Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie Recipe

This recipe is adapted from nutrition pioneer Adele Davis' invention "pep-up," which she recommended people drink daily. Hers was extremely heavy on the dairy and also included orange juice, which I personally cannot drink due to the sugar and acidity. My version retains the high protein and vitamin punch but is vegan.

The Recipe
2 cups non-dairy milk
2 ripe bananas
2 heaping tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp hemp powder
1 tsp flax oil
1 tbsp wheat germ

Blend in a blender til smooth, enjoy plain or over ice. Serves 2.

The Nutritional Details
Non-dairy milk: Soy has the highest protein, but if you don't like or can't digest soy, use almond, rice, or hemp milk, as protein is coming from other sources in the recipe. All of the non-dairy milks are generally calcium and Vitamin D enriched to match cow's milk with none of the unwanted cholesterol, lactose, hormones, etc.

Bananas: I think it's unnecessary to go into why bananas are good for you ;) It's a fruit, it automatically has stuff you need, and if you use a nice ripe one it renders the smoothie sweet without added sugar.

Peanut Butter: high in protein when combined with grain, which is coming from the wheat germ. PLEASE read the label and get a peanut butter which reads "Peanuts" or "Peanuts, Salt." Peanut butter does not need and should not have ANY other ingredients! Don't be fooled by "Skippy Natural" and its ilk, it has added sugar and oil. Peanut butter is naturally high in good fats and does not need (eek!) hydrogenated oils to "thicken" it.

Nutritional Yeast: very, very high in the B vitamins, including B-12, which is only present in a few foods and not many of them vegetable, so it behooves vegans to eat a bit of it now and then (although the myths that vegans are keeling over from B-12 deficiencies left and right are silly, so don't fall victim to them! A cheeseburger doesn't have B-12 either. Unless they're eating organ meat every day, carnivores are not getting a super high amount of B-12 either. Rant over.)

Hemp Powder: boosts the protein content (hemp is one of the few vegetable sources which is a complete protein on its own) but if you don't like it or can't find it, it isn't essential.

Flax Oil: excellent vegan source of Omega-3s, which are commonly known to be found in fish

Wheat Germ: also has a host of B vitamins and is very high in vitamin E, contributes fiber, and combines with the PB for a complete protein.

All the ingredients can be found at a health food store, online, or at the Fourth Street Food Co-Op. Bottoms up!!