This recipe leverages principles of food science to quickly make a peanut butter milkshake. It uses cheap, “healthy”, shelf stable ingredients. It is vegetarian, but can be made vegan if dairy milk and protein is replaced with plant based options.
It was originally for bulking. But it can be adjusted for maintenance or weight loss as well. Just reduce quantity of peanut butter, replace milk with water or unsweetened plant milk, and use artificial sweetener.
Or plant based milk, water, skimmed milk powder would work too.
Vanilla, chocolate, cardamom, strawberry etc. However peanuts will likely still remain the dominant flavor.
Prefer powder or syrup over crystals. As crystals will sink in the blender and won’t blend properly.
If you are worried of calories then use a zero calorie sweetener. However a sweetner is must. It enhances taste via contrast, association, and just a quick energy boost.
Only add a tiny pinch unless you have a reason to add more, such as in post-workout drink.
Salt suppresses bitterness receptors. It enhances perception of sweetness via SGLT-1 pathway.
Similar to oxalic acid in turmeric, it too chelates with calcium. But it has opposite effect: it creates highly bioavailable calcium citrate. Though the quantity would be too low. It’s just used to add a mild sour taste here.
Omit xanthun gum if soy protein isolate is used, as it has similar effect.
This works expectionally better than other thickeners.
It is a surfactant/emulsifier that breaks down fat into micro droplets. Essentially the same thing that bile produced by gallbladder does.
While blender, and Proplyne Glycol(PG) in flavor essence do help in dissolving peanut butter. Some soy lecithin can be added for extra assurance.
Matching it with flavor is recommend. Avoid blue coloring as it will create a unappetizing greenish or greyish liquid.
Packed with an anti-nutrient called oxalic acid. It chelates with calcium and inhibits it’s absorption, causes kidney stones. It will add a very strong yellow color. And it anyways require blooming in hot fat to taste best.
Blending bananas releases isoamyl acetate. It’s highly fat soluble and instantly mixes in the shake due to presence of fats and emulsifiers.
This will add a very strong banana taste. Also bananas are basically expensive, and perishable empty calories.
Ice cubes will unnecessarily increase volume, break the emulsion, numb down taste receptors. If thrown in blender it will will waste energy, can break blades.
The resultant drink will contain millions of microscopic, and many visible bubbles. This is due to soy letchin lowering surface tension, and xanthun gum trapping air, increasing viscosity. Carbon dioxide will latch on these bubbles and escape. This will kill all fizz.
It is heavily processed, expensive, and bitter. Contains heavy metals, stimulants, anti nutrients. It is often adulterated with fillers like starch. Just use chocolate essence instead.
Blend all these ingredients in blender.
When done whisk some citric acid as per taste. As blending with it might cause milk to curdle.
Drink with a straw, as it will protect your teeth from acid and sugar. Or refrigerate immediately, as unlike the raw ingredients, the drink is not shelf stable.