Banana Date Smoothie With Ginger and Cardamom Recipe

Before we go any further, do you have frozen bananas in your freezer? What do you mean no? Go, freeze some immediately! Frozen bananas are like the starter kit for smoothies, cocktails and ice cream shakes. Just peel them, break in half and toss them into a plastic bag. It'll take you just a few seconds to do and will be well worth it.

Now that the bananas are freezing, let's talk about smoothies. As popular as they are here now, yogurt based beverages have been a Middle Eastern staple for centuries. There are so many flavor combinations that you could probably go a long time without repeating a smoothie. And yes, they can be a good way to bury hidden vegetables which is why so many of them are green. Nothing wrong with tossing a little spinach or kale in there but this particular smoothie is all fruit and protein.

Building a healthy smoothie should be no more complicated than simply tossing ingredients into a blender and hitting the on switch. Thus making it easy for those who aren't quite fully awake at breakfast and need a simple option that doesn't involve a stop at the doughnut store.

First off, the all important frozen banana. Next, the Greek yogurt. It doesn't actually have to be Greek style but that thick, strained yogurt will help to keep the smoothie thick and creamy. Ideally choose the unsweetened yogurts but you can use any fat level from low to full fat. All will work fine in a smoothie. Next, all smoothies need a little sweetness. Honey is a great natural sweetener and common in the Middle Eastern kitchen. But so are dates and they are actually better here. Not only do they add flavor as well as sweetness but, like the strained yogurt, they help to keep the smoothie thick.

Finally, you need to choose your flavorings, in this case ginger and cardamom. It doesn't take much fresh ginger to get both the taste and the little kick of heat and the cardamom perfumes the smoothie so beautifully. A quick blitz in the blender and you have a healthy breakfast that's also portable. Just pour it into a bottle, grab a straw and head out to start your day.