banana cardamom shake

If you know a banana is about to go over the hill, you have two options: plan on making banana bread, or peel and freeze. Frozen bananas make smoothies thick and creamy, and can serve as the primary sweetener. If the banana in this smoothie isn't frozen, the result is goopy rather than thick and creamy, and is less refreshingly cold. Coconut butter (blended young coconut meat) makes this smoothie even richer and thicker. You can replace it with raw almond butter, although this will result in a slightly more bitter, earthy, and less decadent smoothie (which may not be all bad).

Serves 2

1 cup nondairy milk

2-3 pitted soft dates, chopped

2 tablespoons coconut butter (not coconut oil)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 large frozen banana (140g)

2 ice ( g) ice cubes

Blend the milk, dates, coconut butter, and cardamom until the dates are completely broken down. Add the banana and ice cubes and blend until just creamy.