Some of My Favorite Smoothie Recipes!

Smoothie: One of my favorite treats!

Smoothies Galore. Delicious enough to be even dessert. Many smoothie joints have recently sprouted all over the city. But none of them will whip up a smoothie as delicious, nutritious, inexpensive and quick as you will. The best part is, for the exact same amount of work you get not one but two, even three perfect smoothies.

Don’t use ice: Use frozen fruit!

Frozen fruit is the best, always at the peak of sweetness and ripeness, always ready when you are.  It will keep all your flavors intense and undiluted.

The only exception is the chocolate smoothie, which needs ice because all ingredients are at room temperature. Bananas got too ripe? throw them in the freezer, and when ready to use them, just run your warm water faucet over them, the peel will come right off!

For a Super Healthy Smoothie

Don’t hesitate to sneak a few leaves into your smoothies. In one fell swoop, you will be adding a whole healthy layer of flavor, while you reduce the fruit sugars for the same volume. This is one of the reasons I always have frozen leaves on hand for green smoothies (spinach, kale, collard greens, turnip greens etc). And for lighter color smoothies, I throw in frozen butternut squash or corn. A good high power blender is a most valuable investment for smoothie lovers. The results are very smooth drinks, with none of the unpleasant fibers.

Ingredients

TROPICAL: Pineapple Coconut Smoothie.

Makes about 6 cups.

• 2 cups canned unsweetened pineapple chunks, juice and all
• 1 cup coconut milk, or regular milk, dairy-free ok
• 3 cups cubed mango, papaya, or peaches (frozen is best)
• 1 banana

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

RED: Berry Smoothie.

Makes 5 cups

• 1 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
• 1 cup yogurt or milk, dairy-free ok
• 2 cups frozen berries, in any combination

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

GREEN: Apple Kiwi Smoothie. Makes 5 cups.

• 1 cup green grapes
• 1 large pear or green apple, unpeeled, cut in chunks
• 3 ripe kiwis, peeled
• 1 cup chunks honeydew melon
• 1 cup white grape juice or natural apple cider

Mix all ingredients in the blender a full minute at high speed until smooth and frothy.

BROWN: Chocolate Date Smoothie.

Makes 5 cups.

• 1/2 cup whole almonds
• 1 cup pitted dates, packed
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup yogurt or milk, dairy-free ok
• A few ice cubes

Place the almonds, dates, cocoa, and water in the blender. Cover and let the mixture rest, unblended, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the yogurt or milk, and ice, and blend a full minute at high speed until thick and frothy.