It’s fall…and I have a sneaky suspicion that with this title you’re expected pumpkin puree and pumpkin everything BUT hold up. This is not another pumpkin smoothie. This recipe is a delicious seed milk using zinc rich pumpkin seeds as the base along with sweet pear and frozen organic peas…yes peas! This sounds like a weird combination, but it’s ridiculously good, fiber rich, creamy, sweet, and slightly earthy. This smoothie embraces the sweet flavors of pear and nuttiness from pumpkins seeds, and not to mention it’s incredibly mineral and nutrient dense for a very small volume.
PEA, PUMPKIN SEEDS, PEAR, OH MY!
Pumpkin seeds are one of my favorite seeds to use because they’re rich in zinc, which is important for all of our health, but especially important for those practicing a plant-based lifestyle. Vegetarians and vegans both require a bit more zinc than “normal” eaters as it’s not as prevalent in plant-based foods and the absorption of zinc from plant-based foods is a bit less (with the exception of using Soaking and Sprouting techniques). Pumpkin seeds are an easy way to obtain a large percentage of zinc requirements for your day along with fiber, protein, and healthy fats. To enhance the flavor and mineral richness of this smoothie even more, I like to make my own pumpkin seed milk by following the how to guide on making nut milk. It creates a beautiful subtle sage green color as well as creaminess when combined with pears. Adding the dates not only contributes to increasing the sweetness, but dates also give the smoothie a lush texture.
The key to getting a delicious, creamy texture when blending smoothie ingredients like seeds is a powerful high-speed blender. Recently I’ve been using the KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series Blender and loving it because it’s a commercial grade blender that’s just as beautiful as it is powerful. It gives seriously fast, smooth results event when blending frozen fruits and fibrous, nutrient dense vegetables like the frozen peas like in this recipe.
- ½ cup pumpkin seed milk
- ½ cup water
- 1 large pear (about 2 cups), cored
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked overnight
- 1 date, pitted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg, freshly ground
- Pinch of sea salt
- Simply combine all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy chilled and serve immediately.
For more recipe inspiration and blender information check out the KitchenAid® Blender Hub.
DO YOU PUMPKIN?
Do you love pumpkin everything or avoid it by all costs? If you love it, what recipes would you like to see me makeover this season? Either way, I love hearing from you about how you like the recipe and thoughts about it– when you try this recipe out be sure to give it a rating which helps me make them better in the future for you guys! OH, and #nutritionstripped on Instagram when you make it ????
xx McKel
Photo by Kelsey Cherry
This post was in partnership with KitchenAid® but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support the team and larger work behind NS!
p.s. Want to learn how to live a whole foods lifestyle do you can feel amazing? Sign up for 1-1 nutrition coaching with yours truly to learn how amazing your body is supposed to feel!
