Pumpkin "Pie" Smoothie : Gluten Free and Low-Carb

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe

[by Kate — guest gluten-free blog author] 

Festive Fall Pumpkin Drink

[mike's intro]: Kate brings us another tasty gluten-free diet recipe just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving time when Fall squash abound and pumpkins are readily available for seasonal creations. This is the first in a few gluten-free recipes using pumpkin that I plan to publish on the blog in the coming days and weeks.

I took a few editing liberties with her story.  One of her original ingredient-providers retracted their gluten-free status after she wrote this, so I have thus substituted another provider (for the hemp protein) that does still certify their product as gluten-free.   Enjoy! [m]

Kate's Pumpkin "Pie" Super Smoothie: GF, Vegetarian, Low-Carb

The Fall is a magical time. Beloved squashes come into season to festively line the produce section of grocery stores while, in other corners of the store, ghoulish Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, Vampire, and Frankenstein Monster costumes haunt the shelves hoping for a chance for a great debut trick-or-treating on Halloween. The Fall is crisp, and warm, and spicy. It's like biting into a pumpkin pie, rich creamy and complex with warming nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and clove.

I've celebrated the coming on of Fall by drinking it up in the form of a Pumpkin "Pie" Super Smoothie. What a great way to indulge in Fall flavors every morning!

My Pumpkin "Pie" Super Smoothie is Gluten-Free, Vegetarian and Low-carb, and is made with organic pumpkin puree, 0% Plain Greek Yogurt, hydrated Chia Seeds, Almond Milk, a frozen banana, and those warming pumpkin pie spices I mentioned above.  It also contains Hemp Protein Powder: a GREAT easily incorporated source of extra protein.

Ingredients

• 1/3 C. Organic Pumpkin Puree
• 1/3 C. 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
• 4 Tbsp Hemp Powder. [mike says: I used Nutiva brand hemp protein].  Another option is to perhaps grind Hemp Hearts in your blender -- Costco has recently been selling Manitoba Harvest brand hemp hearts.
• 2-3 Tbsp Hydrated Chia Seeds
• 1 Frozen Banana, peeled and chopped into sections
• 1/4 C. (approx) Almond Milk (I used vanilla, no-sugar-added variety). [mike says: I used Whole Foods 365-brand unsweetened rice milk]
• 3-4 Ice Cubes
• Pumpkin Pie Spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove), to taste.
• Optional: Stevia or other no-cal/low-cal sweetener. [mike says: I used a couple packets of PureVia brand stevia-based sweetener]

Directions

Simply blend all ingredients together in blender until smoothie consistency is achieved.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Continue to read this Gluten-Free Blog for all sorts of gluten-free recipes, product-reviews, and related information. In addition, visit my Gluten-Free Recipes Site where many of the recipes I have featured on this blog are available