Carrot Hugger: Ode to Elvis
Today marks 49 years since Elvis Presley died. The King had a love of decadent Southern comfort foods like fried chicken, pecan pie, and of course peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Despite the difference in our eating habits, Elvis has inspired some of my favorite vegan and gluten free recipes. And it all started with appendicitis.
While my husband Derek awaited surgery, which had to be delayed due to an infection, the doctor put him on The White Diet. This included all the things doctors usually tell people to eat in moderation - white bread, white rice, potatoes. It was 2014 and Derek was not yet vegan, but he was dairy and gluten free. And it surprised us how unaccommodating a hospital could be with their menu. I ended up cooking him bland chicken with rice or potatoes at home and heating it up in the microwave at the nurses' station, which was conveniently located right outside Derek's room.
But one good thing that came from this experience was our discovery of what we dubbed The Elvis Smoothie. All ingredients were on Derek's doctor-approved diet. He drank a lot of those smoothies in the two months between his first trip to the ER and his surgery date. And I finally discovered a pleasant way to consume bananas (which I have never liked, too mushy). Of course, I also found a way to make The Chocolate Elvis, which had one key addition.
The Elvis Smoothie (original blender version)
1 banana
1/2 cup milk of choice
2 t peanut butter
4 ice cubes
Dump everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Double the recipe if making for two people. Add one teaspoon of cocoa powder to make The Chocolate Elvis.
Now, if you're looking for something with a little less cleanup (it became tiresome to hand wash our blender several times a day), I recommend the Magic Bullet personal blender. I purchased extra cups that are dishwasher safe and make smoothies in our Magic Bullet every morning. My favorite is my latest evolution of The Elvis.
The Chocolate Elvis Jam Smoothie (Magic Bullet version)
1 banana
1 cup milk of choice
2 t nut butter of choice
1 t cocoa powder
1/2 cup frozen sliced strawberries
Dump everything in the Magic Bullet cup (do not overfill) and blend until smooth.
This summer, Graceland was one of the stops on our 25th anniversary road trip through Tennessee. As we toured the mansion, I couldn't help but think about our smoothie creations and wonder if Elvis would have enjoyed a liquid version of one of his favorite treats. Of course, he likely would have used whole milk and maybe even thrown some bacon in the blender!
Left: Derek and I outside the Graceland Mansion. Right: Trying a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.
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