Protein Jolt Smoothie

From: "Super Smoothies," Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2000.

I wish somebody would make this smoothie for me right now. There's something about it that always comforts me and makes me feel cared for. Maybe it's the combination of peanut butter and bananas. Elvis loved that combo, too.

I appreciate the concept of this cookbook, but the authors over-deliver on their promise to provide a collection of smoothie recipes. There are no simple recipes in this book. All of the recipes require you to purchase (or beg or borrow) at least one unusual ingredient (that is, an ingredient you probably don't have on hand). I don't have a problem with the almond milk, plain yogurt (I keep it on hand to keep my dogs regular) or even the tofu. It's the dates. They're expensive and often aren't of very good quality. So I leave 'em out. Simple solution.

Unfortunately, the other recipes in this book can't be so easily fixed. To further add to the frustration that comes from an exotic shopping list, most of the unusual ingredients don't add much to the overall smoothie experience because the quantities are very small.

Enough about me - it may not be obvious, but YOU can easily substitute the almond milk for cow's milk in this recipe. Hopefully you're buying organic milk that is collected from family farms ;-)

3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/3 cup firmly packed chopped dates (about 8 dates)
2 tablespoons tahini or smooth peanut butter
1 frozen banana, sliced

Combine the almond milk, yogurt and tofu in a blender. Add all of the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.