Kiwi-Coriander-Kraze

Oh was this smoothie ever a success.... Fragrant, smooth, yummy, everything a super smoothie should be. Did I mention nutritious? No fancy business here, but one I'm sure all you coriander addicts will adore. I was craving yoghurt this morning, so I went a little heavy. If you'd prefer a less creamy version, just decrease the amount of yoghurt.

1/2 cucumber
1 banana
1 apple
2 kiwis (peeled)
3/4 balkan style yoghurt
1 small handful coriander leaves and stems
1 cup cranberry juice
splash cold water

The kiwis really added a nice tang to this smoothie, and I have some neat ideas about what to do with the rest of the punnet, so stay tuned. And not surprisingly, kiwi and coriander go great together! Smoothie on!

What did you think?

Apple Pie Smoothie

Hello everyone, I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus, I have just started a great new job, and the new schedule has taken some getting used to. I have been smoothie-free, but now we're going to make up for it. Continuing with my excitement over using oats in my smoothies, I had a great idea to do a nice, seasonal smoothie, and I'm so pleased to report that it was a HUGE success, I'm sure you're going to love it. Ok, so the ingredients:

2 apples
1/2 cup balkan yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 handful old fashioned oats
1 tsp honey
1 large pinch cinnamon
Cold water as needed to thin

Since apples are usually quite hard, be sure to blend for long enough to make sure you don't get any chunks. One of the nice things about this creation is the fragrance, which is just as tantalizing as the taste. Many studies have shown that cinnamon has a positive effect on blood sugar, insulin response and even cholesterol levels. Commonly used for all kinds of ailments in traditional Chinese medicine, cinnamon is also believed to improve energy, vitality, and circulation. So there you go, something else that tastes great, and is also great for you! I so enjoy finding out how so many natural things work to keep us healthy, and it just reinforces my opinion that as long as you're eating "real" food, you'll be ok...

So tell me, have any of you tried a pie in a smoothie before? Smoothie on!

It Ain't Easy Being Green

This smoothie was inspired by me looking at my garden sadly, knowing that to my dismay all my cauliflower plants ever did this season was grow humongous leaves. No cauliflowers at all. Since the leaves are so beautiful and awe-inspiring, I thought it'd be worth checking out whether or not they're edible. Turns out not only are they edible, but they're a lot like kale, ie. full of wholesome goodness. The colour of this smoothie is spectacular, and it's really nice and fresh tasting. I think next time I'll add a bit of honey to sweeten it up a bit, or maybe some mint for some zing... I've also noticed that a disadvantage of using green tea in smoothies, is that there's quite a time lapse between brewing it and it being cool enough to go into s smoothie. Here I added 2 ice cubes to the tea to hurry the process along, but I think in the fututre what I'm going to do is brew a big batch and put it in a jug in the fridge. I enjoy cold green tea, already, so I'm pretty sure that'll work out great. Here we go:

1 ripe avocado
1 small banana
1 cup balkan style yoghurt
1 humongous cauliflower leaf, or kale leaf
1 1/2 cups green tea
1 apple

Here's a photo of my big, beautiful cauli leaf. It might not pack quite the nutritional punch of the much darker green kale, but it still measures up with plenty of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.





What did you think of this smoothie? Comments are welcome, smoothie on!

Plum-Tastic

It's amazing what one plum did for this smoothie!! Sweet, purple, smooth, and yummy. Still trying to beat this cold, so I stayed away from the yoghurt today.

1 banana
1/2 large cucumber
1 green apple
1 small orange
1 lime
1/2 cup cold water
1 plum

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!