Berry-Bean Smoothie

The garbanzo beans (chickpeas) give an added protein punch to this smoothie, but don’t alter the flavor. No one will even know that they are mixed right in with the berries!

Berry-Bean Smoothie

Ingredients

(Level 1-2)

3 cups mixed frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)

1 banana, frozen

½ cup garbanzo beans, (canned, home-cooked or sprouted)

1 TBSP chia seeds

1 TSP stevia

1 handful spinach

juice of ½ lemon

*1/2 – 3/4 Cup extra liquid (water, soy or almond milk) to help blend

(Level 3)

Follow the recipe for Level 1 & 2, but you can substitute 2 TBSP raw honey or Sucanat for the stevia.

Preparation

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste for sweetness and adjust.

*If you don’t have a high speed blender, like a Vita Mix, you will probably need to add some extra liquid in order to get this smoothie to blend well.

Makes 2 large smoothies.

*Recipe and image courtesy of Sheryl Ellinwood, co-author of Three Plates at the Table.*