Make This: Banana Date Miso Smoothie

I don’t like the word “smoothie,” but I like drinking smoothies. They’re a quick delivery system for nutrition, and my ideal post-gym meal, which is obnoxious to say but true.

During a recent lunch at The Kitchen at Plants of the Southwest (more on that in my Santa Fe guide tomorrow), we finished with a banana and miso cake. It was great - tender, subtly sweet, and moreish. I finished my cake and then went to work on my son’s - he was only interested in the accompanying ice cream. The combination of banana and miso with the texture of the ice cream had me thinking about taking similar flavors and putting them into a smoothie - something with similar flavors but a healthful bent.

Well, that’s what I have here.

Committed readers will note that my recent share - Chickpea Aguachile - also sports white miso. Perhaps the Japanese influence in Santa Fe is greater than I imagined.

Either way, it works well there, and it works well here, rounding out the edges with fresh banana, dates, walnut butter, and flax. Enjoy.

Santa Fe Smoothie (Banana-Date-Miso)

I don’t measure a smoothie, which feels antithetical to its easy, chuck-it-all-in nature. So you can tweak the amounts below to taste, or use them as a guide. They are a close guess!

In a blender, combine:

• one banana

• two dates, pitted (I buy bulk bags from Tierra Farm)

• 2 teaspoons white miso

• hefty tablespoon walnut butter (I like Living Tree)

• tablespoon flax seed (whole or ground)

• 1/4 cup oats

• several dashes of cinnamon

• top with almond milk

add several cubes of ice and blend to a smooth consistency