This recipe is for a simple, healthy, vegan smoothie. Not only is it extremely quick to put together, it’s also a great way to start the day.
I’m using more of my organic allotment strawberries here, and I would strongly advise you to use organic strawberries too – there are dozens of fungicides that are legally registered for use on strawberries, and many of them remain in the fruit after harvesting – in particular Fenhexamid, Iprodione, Pyrimethanil, Bupirimate and Cyprodinil show up consistently in test results on non-organic strawberries carried out by the Health & Safety Executive’s Pesticide Residues Committee. If you don’t know what any of these chemicals are or how safe they are for humans to ingest, then why risk it for the sake of saving a little money on the organic alternative, which tastes far superior anyway?
It’s not just yourself you protect when you choose organic strawberries. A recent study in the USA by the University of Maryland and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has shown that commonly used fungicides harm bees by increasing their susceptibility to parasitic infection.
The catastrophic effect of pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids, on our bee populations is already well documented, but this latest research into the impact of fungicides provides further evidence that intensive chemical-driven farming is simply not compatible with a healthy bee population. And without a healthy bee population to pollinate our crops we are in very serious trouble indeed.
Right, on to the recipe which takes, literally, just a few minutes.
For an even faster version you can throw the strawberries into the blender with the other ingredients if you prefer. Doing so would create a smoothie that is a uniform pink colour, but I prefer the contrasting colours and textures that are produced by preparing the strawberries separately.
banana, peanut butter and strawberry smoothie
Ingredients
100 g organic strawberries
1 banana
60 g organic peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
1 tbsp organic rolled oats
250 ml soy milk
Method
1. Hull the strawberries and chop them roughly before either blitzing them to a purée in a food processor or mashing them with a fork or spoon until you have a soft pulp.
2. Place all of the other ingredients – the peanut butter, banana, soy milk and rolled oats into a blender and process until smooth. Divide the strawberry pulp between two glasses then gently pour the smoothie mixture on top. Give it all a gentle swirl and then you’re done. Take your time to enjoy this smoothie, and by the end you’ll be ready to face anything that the day ahead throws at you.
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Categories: dairy free, gluten free, raw, vegan
Tags: bees, fungicides, neonicotinoids, organic, pesticides
I love the two-toned colors in this smoothie! Absolutely delicious looking.
Pinning!
Thanks Abbie. It tastes as good as it looks! 🙂
Steve
Ive just tried this and it’s a wonderful smoothie. The kids just love it.
Thanks for the info on pesticides in strawberries, I had no idea.
Hi Mark
Many thanks for the feedback, I’m delighted to hear the smoothie proved a success with your children.
Steve
Not quite smoothie time for us but have learnt this easy and moreish one off by heart !!
Thank you Eha, so pleased you like this. Steve x