Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothies

     As mentioned previously, over the course of the summer I will shed some light on the six recipes we make from our truck regularly.  We rotate recipes depending on the ingredients we have on the truck, how long our event may be, and the time of day we will be serving food.

     Let me introduce you to the Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut Smoothie.  This gem is not only refreshing, but it is easy to make and requires limited kitchen utensils, which means a faster clean up (something we value highly nowadays).  Our appreciation for dishwashers has sky rocketed since joining this tour, and we LOVE when we find a kitchen that allows us to use their industrial washing machines.  Talk about a time saver.

Making Smoothies in the Hotel

     Although we have been making the Dole Banana Pineapple Coconut smoothie recipe every week since we began the tour, I can honestly say we have now perfected the recipe to make a cold, refreshing, and all around satisfying smoothie.  With a few slight adjustments, without changing any ingredients or ratios, we have figured out the best way to make this smoothie thick, cold, creamy and absolutely delicious every time.  This was important for us to perfect now, especially since the temps are only going to shoot up from this point forward.  We enjoy this so much, we also make it when we are off the clock - and have tried some variations as well!  Nope, not sick of smoothies or bananas yet!

     If you need some motivation to try this one at home, I can tell you that our consumers appreciate this smoothie and express their satisfaction with comments such as, “This is so refreshing!” or “I love the tropical flavors!” or “I just love that it is cold!”  So give it a try and you will be pleasantly impressed with the magic that can happen with four simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

Just blend with ice!

•  2 ripe Dole Bananas, (peeled and frozen prior to using in smoothie – ripe bananas work well too, but the frozen bananas enhance the flavor and provide extra creaminess!
•  2 C Dole Pineapple, drained (you could use fresh pineapple, or buy a can of pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice, drain the pineapple juice and use the canned pineapple in the smoothie (we like to drink the pineapple juice drained from the can over some ice…mmmm mmmmm).
• 1 C Vanilla Almond Coconut Almond Breeze (if you can’t find the Vanilla Almond Coconut, look for the Almond Coconut, or use Vanilla or Original AND if you stop by the Peel the Love truck we can give you a coupon for $1.50 off)!
• 1 C ice
• If you like coconut, add some toasted coconut, but it is tasty without it!

 Directions (this is the best part)

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend.  Serve cold.

     How we perfected the recipe:

1.     Draining the canned pineapple makes a world of difference.  It makes a thicker, creamier smoothie and brings out the banana flavor rather than tending to be more pineapple flavored.

2.     Peel and freeze bananas ahead of time – but do not freeze with the peel on!  The frozen bananas not only make the smoothie colder, but it also makes it thicker as well!

3.     If you make too much, you can place the blender in the freezer, then give it another quick blend before your second serving.  This keeps it cold and fresh!

One other note:

Since we use the Almond Breeze almond milk in the recipe, this delicious and healthy treat is dairy free, soy free, lactose free, gluten free, vegan, peanut free and very nutritious!  Using unsweetened almond milk will also reduce the calorie count (which isn’t terribly high to begin with)!  

Happy Smoothie Making and Peel the Love!