Cinderella's Fairy Godmother isn't the only who can magically transform a pumpkin into another form.

While we're on the topic of that little fable, I'd like to suggest that perhaps Cinderella's ankle was not the only thing she rolled that night. You know,.. when she lost her glass shoe on the stairs in a slightly mad, paranoid "dance and dash" interlude at the Royal Ball with Prince Charming.

Perhaps this pumpkin smoothie could have been her "plan b" for a little left-over pumpkin and the 12:05 am munchies, post-sprint.

Pumpkin is one of the most sustainable fruits on our planet. It grows everywhere, except the arctic and it's loaded with vitamins A,C and E.

Carrots contain a high amount of Beta Carotene which is fat soluble so, will require a healthy fat source to be absorbed and is why I have paired it with homemade almond milk and full fat coconut milk.

To make this smoothie, gather your tools and ingredients first.

The TOOLS needed are:

1. a medium size soaking bowl;
2. a sharp butcher's knife;
3. a cutting board;
4. a Vitamix blender or a food processor;
5. a vegetable peeler;
6. a selection of measuring spoons;
7. two glasses;
8. and a teaspoon.

(This is a Vitamix blender. It is just one of several high-power blenders that can be used to make a smoothie.) 

In the Raw Food World, there are 2 main types of beverages made with whole foods. 

The first type is a true juice blend that contains no fibre. You would use an appliance called a juicer that extracts and separates all the fibre of the plant material, leaving only the juice behind. This type of drink is concentrated with vitamins, minerals and enzymes but has a very thin consistency, like water. It contains no fibre.

The other main type of whole food beverage is referred to as a smoothie. 

With this type, whole foods are also used but a different appliance is used that blends everything together. A food processor or a high powered blender is predominantly used to achieve this. This creates a nutritionally dense drink, thick in consistency, because it contains all the fibre that the plant material contained. When you consume the fibre of the plant material, it keeps you feeling full for a long time and if it contains the correct ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fats, it can successfully be used as a complete meal that is exceptionally portable and convenient for anyone on the go.

The ingredients needed are:

• 1.5 cups of cubed raw pumpkin
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/2 a cup of almonds
• 3 cups of water
• 6 Sayer dates (pitted)
• 1 400 ml can of full fat coconut milk (refrigerated for 24 hours).
• 6 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 inch piece of  fresh ginger root
• 1/2 inch piece of fresh turmeric root
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper (This helps the turmeric to be absorbed and is why I am using it in my recipe.)  

Directions: 

• Soak the almonds for 12 hours in room temperature water. After 12 hours of soaking, drain the almonds, rinse them well under cold running water and add them to a blender or food processor.

(I let these almonds soak for 12 hours. You will notice the water is cloudy. This is because the soaking process removes phytic acid from the nuts which makes them easier to digest and allows better absorption of the nutrients contained within them.) 

(Almonds added to the Vitamix after they have been drained and thoroughly rinsed.)

• Add 2.5 cups of water to the Vitamix, so that the almonds are covered.

• Blend on the highest power setting for 30 seconds or until all the almonds are completely blended and there are no visible particles of nuts left. This creates homemade almond milk.

• Cut the top off the pumpkin, then cut it in half. Peel and scrape the seeds and stringy pulp away from the pumpkin and cube it. I used 1/2 a small pumpkin or 1.5 cups of raw cubed pumpkin. (You could also use pure pumpkin puree, from a can. If you use canned pumpkin, use 1 cup.)

(I saved the seeds from this little pumpkin and will dehydrate them for another project and I plan to plant some in my garden next year. Making this smoothie recipe, even more sustainable.)

• Peel and cut the carrot, ginger and turmeric roots.

(I loved the little frog sitting in the cabbage bowl. I think it looks like he's sitting on a Lilly pad.)

• Soak 6 dates in hot water for 15 minutes to soften them.

• Drain the dates and add them along with the cubed pumpkin, carrot, ginger, turmeric, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and 4 tbsp of maple syrup to the almond milk and blend really well. (About 1 minute on the highest power setting of the Vitamix or food processor.)

• Add 1/2 a cup of water to the pumpkin mixture and blend again. (This will thin the smoothie a little and make it easier to drink.
• Take the can of coconut milk out of the refrigerator and open it. When you use high-fat coconut milk, the fat solidifies at the top of the can. This particular brand of milk contains 17 grams of fat per 1/2 cup. Scoop this off and add it to a clean Vitamix blending pitcher.

(The coconut milk has solidified and is sitting on top of coconut water which is in the bottom of the can. There's about a 1/3 of a cup of coconut water in the bottom.)

• Add 2 tbsp of maple syrup to the coconut milk and blend it really well. (About 20 seconds on power level 7.) This creates beautiful Vegan whip cream and makes an excellent topping for anything you would normally top with cream.

• Rim 2 fancy glasses with additional ground cinnamon (optional). Pour the pumpkin smoothie into your glasses, top with coconut whip cream and garnish with a cinnamon stick (optional).

(Save any left-over coconut whip cream in your refrigerator. It will stay fresh for about 5 days.)

Cheers!

A closer look.

(I'm enjoying the sunshine outside and in my glass.)

As a side note, if you wanted to infuse this smoothie with cannabis, I would add a 1/2 tsp of cannabis infused bee-honey directly to the pumpkin, carrot, ginger blend. A nice strain with a high CBD percentage, like Treasure Island, would augment the anti-inflammatory benefits of the turmeric quite nicely without creating a psychoactive effect. 

If you use a strain containing a large percentage of THC, I can't guarantee that you won't lose a shoe, but I can guarantee that if it's strong enough to cause shoe-loss, you won't care. ;)

To learn how to infuse bee-honey, please have a look at my previous post related to this:

https://steemit.com/marijuana/@rebeccaryan/how-to-make-cannabis-infused-bee-honey

I'd like to take a minute to thank the sponsors of this challenge, @smooth, @ruzvanelulmarin, and @wingz.

I would also like to thank @englishtchrivy and @gringalicious for judging this contest. It's a difficult job to choose winners in any contest and culinary challenges are time consuming to judge because of all of their components.

I welcome your comments and I invite you to follow me on my journey.

~RebeccaRyan