Ginger Peach Smoothie

I love, love, love peach season, and when I'm not making and eating my Peach Quinoa Salad and Peach Baked Oatmeal, I'm using any overripe or bruised peaches in this Ginger Peach Smoothie.

It comes together with just four ingredients, five if you add a little maple syrup for extra sweetness although that's totally optional.

When you drink this vegan peach smoothie, you first get the sweet hit from the peach then the slight heat from the ginger comes through after. It's refreshing with comforting warmth and like my other vegan smoothie recipes, is the perfect way to start your day.

Here's the rundown on what's going into this Ginger Peach Smoothie:

• Peaches - You can use nectarines too. This is a great opportunity to use up any battered and bruised peaches or nectarines you have. You can use frozen peaches instead of fresh but if so, I recommend switching the banana for a fresh one if you do so the smoothie blends more easily and doesn't end up too thick.
• Frozen banana - Makes your smoothie thick, creamy, cold and sweet without diluting it as ice would.
• Milk - Use any non-dairy milk you like most or have around. Bear in mind that if you use sweetened milk it will make your smoothie sweeter so I recommend omitting the maple syrup if that's the case.
• Maple syrup - Totally optional and only necessary if you've got peaches without much flavour, like slightly underripe or first of the season ones sometimes are.
• Ginger - Use either fresh or ground ginger. Fresh gives the best flavour. I keep some ginger root in my freezer ready to use in smoothies and to grate into dinner recipes (you can add it to the smoothie frozen and even grate it for other recipes while frozen).

You will also need a blender. A high-powered blender like a Blendtec will give you the smoothest, creamiest result. I've had the Blendtec 575 for 6 years now and it's still going strong.

Making a vegan peach smoothie with ginger is really quick and easy. First, cut the peaches in half and remove the pit. There is no need to remove the skin. Add them to your blender along with everything else and blend until smooth.

I recommend not adding the maple syrup right away and using only half of the ginger until it's blended and you can taste it. Then you can adjust to suit your tastes by adding more ginger and the maple syrup if necessary.

To pit a peach easily:

• Cut the peach in half: Starting at the top where the stem would have been, carefully use a sharp knife to cut into the peach and slice all the way around to the bottom so there is a deep cut all the way around.
• Twist to separate: Hold both sides of the peach and twist each of them in opposite directions to separate. If the peach is nice and ripe this should be really easy. If it's not so ripe it can take a little more effort.
• Remove the pit: Once the 2 halves are apart you should be able to pull the pit out easily if the peach is ripe. If it won't come out, carefully slide a small knife under it to loosen and then pull it out.

Make this vegan peach smoothie your own by putting your own twist on it! Here are some ideas:

• Use less milk so it's super thick and make a smoothie bowl with your favourite toppings like sliced fresh fruit, almond hemp granola, nuts, seeds, rawnola etc
• Omit the ginger
• Add some cinnamon instead of or as well as the ginger
• Try nectarines or mango instead of peaches
• Add a handful of strawberries or raspberries
• Add a dollop of vegan yogurt to make it even more creamy
• Add a tiny drop of vanilla extract
• Throw in a handful of greens like kale or spinach
• Boost nutrition by adding a few teaspoons of chia seeds or flaxseeds

Once blended it's best to drink your ginger peach smoothie immediately. It doesn't store well. However, you can prep the ingredients in advance to make it even quicker and easier to make in the mornings.

To do this simply pack your pitted and sliced peaches, banana and ginger into individual bags and freeze them. When you’re ready to blend, add the plant milk and blend it up. I do recommend adding a little more milk though as everything is frozen. If you don't your blender will have a hard time and your smoothie will be too thick. Go for ¼ of a cup (60 ml) extra to start and add more as needed to get things blending smoothly.