Chocolate banana smoothie

Peas are in season! What does that have to do with smoothies you ask?

We buy fresh peas from the farmers market, which requires shelling the delicious peas from their somewhat battered pods.

My first instinct was to throw the pods away, as I've done all my life. With the budget somewhat tight, though, I decided to find a way to use them.

Since they were ugly, I knew that either the food processor or the blender were going to come out to play.

Of course, you could turn them into a sweet pesto, mildly scented with the aroma of peas. However, a sale on basil a few weeks ago left us with a stock of homemade pesto. (By the way, cashew butter makes a great pine but substitute.)

Instead, I decided to use up some of our mushy bananas and make a smoothie. I wanted something low in sugar, high in protein and fiber, and chocolatey.

0.75 container silken tofu
1T chia seeds
1T flaxseed meal
1t vanilla extract
2T cocoa powder
1T honey (or to taste)
10-15 peas pods, peas removed
75-100g banana (1 small banana), frozen
50g milk (scant 1/4 cup)

1. Put in blender and blend until smooth. Let stand for 2-3 minutes to thicken.

It's not very sweet so if you're looking for a sweet smoothie replace some of the tofu with bananas, or add more honey. It is very satisfying, and boasts upwards of 25 grams of protein. It's not light in calories, but let's stop pretending smoothies are ever light in calories. At least this one is decently healthy.

(A high powered blender is recommended, unless you don't mind some pulp in your smoothie.)