Providing a beneficial combination of complex carbohydrates, protein, fibre and essential fatty acids, this makes a sustaining, filling breakfast smoothie. Pears with their sweet, almost creamy texture are surprisingly low in calories, which makes them great value when you are craving something sweet, but are keeping an eye on calories.
2 small bananas, peeled and frozen
2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped
200 ml/generous ¾ cup coconut drinking milk
1 tablespoon soya powder or other protein powder (see page 18)
seeds from 4 cardamom pods, ground
1 teaspoon ground flaxseeds (see page 16)
SERVES 2
Put the bananas, pears, coconut drinking milk, soya protein, cardamom seeds and half the flaxseeds in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve sprinkled with the remaining flaxseeds.
pears may be low in calories due to their high water content but they provide a wealth of nutrients from vitamins C and K to potassium and manganese. In naturopathic medicine, they are often used as a laxative and diuretic and they are also the most hypoallergenic of fruits, which is useful if you are prone to allergies or intolerances.