Gosh, it’s been a while since I posted a smoothie recipe! No reason, really, except that my smoothie cravings are minimal in the January deep freeze. It’s been all oats for breakfast lately, all the time. Still, I tend to forget that smoothies don’t have to be freezing cold: one can use a non-frozen banana, for example, to achieve a warmer blend. And even if I don’t want something room temperature or cool when I wake up, who’s to say that I don’t want a mean, green, nutrient packed afternoon snack? This smoothie–a banana, pear, avocado, and hempseed blend–is the perfect antidote to the afternoon energy slump, and it’s delicious, too.
I first discovered the beauty of apples and pears in smoothies two years ago, when I whipped up an apple pie smoothie that knocked my socks off. I’d never really thought to blend these fruits up; for me, so much of the joy of eating them was the crunch. Since then, I’ve appreciated the thick texture and subtle sweetness that apples and pears lend to smoothie blends, as well as the fact they present a break from the more traditional array of tropical smoothie flavors.
In this smoothie, I pear a super traditional smoothie base (banana) with sweet pear, creamy avocado and hempseeds, baby kale, parsley, a touch of lemon, and a beautiful dose of creamy almond milk. The results are delicious; the blend is reminiscent of a green juice, thanks to the parsley, lemon, and mildly bitter greens, but it has all of the thickness and sweet satisfaction of a traditional smoothie. It’s also highly nourishing, full of healthy fats, natural sugars, and nutrient packed greens. I hope you’ll try it and enjoy it as much as I do!
Banana, Pear, Avocado and Hempseed Smoothie
Author -Ingredients
- 1 ripe ripe banana frozen
- 1 small ripe pear, peeled, cored, and quartered
- 1/4 large or 1/2 small Hass avocado
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1 cup Dole® Power Up Greens™ Baby Kale and Greens or greens of choice (spinach, kale, collards, and chard are all fine here)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon hemp seeds
- 1 1/4 cups almond milk
- 1 pitted medjool date optional
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients till smooth. Serve, garnished with parsley if desired!
Smoothies may not be my wintertime go-to, but I do so enjoy them every time I make one. Such an easy and delightful way to pack in a wide array of nutrients.
That’s it for tonight, friends. On the blog tomorrow, a vegan taco idea for Superbowl Sunday (or really, any day) that’s as easy as it is savory and filling. I hope you’ll love it — see you soon!
xo
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Hi,thank you for the recipes!
what kind of blender did you use for this recipe? it looks fantastic!
This smoothie looks so amazing! When I get a new blender this will be the first smoothie I make!
Looking at this smoothie is making me all of a sudden very parched! It looks so refreshing!
I really gotta try adding pears in smoothies.
I’ve been trying to add more greens to my daily routine -this looks like a delicious way to do that!
Yum! Sounds great! I love putting pear in a smoothie, I haven’t tried anything like this combo though. I think I might try it with hemp milk.
I made this for my son (18 months) the other day, and he absolutely loved it. Thanks for a wonderful recipe, Gena!
This smoothie is such a beautiful color, and it sounds delicious to boot! I definitely like the fresh banana plan a lot. And I’ve never tried hemp seeds! They are going on my to-find list now. 🙂
I hate apples in smoothies! Haha! But pears! Yes! and I love the parsley. Adding fresh herbs to smoothies makes them taste so FRESH!
Does Dole have organic products? If not, this does not seem too true to your blog? I have never seen anything Dole organic, but I am willing to admit that might be because I am in a small town in Maine.
Hi Hope,
They do have an organics program, which they’ve expanded a lot in recent years: http://www.doleorganic.com/
Hopefully it’ll soon be more widespread and more visible!
This looks awesome! Love the addition of avocado and lemon — so refreshing.
Ugh, product placement and Dole?? I don’t know, it’s such a turn-off and feels strange in a vegan blog especially as Dole has had quite a bit of controversy with its company ethics. The recipe is great on its own without the additional advertisement.
Gena,
I very much appreciate your follow-up. I am sure a lot of bloggers wouldn’t take the time to dig into something like this, but you did, and I am grateful. There is a lot to debate about this whole issue, but you nailed it when you called the pacement “jarring.” So again, thank you, from a loyal reader.
Agreed. I love this blog, but the Dole company product placement makes my skin crawl. With a well-documented record of human rights abuses around the globe, in addition to partnering with Monsanto (!!!) in the past, I would not be too keen on buying their products…
agreed.
Hi Jae, Lauren G, and Joss,
Thanks for your comments. I want you to know that they’ve been heard, and I appreciate your thoughts. I’ve seen many positive things from Dole so far — their excitement about implementing an organics program in keeping with consumer demand (and a willingness to change), tons of nutrition initiatives pushing fruits and vegetables, lots of concern with public education. But I take what you say seriously and will do more of my own research about this and consider the placement of the Dole recipe in this post.
I appreciate that you all read and enjoy my blog, and please know that comments like these always help to incite more consciousness on my part.
G
A quick follow up to my last comment: I spent some time in the last few days thinking about the ad and how it fits in with the messaging and ethos of my blog. I think that those of you who commented were right to suggest that it was out of place and jarring to readers. I’ve taken it down and let the folks at Dole know. I appreciate the feedback you gave me.
This looks sooo good! The green colour is gorgeous!
Wow, this smoothie looks amazing. I am going to make it for my kids tomorrow morning as I have all the ingredients. Is the smoothie sweet or savory?
We love pear in our smoothies. I am making for my family on a regular basis a smoothie with pear, chia seeds, cacao, and coconut milk. It is delicious!
I am so happy to add your smoothie to our rotation. Thank you, Gena!
Such a pretty smoothie! Love the addition of avocado 🙂
This looks so refreshing and filling at the same time! I have yet to try pears in smoothies but I absolutely love them!