Blackberry (Summer Berry) Smoothie // Vegan Basics

Who doesn’t enjoy a chilled fruity drink on a hot afternoon? I absolutely love picking blackberries at this time of year – there’s something quite satisfying about foraging for fruit! We are lucky enough to have two great playgrounds nearby, one of which we only discovered last year. We have to trek through a wooded spot to reach it, and until today I hadn’t noticed the blackberry bushes surrounding the paths. After a lovely walk to that particular park this morning, my daughter and I suddenly spotted the blackberry bushes, sagging under the weight of the shiny plump berries. Luckily, I had a handy ziplock bag buried in the depths of my handbag (what can I say, I’m a mother) and we promptly filled it with juicy blackberries. To be fair, I did most of the picking. My daughter did not enjoy either the ferocious thorns or having purple-stained fingers. She did, however, thoroughly enjoy guzzling an enormous smoothie when we got home. I added milk and yogurt to make it a creamy smoothie; I called it a blackberry milkshake for my girl’s benefit – whatever you call it, get picking those summer fruits and slurp away! Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries or strawberries – it doesn’t matter, and a mix is even better. Leftovers can be frozen in lolly moulds if you like, although it’ll keep until the next day as long as you give it a good shake before drinking. Makes 3 big glasses.

 
Notes:

• I wanted this to be vegan, so I used cashew milk and CoYo coconut yogurt. You can use any milk/yogurt.
• For a nice cold smoothie straight out of the blender, try to use either frozen berries or bananas (frozen in chunks). Otherwise you might like to chill the smoothie for a little bit before drinking.
• I’m not a fan of ultra thick smoothies. They have to be ‘drinkable’, not ‘spoonable’, for my taste. If you like a much thicker smoothie, halve the liquid.

1 cup/240ml milk (any kind)
1 cup/240ml water
1 cup/150g berries (mix up different ones if you like, just aim for roughly the same amount)
2 tbsp plain yogurt (any kind)
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (or any liquid sweetener)
100g/1 medium banana, chopped (preferably frozen)

Place everything in a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Pour through a sieve into a large jug if necessary, to remove any unblended bits. Enjoy!