I’ve never tried broccoli in a smoothie before. It’s never occurred to me to put it into my drinks as I thought the texture might be a little odd. So when my friend Andrea from Zen Pilates sent me this recipe for a guest post, I was intrigued how it would both look and taste. I called this post The Green Smoothie in Disguise as the berries make it a pretty purple and the blended raw broccoli is cleverly hidden within their seedy texture.
Andrea is not only an awesome Pilates and Piloxing instructor at her Mt Lawley studio, but also a qualified Dietitian and one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet. She walks her talk more than anyone I know. I mean, look!
(photo by the amazing Alana Blowfield)
Hope you enjoy Andrea’s green smoothie recipe.
I was recently eating salad and my friend commented that I didn’t have any protein in my snack! Did you know Green Vegetables are rich in PROTEIN and jam packed high in micro-nutrients? My favourite Green Smoothie this summer is simple: a nutritious post-cardio exercise snack that will boost your protein intake and help to refuel glycogen levels in your muscles and liver. Or, simply enjoy as a way to boost the greens and micronutrient level in your diet.
SIMPLE GREEN SMOOTHIE
1 FROZEN BANANA 1/2 CUP FROZEN BERRIES 1/2 CUP SPINACH, (or kale or any green leafy vegetable) 1 CUP BROCCOLI FLORETS, CHOPPED 1 CUP COCONUT WATER
A FEW ICE CUBES
Mix in a blender and off you go!
Remember to NOURISH yourself every day. You can never eat too many greens!
Have a fabulous weekend everyone. Do something you enjoy!
x Andrea – Zen Pilates Perth
Mint Choc-Chip is my favourite ice cream flavour, ever, and I’ve been experimenting lately to make a worthy raw version that meets my high expectations (in case you’re wondering: the mint should sing as a clear flavour but not be toothpaste-like; the chocolate should be dark and bitter). The addition of kale or spinach juice to this ice cream makes me feel oh-so-vindicated of my ice cream obsession and as the ice cream is sandwiched between two delicious, raw, vegan brownie slices, this dessert is a super pretty one to serve to skeptics of healthy food.
The trick to getting these to look neat is to freeze everything in rectangular slabs and to make a template to cut them out with before assembling. It’s worth this extra fiddling about; freezing them together in layers won’t come out as good, (trust me).
RAW CHOCOLATE BROWNIE
1 CUP DRIED DATES, SEEDS REMOVED + CHOPPED 1/2 CUP ALMONDS 1/2 CUP PECANS 3/4 CUP RAW CACAO (or DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA, not raw)
1/4 CUP WATER (IF NEEDED)
Whizz all the ingredients in your food processor until combined. You may need to add a little water to make the mixture turn around but make sure it’s not too wet. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up a little. Then divide the mixture into two and roll each out separately with a rolling pin between two pieces of greaseproof paper to about 1cm (1/3 inch) thick. Leave them in between the papers and place on a flat tray in the freezer for a few hours to set.
RAW MINT CHOC-CHIP ICE CREAM
5 RIPE BANANAS, PEELED AND CHOPPED 2 DROPS EDIBLE SPEARMINT (OR MINT) ESSENTIAL OIL 1/3 CUP LIGHT AGAVE NECTAR 1/3 CUP FRESH SPINACH AND/OR KALE JUICE
1/3 CUP RAW CACAO NIBS
Whizz all the ingredients except the cacao nibs in your blender or food processor until really smooth. Place in a container into the freezer for an hour until the ice cream begins to thicken and set. Remove it before it hardens completely and stir through the cacao nibs (this way they won’t sink to the bottom as the ice cream is partially set). Now pour the ice cream mixture into a plastic-wrap lined rectangular tray or dish and freeze for at least 4 hours.
ASSEMBLY
Decide what shape you’d like to make your ice cream sandwiches (I did think about a hexagon, but then I couldn’t be bothered. There was ice cream: I wanted to eat it). Use a piece of paper as a template to cut your brownie slices out with a sharp knife and group into twos. Use the same process for cutting the ice cream, cutting one ice cream slab for every two brownie slices. Sandwich the ice cream between two brownies and you’re done! Store any extras in the freezer wrapped in greaseproof paper inside an airtight container.
This super yummy smoothie recipe is a guest post from my beautiful friend Gráinne who runs Karratha Yoga. If you’re up in the West Australian Pilbara region, be sure to check out her classes. Thanks for sharing your recipe, Gráinne! If you want to keep this smoothie raw, replace the soy milk with coconut water or almond milk.
When I was in my 20s I spent eighteen months living in one of the most famous green tea growing areas of Japan, Shizuoka. A rural area, home to Mount Fuji and only an hour or two from Tokyo, the region is proud of its traditional tea heritage and I came to appreciate the mellow lift and health benefits of a good cup of Japanese green tea.
So, unsurprisingly one of my favourite treats is the classic green tea ice cream. This smoothie re-creates that yummy, creamy flavour without the refined sugar or dairy. Add more agave if you have a sweet tooth, or perhaps omit it altogether if you’re having this as a breakfast smoothie.
xx Gráinne – www.karrathayoga.com
Matcha Green Tea Smoothie
1 FROZEN BANANA (nice and sweet and ripe before peeling, cutting in half and popping in the freezer) 1 HUGE HANDFUL OF BABY SPINACH 1 CUP SOY MILK 1/2 CUP WATER 2 TEASPOONS GREEN TEA POWDER (make sure it is powdered “matcha” style green tea – not fine tea leaves)
1 TABLESPOON AGAVE SYRUP
Blitz and enjoy!
Gráinne recommends this brand of matcha (pronounced ma-cha): Absolute Green Organic Tea Powder
I accidentally drank most of this smoothie before I photographed it, (and let’s not mention the dusty when illuminated table – texture, if you please). I’ll put that down as testament to its deliciousness rather than my carelessness. I went through a phase of having one of these every morning for breakfast instead of coffee, and I’d like to get back into that phase again soon. It’s such an easy way to get lots of greens into your diet and make your body more alkaline. Victoria Boutenko’s Green For Life book has lots of info on green smoothies and is an interesting read.
There’s a gazillion recipes online for green smoothies with coconut oil, blue-green algae powder, spiralina and the like, but I prefer to make mine very simply. Here are two, super simple green smoothie recipes I have on repeat:
#1 SPINACH BANANA GREEN SMOOTHIE
1 FROZEN BANANA, CHOPPED 1 CUP BABY SPINACH
1.5 CUPS WATER (OR COCONUT WATER, IF YOU CAN BE BOTHERED. I USUALLY CAN’T).
Put the chopped banana in a blender first, then the spinach and the water and blend on high until smooth.
#2 KIWI MINT GREEN SMOOTHIE
1 FROZEN BANANA, CHOPPED 1 CUP BABY SPINACH 1 KIWI FRUIT, PEELED AND CHOPPED 2 SPRIGS OF FRESH MINT LEAVES
1 CUP WATER (OR COCONUT WATER, AGAIN IF YOU CAN BE BOTHERED).
Put the chopped banana and kiwi fruit in a blender first, then the spinach and mint and finally the water and blend on high until smooth.