwheat groats and hemp seeds. It’s certified organic, packs 6g of protein into 2 tablespoons and is a great source of Omega-3s. I sprinkled some onto my Pear Sunflower smoothie and it added a nice crunchy texture.
Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Most likely will be having this for breakfast sometime in the next few days.
-Addie
