Gingersnap Smoothie

So when you see “Gingersnap Smoothie,” you are probably already thinking this one of those decadent “smoothies” that is one blurred line away from really being a dessert.  Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re wrong!  As smoothies go, this one has plenty of redeeming nutritional qualities: you get calcium and vitamin D in the almond milk, iron and magnesium in the molasses, vitamins A and C and fiber in the sweet potato . . .

Wait, what?  Sweet potato?  In a smoothie?

Yes.

Fooled you, didn’t I? You would never guess that it’s lurking in there.

This is exactly the point of the “Not Your Typical Smoothie” theme for this week’s Williams-Sonoma Smoothie Week.  When they contacted me to challenge me to come up with a smoothie containing an unusual ingredient or technique, I didn’t hesitate to accept.  (By the way, if you are looking to get a new blender to make some smoothies, check out their selection here!)

Think about it, a smoothie is a perfect place to sneak in all kinds of healthy things to serve to an unsuspecting kid or spouse.  I’ve been making smoothies with baby spinach, kale, and fruit for a couple years and Mr. Spice loves them, whereas if I serve vegetables with dinner, he might only take a token amount.  In fact, the other day I threw in some carrots into our smoothie and he never knew!

One ingredient that I wish I could put into my smoothies is banana, but unfortunately I’m allergic to them.  Because of this, my smoothies sometimes lack that “thickness” that a banana provides.  But now that I’ve crossed the line and tried adding a sweet potato, I think I could easily substitute it for a banana in a smoothie recipe.  Now I’ve got some new smoothie combinations to play with!

What “secret” ingredient do you put in your smoothies?

 

Gingersnap Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup cooked sweet potato

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

pinch ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. molasses

ice cubes

1-2 gingersnap cookies (optional, but recommended)

Preparation

Place all ingredients in blender, blend until smoothie reaches your desired consistency.

Enjoy!