Liquados, usually a blend of milk with bananas or some other soft fruit, are a typical, inexpensive and widely available beverage at food stands in open-air markets as well as restaurants south of the border. And lassi, an Indian yogurt drink with mint, is another possible influence. Many smoothie recipes call for ice or frozen fruit to give the drink added texture and smoothness, creating a milk shake-like effect. The creation of smoothies is limited only by your imagination, the contents of your refrigerator and the ingredients you can find in local markets. Constans' collection of smoothie recipes gives evidence of an unfettered imagination.
Good taste is the chief criterion, however.
Constans writes that his devotion to smoothies developed as a result of his search for healthful alternatives to commercial baby food for his five children. He swears his children love the drinks and includes testimonials from them in the introductions to some of the recipes. His more adventurous recipes include ingredients such as peanut butter, crushed graham crackers, cereal, cookie dough, cooked carrots, cooked oatmeal, shiitake mushrooms, marshmallows and jalapeno peppers. The peppers are used in a recipe for a smoothie called El Tomate Caliente, which Constans proposes as a beverage to drink in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Mexican independence day. The book features a chapter on holiday-themed smoothies, including one for Thanksgiving that uses canned pumpkin.