Banana berrylicious

Use fresh berries instead of frozen when they are in season and abundant. This smoothie bowl is great to whip up on short notice as it uses simple ingredients that you are likely to already have stocked in your house.

Banana berrylicious Credit: Chris Middleton

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 25 g (4½ oz/½ cup) natural yoghurt or 125 ml (4 oz/½ cup) milk kefir 
• 60 g (2 oz/½ cup) crushed ice 
• 2 peeled bananas, frozen and roughly chopped 
• 120 g (4½ oz/3⁄4 cup) frozen mixed berries 
• 1 tbsp chia seeds (optional) 
• honey, to taste 

To serve 

• Cacao and black tahini granola (see note) 
• sliced banana rolled in shredded coconut 
• fresh berries 

Instructions

Whiz the yoghurt or kefir with the ice, banana, berries and chia seeds (if using) in a high-speed blender or small food processor until smooth. Scrape down the inside of the blender or processor bowl if required. If the mixture isn’t moving well in the blender, add a tablespoon or two of water or kefir, being careful not to add too much liquid. 

Taste the smoothie and add a drizzle of honey to adjust the sweetness to your liking. 

Spoon the thick smoothie mixture immediately into two chilled bowls and top with the granola, banana and berries. 

Note:

•  To make dairy free, replace the yoghurt or milk with a non-dairy alternative. To make vegan, also swap the honey for rice malt syrup, pure maple syrup or a couple of drops of liquid stevia.

•  To make the black tahini granola, preheat the oven to 130°C/265°F (fan-forced). Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Combine 240 g (8½ oz/2½ cups) cooked drained quinoa, 80 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) pepitas (pumpkin seeds), 75 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) sun flower kernels, 45 g (1½ oz/¼ cup) sesame seeds, 45 g (1½ oz/¼ cup) linseeds (flax seeds), 60 g (2 oz/½ cup) roughly chopped pecans, 25 g (1 oz/¼ cup) raw cacao powder and ½ tsp sea salt flakes in a large mixing bowl. Add the 115 g (4 oz/⅓ cup) warmed rice malt syrup, 2 tablespoons melted virgin coconut oil, 2 tablespoons black tahini and 2 tsp vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Add 100 g (3½ oz/2 cups) flaked or shredded coconut and mix gently so you don’t break up the flakes and it retains some of its white colour. Spread the mixture over the trays, keeping little clumps of mixture together for extra texture. Bake for about 50 minutes, stirring gently after 25 minutes, until dried out and the coconut is starting to lightly brown. Remove from the oven and cool on trays (the granola will crisp as it cools). Gently stir in 40 g (1½ oz/⅓ cup) goji berries. This recipe makes about 800 g (1 lb 12 oz/8 cups). Store in an airtight container for up to 2–3 weeks. 

This recipe is from Breakfast Bowls (Smith Street Books). Photography by Chris Middleton. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.