shlomo smoothie

I first became interested in the blogging phenomenon when I found a few incredible blogs (see the list of who I'm following) with delicious recipes, beautiful photos, and lovely writing. I have taken much inspiration from these blogs and finally decided that maybe I could do something like that too. I am terrified by trying to take pretty pictures of food - it is so much more difficult that I would have thought - but I intend to try. Until I got married less than 2 years ago I had little interest in cooking. Eating, sure. But cooking never did much for me. My mother is still surprised when I tell her about all the interesting recipes I've tried recently. I guess I decided that I have to eat and I like to eat good, healthy, whole foods, so I should learn how to make them myself. Since then cooking has become one of my greatest hobbies.  At times cooking is sort of a creative outlet for me; at others it is a time when I can relax and enjoy following somebody else's instructions rather than worrying about what I need to do next. In some ways it reminds me of when I worked in a neuroscience laboratory. There is a certain peacefulness to following the rules and standard methods, but every now and then inspiration strikes and you may stumble upon something really great. Unlike research, the end result is almost always satisfying, and you don't have to work for years in order to reach it.

This smoothie has become a favorite evening snack for me, but it would be appropriate for any time of day and would probably make a great breakfast. It is a very healthy alternative to ice cream and really is good enough that you won't want any ice cream. It does take a little bit of planning, because you have to freeze the bananas ahead of time, but they give this smoothie a perfectly creamy texture. I always buy a few extra bananas and when they are nice and ripe I break them into about 1" pieces and store them in a plastic bag in a freezer, that way I always have some ready to go.

Shlomo Smoothie Recipe:
2 frozen bananas, broken into small pieces
1 cup milk
1 1/2 T. cocoa powder
1/4 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon (optional)
1 T. peanut butter

1. Combine the bananas and milk in a blender. The bananas tend to stick together and get caught in between the blades, so you may have to break them up occassionally with a metal spoon.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

This is so easy that I don't usually measure the ingredients at all. You really can vary it a lot, too. It could easily be made dairy-free by substituting soy or almond milk. If you are allergic to peanuts (or just don't like them) it's good without the peanut butter. Starting with just the bananas, milk, and cocoa I have also added a few drops of peppermint extract and some chocolate chips. This makes a great mint chocolate chip shake. It's also good with some irish cream!

[In case you are wondering about the name... it is the first name of a twentieth century scholar of ancient and medieval philosophy. My husband was telling me about this man one night while we were drinking this smoothie. I just couldn't get over the sound of his name and now that's what we always call this smoothie.]