Recipe- Vegan Summer Superfruit Smoothie

It's the latest buzz on twitter and in the Grazia office...the summer 'juice' diet, aimed to shed those pounds in preparation for the summer flesh fest (BIKINI SEASON). I was intrigued by this concept, as when made correctly (using fresh organic ingredients) juice diet provide a positive boost of vitamins and free radicals that will bump up your energy levels and smooth skin complexion. However the major dent in this diet is much of the fruit and vegetables put into the juices lack the vital protein and calcium we need daily for growth and repair of cells. In response to this I suggest scrapping the juices, that aren't really filling, and instead reach for a deliciously filling homemade smoothie! 

Although I am using a basic smoothie recipe the interesting twist this time is instead of cow's milk I have gone for the nutritious vegan alternative of almond milk. The benefits of almond milk is that it keeps for much longer than milk (it doesn't really go off), it has a naturally luxurious creamy texture (without the saturated fat of cow's milk) as well as providing fibre, vitamin E and calcium (what a super nut eh!). For those with diabetes or who are trying to cut out sugar, why not switch your usual spoonfuls of sugar for splenda or truvia, which use extract from the stevia leaf to create a naturally sweet taste but without the calories.

Although I'm not a vegan, I still use almond milk in everything (my coffee, on my cereal, in my baking) simply because of how wonderfully creamy yet light it is. If you haven't tried it yet, i encourage you to, it comes with supermodel Miranda Kerr's approval!

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• 80g of strawberries
• 80g of blueberries (or another berry of your choice)
• 1 banana (for binding)
• 200ml of almond milk
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract or paste
• 2 tsp of sweetener (stevia extract is ideal)

1) Wash berries and chop up any large pieces, to make it easier to blend.

2) Whack into a mixer with the milk, extract and sweetener then pulse rhythmically until fruit is well blended and mixture is thick and viscous yet still pourable.  

3) Pour out half the mixture into a tall glass, serve with some fresh strawberries or some toast and enjoy!