Zingy Speckle

The first thing I'd like to point out about today's smoothie is the fragrance... it just smells incredible (all you other coriander addicts out there will immediately understand what I'm saying here). And yes, it tastes just as lovely as it smells, and it really looks pretty, too, with all sorts of different colored speckles in it. Here are the ingredients:

1 small banana
1/2 medium cucumber (unpeeled)
large handful of red grapes
1 apple, cored
1 lime, peeled
1 handful of coriander leaves and stems, washed carefully (important step - it tends to be full of earth, which is very grainy in a smoothie)
1 cup pineapple juice
1 splash (maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 cup) grapefruit juice

Coriander, Coriandrum sativum (also known as cilantro) is a fascinating herb to me - mainly because of people's incredibly strong feelings towards it. No one seems to be like "Coriander, meh.". It's always either "Holy guacamole I LOVE the stuff!!! Inject it into my eyeballs, maaan!!!", or "Don't let it even touch the rest of my food, it'll contaminate everything and make it all taste like soap". In addition to its use as a fragrant herb, of course it has plenty of nutritional and medicinal value. It's great for the digestive system, and the bruised seed can even be applied externally as a poultice to help with joint pain. The leaves are full of antioxidants, too. Smoothie on!