This lemon meringue pie smoothie has to be one of my very favourites. It’s made of such healthy ingredients but tastes like creamy decadence! I use to work at a department store specialty coffee shop a few years ago (when I was still a barista) and it was right next door to a food court that has a great vegan takeaway store. One time I branched out of my usual routine and bought a lemon smoothie there, and when I brought it back to work with me even my most (food) conservative colleague agreed that it tasted like pie. I couldn’t get over the delicious, tart creaminess! I read the ingredients, obsessed about it, and then finally got around to recreating it at home (with a few substitutions) once mangos came into season again. This is my version.
I am often sceptical about “healthy junk food” recipes, there are a lot of them out there on the world wide web, especially at this time of the year, and not all of them are quite as delicious as promised. Maybe it’s semantics, but for me, calling something a “healthy twix bar” makes them not taste quite as good, because they’re already failing to live up to expectations before they even make it to your mouth! But call the same thing a “chocolate caramel cookie bar” and I will enjoy them immensely. So! This smoothie is not trying to be a pie, but rather, reminiscent of one. That said, I believe it’s still so delicious in its own right that you even won’t care it’s missing buttery pastry, three cups of sugar and a mound of egg whites.
There’s a lot of food and body hype this time of year, designed to make us feel inadequate for the benefit of the health and wellbeing industry. All of it results in the development of a universal anxiety about what to eat, which is hardly helpful. I am far from perfect, but I believe it’s really important to enjoy what you eat – it is, after all, one of the greatest pleasures we have. I think you can enjoy a little of what you love, in moderation (or as Julia Turshen says “find an elegance in restraint”), and then eat delicious meals designed to nourish your body the other 90% of the time. Thankfully you can do both with this smoothie, and that’s a pretty good way to eat.
Happy New Year! x
Lemon Meringue Pie Smoothie
Use a nice ripe mango of the sweeter variety, and you won’t need to add any additional maple syrup. You could use frozen mango cheeks if they’re not in season, and leave out the ice cubes. To make more of a substantial smoothie, add the hemp or chia seeds.
Serves 1 generously, or 2 small portions
Prep time: 5 min
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Lemon Meringue Pie Smoothie
200g | 1 medium ripe mango, flesh
Juice of half a large lemon (about 2 tbls)
3 tbls | 90g coconut yoghurt
100ml coconut water
3-4 ice cubes ***
2 tsp hemp seeds or white chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp maple syrup (optional; to taste)
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Blend all the ingredients in a high speed blender till smooth, 30 sec – 1 min. Taste and add maple syrup if your mango has not provided sufficient sweetness (to your taste).
Will keep for at least 2-3 days covered in the fridge, but best enjoyed immediately.
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