"Bodies in the sand... Tropical drink melting in your hand..." The Beach Boys couldn't have said it better. I'm not at the beach today, but I've got waves on my mind. Today is the first real "fall" day here in the Pacific Northwest and although I'm glad to welcome the changing season, I'm also not quite ready to let go of summer. To that end, I decided to whip up a little fruity smoothie action as an excuse to take a break this afternoon.

Now, I'm a firm believer that smoothies, and for that matter all things tropical, should be based on approximation. For that reason, the "recipe" listed below contains references to quantities like "about," "at least" and "ish." If you've ever learned to cook a dish from a Southern gal, you're already familiar with what these terms suggest. However, for those of you uninitiated with the ways of "guess-urement," I've provided some notes to help you along.

Ginger-Peachy Smoothie
Yield: About 2 8oz servings

1 banana, fresh or frozen
Approximately 2 Tbsp lime juice
At least 1/3 cup non-dairy milk of your choice (I used vanilla almond milk) (up to 1/2 cups - see note below!)
About 1/2 lb frozen peaches (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 tsp-ish pureed ginger root (use fresh or )
Optional: agave nectar to taste (see note)

(And here's my favorite thing about smoothie recipes... Are you ready?)
Put all ingredients in . Pulse til you reach desired consistency!

Now, about that note I promised. I actually have a few to share.

On liquids: The question of consistency in smoothies is one of personal preference. I tend to like my smoothies a bit thicker than most folks (think milkshake!) so I'll always add a little less milk than others might. Consider also that the amount of liquid you'll need to add will be in direct ratio to the water content of the fruit you're using, the size of your banana, and so on. There's no right or wrong answer here, just do what feels right.

On sweeteners: I don't have a killer sweet tooth, so I rarely add sweetener to fruit concoctions like this. The vanilla almond milk I use is also unsweetened. However, if you're looking to add some sweetness or turn this into a dessert dish, you can add agave nectar if you like. Or... you can use a sweetened vanilla milk. Or... substitute part of the milk for a vanilla yogurt, which will also contain some sugar. Or... (and here's where the dessert part really comes into play) add some peach sorbet or vanilla soy/rice cream in addition to the other ingredients. In the end, my best advice is "sweeten to taste... and then taste some more!"

P.S. Dear beach fans: This (and any other) fruit smoothie becomes an especially wonderful treat with the addition of a bit of dark rum. Just sayin'.