rounded tablespoon tahini
1½ frozen bananas, cut into
chunks (1¼ cups)
Scant ¼ teaspoon ground
cinnamon
¼ teaspoon maple extract
(sub vanilla extract)
Pinch sea salt
Place all ingredients in the order listed in a high-powered blender, and
blend until smooth and creamy. Feel free to add more coconut milk or
water (I prefer the former) by the tablespoon as needed to get things
moving. Enjoy immediately.
NOTE
Want to make this a
green smoothie? Just throw
in a few handfuls of fresh
organic baby spinach.
L L’s Daily Fruit-Free
Green Smoothie
| HANDS-ON TIME: 5 min | TOTAL TIME: 5 min | YIELD: 1 serving |
I acknowledge that avocado is technically a fruit, so this smoothie’s title
is a misnomer. That said, because avocado is so low in carbohydrates
and high in fat, we are exempting it from the fruit category for our
purposes. One of the most popular recipes from my first book is the LL’s
Daily Green Smoothie. While I still love that smoothie, I wanted to offer
an alternative that’s lower in sugar. Using avocado instead of banana
maintains the thick, creamy consistency that I adore in smoothies, while
taking the sugar count down considerably. A generous dollop of almond
butter provides protein and a mild nutty flavor. As with my original green
smoothie, you won’t taste the spinach at all. You can also try swapping
half or all of it for frozen kale.
1¼ cups chilled unsweetened
almond milk
¼ medium avocado, peeled
and pitted
¾ cup frozen chopped
organic spinach
2 tablespoons unsweetened,
unsalted almond butter
(sub peanut butter)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
12 drops liquid stevia, or to taste
Pinch sea salt (optional)
Place all ingredients in the order listed in a high-powered blender, and
blend until smooth and creamy. Feel free to add more almond milk to
reach your desired consistency. Enjoy immediately.
Ideas for
LEFTOVER AVOCADO
Store leftover avocado tightly wrapped in plastic wrap with the pit still in
to preserve freshness. You can use the leftovers on toast with salt, pepper,
onion powder, and a drizzle of lime or lemon juice. Or plan to make
LL’s Sweetgreen Order Salad (page 275) or Cashew Kimchi Lettuce Cups (page 137). It also makes a great topper for BBQ Sweet Potato Tofu Tacos (page 81). Or simply make this smoothie throughout the week.
Low-Sugar PB&J
Smoothie Bowl
| HANDS-ON TIME: 5 min | TOTAL TIME: 5 min | YIELD: 1 serving |
If you’re at all familiar with my recipes, you know that PB&J is a theme
throughout! I mean, why reinvent the wheel when something just works
so well? Here, that iconic combination shows up in a low-sugar smoothie
bowl that is creamy, satisfying, and contains a whole cup of cauliflower
rice. That plus organic berries? Hellooo fiber and antioxidants! I swear
you can’t taste the cauliflower. Whenever I eat this smoothie bowl, I have
the most incredible sustained energy throughout the morning. I love to
top mine with thawed berries or sliced banana, an extra drizzle of peanut
butter, and a handful of granola (not keto-friendly).
¾ cup canned coconut milk
(full-fat or light)
¼ cup filtered water
1 cup frozen cauliflower rice
1¼ cups mixed frozen organic
berries (can sub 1½ cups of
raspberries or blueberries)
2 tablespoons unsweetened,
unsalted peanut butter
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
12 drops liquid stevia, or
more to taste
Place all ingredients in the order listed in a high-powered blender,
and blend until smooth, using the help of a tamper. Add 1 tablespoon
coconut milk at a time if you need help getting the mixture moving. Taste
