Part of what makes a smoothie bowl, or a smoothie for that matter, appealing, is that its really not a science. You cant “go wrong”. Its a mixture of flavours you can add and tweak, adjusting to fit your tastebuds. Which is a good thing, right? Every week I meet so many people who are nervous to take that first step into “cooking” because they are scared to make a mistake, thing is, you really can’t. That’s why I thought I’d talk about getting down to the basics of making a beautiful meal.
At first glance you may look at this and think, thats pretty elaborate, decorative, artistic etc. And yeah, it can look that way, but honest to buddha truth, its so straight easy and I’ll tell you why. What to you is a beautiful meal? Is it satisfying, visually appealing, noursihing, wholesome etc etc etc? what does it take to make that happen? Breaking it down into steps it can truthfully be as simple as this…
- Take the judgment and expectation away
- Focus on simplicity. (fewer ingredients does not make you a lesser cook)
- Stay true to quality. Flavours that you can highlight. Fresh and whole.
- Pick a focal point/Flavour- What about your dish do you want your guests to remember?
- Remember to eat with your eyes. Presentation is literally the icing on the cake
For this recipe, I wanted to play with the flavour of vanilla, and more importantly, highlight it with Lavender. My friend, Emily brought back this delicious, gorgeous lavender for me a while back and ever since then I have been sneaking it in anyways I can. And this is a perfect example of simplicity, quality and flavour, and I’ve really just dressed it up for my eyes which as a result helps with digestion, satisfaction and nourishment. True story. Fact. When you look at your food your body begins to understand what its about to do and so your digestive juices start flowing. Isn’t that fascinating. SO being mindful of this aspect is a really important quality on our foods. Not necessarily to make it pretty, but make it pretty appealing. If that to you is a gooey plate of cheese, or a runny egg yolk, then have at it. But for me, this is comfort right here.
- side note, we all know how lavender has calming properties, right? try ingesting it and mixing it with Bananas that have tryptophan in them, and oh, em, drool. Like the most calm after. Like xanax in a bowl minus the pharmaceuticals etc etc etc. So next time you are stressed, mix yourself up a bowl of the other green stuff
RECIPE
vegan, gluten free
INGREDIENTS
- 2 frozen Bananas approx
- 1 scoop Vanilla protein ( i like garden of life organic plant based)
- 1 + cups of Almond milk or non dairy of your choice
- 1/2-1 tsp of Spirulina
- 1 tsp food grade Lavender
Mix Ins
- Lavender ( i felt sooooo calm and relaxed after this bowl, a few sprinklings of this delightful flavour did NOT overpower and in fact had me craving more)
- Bee Pollen
- Hemp Hearts
Its your bowl, so you can get creative. Cacao, nuts, goji, granola, coconut. Get wild, man.
METHOD
you know what the beauty of a smoothie bowl is….
You dump, blend, serve and nosh
Hold off on the Spirulina until the end to get the shade aqua you prefer. You are an artiste after all. (side note, was never a sandwich artist so maybe i can call myself a smoothie artist. why not?)
Voila, you are a chef 😉
Add your mix in’s and get creative.
Fact. When you look at your food your body begins to understand what its about to do and so your digestive juices start flowing. Isn’t that fascinating. SO being mindful of this aspect is a really important quality on our foods.
