Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

The shadows are coming sooner in the evening now. With the fall in full swing as the leaves turn beautiful colors ... and a little warmer weather right now, to be thankful for before it turns cold again, I am reminded of certain foods. Pumpkin is one of those.

I've always liked the memory I have of eating pumpkin spiced ice cream, in my pre-vegan days. It was at a pumpkin festival I went to in my college friend's hometown, back in the day. This comes pretty close to that memorized flavor. I'm still great friends with her and I still love the flavor of these spices combined with pumpkin. You can find the original recipe here.

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie

2 cups non-dairy milk (or use a handful of nuts/seeds w/water up to 2 cups)
1 Tablespoon chia seeds (helps thicken)
1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 Tablespoons maple syrup*
1 frozen ripe banana
2 teaspoon cinnamon**
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger**
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg** (I used 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg)
pinch salt

Blend well in a good strong blender until creamy. It'll be done in less than a minute. Makes slightly more than 4 cups. Two batches of this recipe fit into my Vitamix container, enough for the whole family to enjoy.

* - You may substitute another sweetener if you like.
** - Or you can use about 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to replace the 3 spices listed above.