Most strawberry smoothie recipes call for bananas, and, since I can’t stand bananas, I’ve avoided predominantly strawberry smoothies. However, a while ago I heard about people using summer squash as a banana substitute. It sounds weird, but it has such a mild flavor that it works, and it helps bulk out the smoothie. I also used a date to add the sweetness that a banana would have provided.
It’s not a life-changing smoothie, but it is satisfyingly tasty.
Ingredients
¼ cup cashews (30g)
1 large date, pitted (23g)
1 small yellow summer squash (120g)
1 cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup frozen strawberries (145g)
Makes 1 20-oz smoothie.
Blend on high until smooth, about 50 seconds.
The cashews and water blend up into a sort of instant milk, so, if you prefer, you can just use your favorite milk instead. (Or boost creaminess with cashews plus milk instead of water.)
It’s not a bad idea to taste-test the squash before blending, because there’s a small chance that you’ll get a bitter one that you’d want to avoid blending. If you stick to small fresh ones, they’re usually super mild.
I don’t usually pay attention to nutrient amounts because I believe that if you eat a varied diet you’ll more than cover the recommended daily values. However, just for kicks, I looked up the nutrition facts of a banana vs. the summer squash and date in this recipe. Bananas are often celebrated for their potassium content, so I focused on that. 1 medium banana has 422 mg of potassium, while the squash and date in this recipe have 426 mg of potassium. If you instead scale up the banana to match the weight of the squash and date in this recipe, the banana wins on potassium, but it’s still within the same ballpark.
This is a total score for me! I do love bananas but this squash option means I can still get a pleasant creamy texture with fewer calories and a different nutrition profile. Thanks!
Thanks for this. I’ll have to try it. Although I like bananas, I don’t necessarily like them in smoothies especially if frozen!