(Almost) Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie

Fall is right around the corner! I LOVE this time of year. It's probably my favorite season. The weather is awesome, the clothes are awesome, the food is awesome. Seriously, I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't like fall.

But it's not quite here, yet.

We're still having some hot days. Hot enough that we're actually planning on hanging out at the pool this weekend. So, I'm not quite ready for cozy cardigans and spiced lattes. But pumpkin? I'm always up for anything pumpkin flavored! In the past, I've actually requested Great Pumpkin Cookies in lieu of a birthday cake. Weird? Maybe. But I embrace my weirdness. You'll get used to it.

So, since I wanted something pumpkin-y to pretend it's autumn, but the high today will be in the 80's, I decided to cool things down with a smoothie! As I'm sure you know, smoothies (and juices) are all the rage today, and more and more people are cutting dairy from their diet, so I wanted to try a vegan recipe. I had a few different recipes that I ended up mashing together, so here are the links to the different posts that inspired me:

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE WITH OATMEAL

PUMPKIN PIE SMOOTHIE

PUMPKIN SMOOTHIE DELICIOUSNESS.

As usual, I didn't have/like everything these recipes called for, which is why I mixed it all up. One of the recipes suggested freezing your pumpkin, which I did, but then it was a solid block of pumpkin. So, I tried thawing it in the microwave, and it was taking forever, so instead of using the thaw button, I just microwaved it on high, and all of a sudden, it was boiling around the edges.

I didn't use frozen pumpkin.

I'm sure there are people out there who would totally buy a fresh pumpkin and make their own homemade puree, but... I don't do that. So, go buy a can of pumpkin puree. I thought it would be in the canned veggie/fruit aisle, but I found it in the baking aisle. Make sure you buy the straight up pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie filling. I mean, I'm sure you could use the pie filling. It's up to you. You don't have to listen to everything I say.

(Almost) Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie

1/2 frozen banana

1 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

graham cracker crumbs (optional)

5 ice cubes

The reason I say this is (almost) vegan is because I don't think the graham crackers I have are totally vegan.

Toss everything into a blender. I used the ice crushing button for about 25 seconds.

Not gonna lie, it totally looks and smells like baby food. For real. Maybe it tastes a little bit like it, too. I wouldn't know. I never tried my kid's baby food. However, it is smooth and creamy and has a nice, rich flavor to it.

I'm actually sitting here, drinking my smoothie, as I type this. That very smoothie in the photo above. I'm also listening to The Heligoats on Spotify. If you've never heard them, I recommend that you do so. You should actually check out their NPR Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube. Here, I'll make it easy for you:

Loooove.

Enjoy your weekend.