Fun With Fennel

Gee I love when I try something new and it turns out delicious! I'm particularly excited about this smoothie because I've been thinking about trying this for quite some time now. So here's what I did this time:

1 banana
1/2 cucumber
2 stems fennel, with leaves
about a cup of red grapes
1/2 cup balkan style yoghurt
cold water
3 kiwis, peeled

This was another smoothie that was a delight to taste, and to smell. Some of you may not be used to fennel, or anise (Foeniculum vulgare), but it's a veggie that's an absolute staple in our household, both cooked as a side dish and raw in salads. It has a fabulous licorice flavour, and though I don't like licorice, I loooooooove fennel. The seeds are used frequently as a seasoning spice (great pounded with a mortar and pestle and used as a rub for meat, fyi), and the leaves as a herb. It was also used in the making of absinthe... Lots of very interesting properties make it great for health - it's been said to improve digestive tract health (also reducing flatulence), be great for eyesight, reduction of hypertension, and even for increasing breast tissue improving breastfeeding. Pretty neat stuff for something that is so absolutely delicious.

Since it's a lot like celery in texture, I wasn't worried about using it in a smoothie at all. In fact, it's much more smoothie-friendly, I believe, since it has a nicer taste, even when used in higher quantities. Celery, on the other hand, can become very overpowering in a smoothie or a juice. This is just my first attempt, stay tuned for more experimentation with fennel. Oh, and it's just perfect with the tartness of the kiwis, by the way... Smoothie on!

Sweet Sweet Sergeant Pepper

Props to my dear husband for this creation. It's great, because he's gutsier than I am (in his own words, when I asked him what's in it, he said "Everything but the kitchen sink"), and he's starting to get really adept at smoothie creation... It is an art, you know... My husband has been working really hard lately to get back in shape and lose a few pounds, and one of the things he's been doing is incorporating fresh, raw veggies into every single meal. Smoothies are a great way to mix it up (hehehe, yes I'm so punny) rather than always munching on celery sticks. I'm not dissing celery sticks, though, I swear, but you all know where my loyalties lay. So stay strong, because this concoction has some interesting goodies in it:

2 bananas
2 apples
1 avocado
1 cup balkan style yoghurt
1 handful red grapes
1 handful baby carrots
1 handful sweet peas
3 small sweet yellow peppers
1 handful broccoli
2 cups orange juice

One of the notable things about this smoothie is the lovely fragrance. You really don't notice how sweet those peppers smell until you put them into a smoothie. I have to admit, the flavour takes a little getting used to, but really, it's surprisingly nice once you give it a chance. Smoothies are a lot like life in that way, sometimes it's a little hard to get out of your comfort zone, but once you do, you reap the rewards. Smoothie on everyone, be gutsy!

Let me know what you thought of this smoothie in the comments below!

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!