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!

Avocado-Strawberry Awesomeness

Yesterday I decided that it was time to kick it up a notch, so when friends came over for dinner it was the perfect opportunity to make an extra special smoothie that I could also share with all of you. I have to give credit on this smoothie to my sister, since she's the one who first introduced it to me. She had a similar concoction at a Hawaiian smoothie joint, and decided to give it a go herself. This is my take on it, and it just so happens to be one of the most fabulous smoothies I have ever made. I actually served it for dessert last night, and it was perfect. I usually use orange juice for the strawberry part, but I was out, so you'll see how I improvised... So this smoothie has 3 parts for dramatic effect: (Serves 4)

Avocado (Green) Part:
3 ripe avocados
1/2 cup milk, or enough to make it pourable
Blend, then pour into glasses, rinse blender

Strawberry (Pink) Part:
1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
3/4 cup Sangria (yeah baby), or enough to make it pourable
Blend, and then take a spoon, turn it upside down over the avocado, so that the scoopy part of the spoon is facing down, and slowly pour the strawberry mixture onto the spoon, so that it slowly pours and sits on top of the avocado mixture.

Now add a spoonful of ricotta to each glass, topped with chopped/bashed pistachio nuts, and then drizzle some good quality honey over it, et voila.

I'm sure you're going to be amazed at how awesome this smoothie is, and if you're anything like me, you're just going to want to make it every day... Let me know if I need to start a rehab group for this one! Smoothie on!

Krisz' Peanut Butter Cup Surprise

Yesterday when I was telling my friend Krisz about my new smoothie blog, she shared with me her new fave smoothie recipe, and ladies and gents, it's a winner. She uses a standard blender for this mix - half a banana, 2 big tablespoons of organic peanut butter (no sugar or anything added), a spoonful of honey, about half a blender full of milk, and one ice cube. The most important part of this recipe, Krisz insisted, are the proportions, which I discovered for myself today when trying it out.

I was really excited to try this recipe, particularly because the first thing I did was throw some unsalted roasted peanuts into my Vitamix and turn them into my own home-made peanut butter.... This smoothie is absolutely amazingly delicious, and packs a great protein punch, and is the perfect cure to a chocolate bar craving.

As we all know, legumes in our diet are incredibly important, and peanuts are no exception. Full of protein, vitamins and trace minerals, peanuts have been shown to be great for the heart. Something that I didn't know until I did my homework, is that peanuts have lots of oleic acid in them (like olives), and actually rival the antioxidant content of many fruits. To my surprise, roasting them has actually been shown to increase antioxidant content by 22%! So peanut butter is great, but to be clear, I don't believe that applies to peanut butter that is so processed and full of sugar that in my opinion it cancels out whatever might be good about the peanuts... I'm talking about peanut butter with only one ingredient in it... Peanuts (go figure). FYI the peanut butter I made this morning was so delicious and creamy that you'd barely be able to tell the difference between it and the store-bought sugary brand. Do beware of the proportions in this recipe, as I added a bit too much peanut butter, so my smoothie was a bit thick and intense... Nothing a shot of milk didn't fix, mind you. But talk about fill you up!! I'm half way through my smoothie, and I'm full. Smoothie on, everyone!