Happy autumn and ginger smoothie season! Things have definitely gotten cosier and homier around here over the last week. It's been getting a lot colder outside and I've fully embraced my fall habits of bread making (7 loafs this week -some of which you'll see soon), oatmeal eating, and having 18 blankets on our bed- much to someone else's chagrin. One of my fall resolutions (do other people do these or am I alone?) this year was to make a conscious effort to drink more smoothies instead of reaching for the carb-laced cookies and toasts I love to snack on come these colder months. Luckily for me, my friends at The Juice Truck shared their gorgeous new book with me just in time for resolution season!
The Juice Truck Book
The Juice Truck is one of Vancouver's many fabulous juicy spots but it stands apart for so many reasons. Besides making my favourite cold-pressed juices (the Profile 10/10) and the best vegan soft serve in town, they offer a co-working space, host Steph Yu's Sunday Soulvice, co-host Mindful Movie nights with Erin Ireland, and help promote plant-based living through Plant-based Vancouver. Yeah, so basically they're all around amazing.
And naturally, their book is nothing short of beautiful! Well balanced with recipes for milk, smoothies, juices, and plant-based meals and sweets, it has everything you need to help find inspiration. I often find myself in ruts of making green-brown smoothies, so I was so thrilled when I saw how vibrant and flavourful their smoothie recipes are - such far cry from the pond scum I make.
This Ginger Smoothie
This ginger smoothie caught me right from the get-go. It's full of those warming autumn flavours like ginger and cinnamon that I LIVE for. It's the most tempting chocolate colour, and finally, it's bananaless! I know banana-less smoothies are having their own renaissance right now, which I love, but I understand they're not for everyone. This one replaces the banana with pumpkin (or in my case yam) so it isn't too far off in the sweet factor, and much more appealing to those who don't dig the cauliflower/zucchini-based smoothies. (And it's perfect for us since there is a banana smoothie hater among us, but I'm not pointing fingers). Combined with the fresh ginger and creamy avocado it's full of good fat, fibre, anti-inflammatory and mood-enhancing superfoods you can find at your average grocery store. Happy autumn smoothying to you all <3
THE GINGER SNAP SMOOTHIE
Recipe by Zach Berman, Ryan Slater, and Colin Medhurst. Reprinted with permission from Appetite by Random House, 2017
Ingredients
- 2 Thumb-Sized Pieces of Ginger, peeled
- 1/2 Cup Baked Pumpkin (1/3 Cup Canned). I opted for Cooked Yam
- 1/4 Avocado
- 1 Medjool Date, pitted
- 1 Tbsp. Cacao or Cocoa Powder
- Shake of Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. Vanilla Powder, or a splash of vanilla extract
- Plant-Based Milk
- A sprinkle of nutmeg for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add everything but the milk to a blender. Then top with enough almond milk (or plant based milk of choice) so that it comes up to the 500 ml mark on the Vitamix (if you're not using a Vitamix just add about 1 cup milk and see if you need more after blending).
- Puree until smooth. I tossed in some extra ice to make it nice and cold, but that's not necessary.
xox Sophie
Rachel @Clean Eating for the Non-Hippie says
Ooh, that's a whole lotta ginger going on -- sounds delish!!
Sophie says
Totally, like the ultimate cold fighting smoothie 😉 I've made this three times this week already, it's so warming and yum <3
Christine says
This smoothie sounds delicious and so Fall-appropriate. I also really love your photos - they just all look so serene yet inviting!
Sophie says
Thank you so much, Christine <3 And yes, this smoothie is so fall. I feel like fall smoothies are a revelation to me. I can't believe I was missing out for so long <3
Sarah | Well and Full says
I’m sooo glad banana-less smoothies are having their moment right now because there are so many other amazing flavors to explore via blended sips. And I find that bananas really make the whole smoothie super banana-y, so I’m down for this yammified version!
Sophie says
Yay, I'm so happy to hear that. As much as I like bananas its wonderful to have something different for a change <3
Ariana W says
This looks amazing and I'm thrilled there are no bananas. Your recipes (and shared recipes) are always so good. We make at least one of them every week. Seriously, I'm thinking of having a binder with just your recipes b/c I don't want them mingling with my other ones, they're that good. 🙂
Sophie says
Ha ha, Ariana!!! You're seriously the sweetest! A million thank yous <3 I'm so thrilled to hear you love the recipes, and I really hope you love this one too. I found banana-less smoothies hard to get into at first, but this avo-yam combo is key. xox
Laura says
I love bananas but unfortunately I'm intolerant so can only handle I tiny bit when it's very well cooked. It's the bane of my existence, truly. So, this smoothie is perfect for me! I'm a total ginger addict too, I've been loving fresh ginger grated into my porridge with a little maca and cinnamon recently. I'm going to have some leftover butternut squash next week so I'll definitely be trying this!
Sophie says
So sorry to hear that, Laura. Food intolerances stink. If you love ginger, then I know you'll love this smoothie. It's a ginger lovers paradise. And the butternut squash will be so nice and creamy, I can't wait <3 P.S. girrrrrl - that porridge!! It sounds incredible. Adding that to my "must make" list now <3
Maya | Spice + Sprout says
This looks amazing! When you first posted it on Instagram I got super excited because I thought they were serving this at the juice truck haha. I can settle for the recipe though 😉 Hope to see you soon! xx
Ruby says
I am so in love with the look of this smoothie! I'm no hater of banana-based smoothies, but I always like to switch things up and I loove the creaminess that avocado gives everything. Definitely saving this recipe to make this season xx