3 Ingredient Smoothie | Banana, Matcha & Prune

Green smoothies are all the rage.

But I’ve just not developed a taste for kale, spinach, broccoli or any other green vegetable in my smoothies and prefer to stick to my fruit concoctions.

A banana is a great start to the day. In recent years, bananas have received some bad press because they do not score as low on the Glycaemic Index (GI) as many other fruits and vegetables. But, as this really excellent guide explains, there are weaknesses in using the GI to assess food – you have to eat a lot more of some foods to hit the 50 grams of digestible carbs on which the score is calculated than you do for others – although bananas have a GI score of around 50 (depending on ripeness) you’d need to eat 3 bananas to hit that 50 grams of digestible carbs. It’s also worth remembering that the GI doesn’t take into account the nutritional benefits (or lack of them) of different types of food – crisps are only a touch higher than bananas in terms of their GI score! A banana for breakfast not only keeps me feeling full for quite a few hours, it is also a good source of fibre, potassium, magnesium and vitamins C and B6.

Recently I’ve been drinking even more matcha than usual, after writing an article all about it for a recent issue of Good Things magazine. Although the method of grinding tea leaves into a powder originated in China, it was not until the practice reached Japan by way of Zen Buddhist monks that it developed into the drink we know today. Matcha is traditionally made by stone grinding green leaves of shade-grown tea (gyokuro). Before grinding the leaves are dried, de-veined and de-stemmed, in this state they are known as tencha. Growing tea in shade slows down growth and triggers an increase in chlorophyll levels, resulting in higher levels of L-theanine (an amino acid which is believed to reduce stress, sharpen cognitive performance and improve mood) and caffeine, and creates a distinctively umami flavour profile in the finished tea.

Prunes – dried plums – have long been used as a mild natural laxative, although there’s no real evidence that they’re any more effective than other fruits and vegetables that are good sources of dietary fibre, bananas included. But I love their rich flavour, and they’re a great natural sweetener.

Of course, the dark colour of prunes turns what would otherwise be a brighter green smoothie into a less visually attractive brown one, so feel to substitute with dried dates or apricots, or a generous squirt of honey or maple syrup, each of which will create a quite different flavour profile for your 3 ingredient smoothie.

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3 Ingredient Breakfast Smoothie | Banana, Prune & Matcha

Ingredients

• 1 large banana , peeled - about 125g peeled weight
• 2-3 tsp matcha (Japanese green tea powder)
• 60 g pitted dried prunes
• 1 cup water , or more for a thinner smoothie

Notes

Substitute the prunes with dried dates, dried apricots, honey or maple syrup if preferred.

Instructions

• Place all ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.
• Pour into a glass and drink straight away
  

Tip: My Froothie Optimum power blender makes quick work of even the toughest dried fruits, but if yours is not as effective, soak the dried fruits in water for 30 minutes before blending – you can use the soaking water in the smoothie too.

For more fruit smoothie inspiration check out:

• Tinned Tomatoes’ Pink Mango Smoothie
• Coffee & Vanilla’s Honey & Mango Smoothie
• Elizabeth Kitchen Diary’s Quick Breakfast Smoothie
• Fuss Free Flavours’ Apple & Blackberry Green Smoothie