Naturally Sweet Banana Smoothies, Honduran Licuados de Mínimo
Twenty-six years ago, while serving as a Peace Corps Water Sanitation Technician in the coffee-producing region of Western Honduras, we periodically pulled down bananas from their trees to snack on while conducting our topographic studies. Campesinos or local farmers would commonly intercrop bananas with coffee plants to provide shade, mulch, and fruit as an extra crop to sell. Bananas varied from the squatty yet sweet, reddish dátil, to the U.S. staple, the medium mínimo, and our large plantain, the plátano macho. Bananas were eaten plain or puréed with vanilla extract and milk to make naturally sweet smoothies, called licuados de mínimo. In fact, after I traveled an hour and half to the regional hub of Marcala to buy groceries, I’d stop by a little hole-in-the-wall to fuel up on baleadas, bean tacos, and licuados de mínimo, banana smoothies. Paired with creamy whole milk and vanilla, this smoothie tastes so rich that you’d think it was full of refined sugar. So, if you’re hankering for something sweet, satisfy your sweet tooth with one of these light banana smoothies!
Ingredients
- 2 medium, ripe bananas
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ T. vanilla extract, not imitation
Directions
- Step 1 Peel the bananas and cut each into thirds, placing this fruit in the basin of a blender. Pour in the milk and spoon in the vanilla, adding it to the blender. Blend the smoothie until the banana is broken down and everything is liquified. Taste for the right balance of banana and vanilla to milk. Serve right away when it’s cold, as the banana begins to discolor. Enjoy!
I was first introduced to this luscious banana smoothie while in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Ever since, it’s been a longtime favorite and is easy to make, taking only 3 minutes to prep and using only 3 ingredients. Plus, it’s naturally sweet, consisting solely of bananas, milk, and caramelly flavored vanilla extract.
Nutritional Information: servings per recipe: 1, calories: 381, total fat: 8.7 g., saturated fat: 4.8 g., cholesterol: 24 mg., sodium: 101 mg., total carbohydrate: 66 g., dietary fiber: 6.1 g., total sugars: 42.8 g., protein: 10.4 g., calcium: 288 mg., iron: 1 mg., potassium: 1206 mg., vitamin D: 98 mcg.
Now there is a recipe even I can manage! Bottoms up!
Patty, yes, this is my simplest recipe to date! It’s phenomenal that it has only three ingredients, but tastes like you labored much longer in the kitchen! In just 3 minutes, you have the most delicious banana smoothie. I hope you and your circle will enjoy it!