January 29, 2009

Banana Basil Smoothie (recipe)

Since mid-December I have spent my weekdays consuming mostly raw dishes and drinks. Smoothies in particular have become my staple breakfasts (and sometimes stand in for lunch and dinner as well!). They can be simple, just 2 or 3 ingredients, or elaborate, containing everything but the kitchen sink. This recipe for a Banana-Basil smoothie veers towards the simpler side of the spectrum which is why I like it so much. Submitted by a reader to GoneRaw.com (one of my favourite sites for raw recipes), I was first a bit wary to make it because basil and banana just didn’t strike me as a winning combination. Let alone basil in a beverage. Then I thought of mints and mojitos and thought, well maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Well it’s far from bad, in fact it’s pretty darn good! The basil turns this from just being another banana smoothie and transforms it into something slightly more complex, something slightly more sophisticated. Because we always have bananas on hand, and we grow our own basil, this is one drink that I have been making rather regularly especially when I get those mid- evening cravings but am not quite yet ready for ‘dinner’ 😉

Banana Basil Smoothie
Source: GoneRaw.com

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe bananas, peeled, chopped
10 fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup filtered water
2 tablespoons agave (or raw honey)

METHOD:

1. Blend the ingredients in a blender until liquefied and smooth.
2. Serve immediately or chill the smoothie in the refrigerator for an hour or until ready to serve.