Green Smoothie Update

As many of you know, I have been desperately trying to incorporate green smoothies into my daily life. I have really struggled to accomplish this, often finding the smoothies to be unpalatable. This is so surprising to me, given that I love salads, sauteed greens, and even green juices. I was frustrated for a long time. Then I came across Sarma's cilantro pineapple shake (see previous post). It consists of a huge bunch of cilantro, cucumbers and pineapple. I thought it must be the cilantro that made the smoothie so delicious. Turns out, it is the pineapple!!!! Seriously, I have experimented with dozens of combinations of green smoothies and, if I add pineapple, ANY of them are tasty. I use fresh pineapple, because it's cheaper and tastes better, but frozen works too.
Here's my latest favorite:
1/2 fresh pineapple
1 0r 2 bananas
4 cups baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup coconut water
1/2 vanilla bean
pinch of salt
1 tsp agave (you really don't need it with the pineapple, but if you're just getting used to green smoothies, add a bit).

For further reading about why greens are so important, I highly recommend Victoria Boutenko's Green For Life, which I am currently in the middle of reading right now. It's really illuminating. She and her family are inspirational.

Smoothie Tips

1. Salt:

Salt has a remarkable capacity for bringing flavors together. This is true both in savory foods as well as sweet. I always add a pinch of salt to each smoothie I make. When I forget to add salt, the difference in flavor is quite noticeable. Make sure that you're using a good quality sea salt that will contribute to your overall health, rather than deplete it.

2. Vanilla:

I always add a half of a vanilla bean to every smoothie I make. It really adds to the flavor of fruit smoothies and green smoothies alike. I use the whole vanilla pod which gets pulverized in the VitaMix. If you don't have a high-speed blender you can split the vanilla pod down the middle and scrape out the seeds with the back of your knife. I think this is better than using vanilla extract, which always leaves an alcoholic taste to me.

Some feel that vanilla is cost prohibitive. I generally buy my vanilla beans from Fairway here in NYC where it costs $2.99 for two beans (that's 4 smoothies). For those of you outside of New York, i've heard that Costco now carries vanilla beans. There might be less expensive resources online. If you find any, please let me know.

Update: Antony Heaven of livingrawfooduk.blogspot.com just emailed me a fantastic site where he buys his vanilla beans from. organic-vanilla.com. Their prices are FAR better than anything i've seen AND they're organic. Just placed an order of 30 beans for $10. Thanks Antony!

3. Coconut Water:

Nothing tastes better to me than when I use coconut water as the liquid in my smoothies. It's always strange to me because coconut water isn't that distinct from filtered tap water to me. But using filtered tap water in my smoothies always makes them taste quite bland. Also, coconut water has copious amounts of electrolytes, which is why it is often referred to as "nature's Gatorade."

4. Cleaning the Blender:

Many have told me that the task of cleaning their blender is SO daunting that it puts them off of making smoothies. They are generally quite excited to learn my method for cleaning (I honestly have no clue where I learned it). Simply fill the pitcher 3/4 of the way up with warm water. Add 4 to 5 drops of dish detergent (phosphate free, naturally) and give it a whir. The power of the blender should remove any schmutz that accumulated on the sides. Give it a rinse and turn it upside down on a dish cloth to dry. It's honestly one of the easiest things to clean in the entire kitchen.

Green Smoothie

GREENS!!!!!!! I love leafy greens - ALL of them. Salads make me giddy and I crave green juices. Interestingly, I have really struck out when it comes to green smoothies. Quite honestly, I haven't liked most that I've tried. I have made numerous attempts, each time thinking "this is going to be the one that sticks." No such luck! Inevitably, I end up throwing most green smoothies down the hatch with my nose pinched between my thumb and index finger.

Then, one day after reading about the many health benefits of cilantro, I decided to try the Cilantro Pineapple Shake from Sarma's new book Living Raw Food. It's delicious! It is now my go-to green smoothie and I make it at least once per week. I love the limey taste of the cilantro. As a matter of fact, I have thought about adding some fresh squeezed lime juice...next time!

Here's my variation:

1/2 fresh pineapple (frozen is OK too)

1 large cucumber (or 2 small) peeled

1 bunch of cilantro - I only use the upper parts of the stems and leaves

2 tbsp agave

1/2 vanilla bean

1 pinch of sea salt

1 cup coconut water - you may not need as much because the pineapples and cukes have so much water.

Papaya Pineapple Smoothie

I've heard that people who drink a lot of alcoholic beverages often have morning-after rituals that involve drinking strange concoctions, such as milk and honey, coca-cola (more poison), or even sauerkraut juice. Well, I have one for the morning after I've succumbed to the temptation (or convenience) of food that is neither raw nor vegan. This weekend I thoroughly enjoyed a lobster roll and a slice of pizza. What I find after I've eaten foods like these is that they take a bit longer to digest, making me feel heavy and "irregular." In times like these I need to do penance for my digestive system and I offer it in the form of extra enzymes.

This Papaya Pineapple smoothie is inspired by the Papaya Enzyme smoothie from Raw Food, Real World. Papaya and pineapple are both loaded with enzymes that help break down whatever they come into contact with. You can even spread mashed up papaya on your face to eat away dead skin cells.

My smoothie starts with a half of a papaya, which I buy at Whole Foods already wrapped with a wedge of lime in it. I scoop out and discard the seeds, then scoop the papaya meat into the blender. Next, I add the remainder of the ingredients:

1 small bag of frozen pineapple

1/2 a vanilla bean

2 heaping tsp of coconut butter

1/2 lime juiced

1 tbsp agave

1 pinch of sea salt

1.5 cups coconut water

Give it a whir in the blender on a high speed.

I particularly enjoy seeing the flecks of black seeds from the vanilla pod.

Morning Smoothie

As I mentioned earlier, when I first learned about the raw food philosophy I felt overwhelmed by imagining how difficult the transition would be from delicious (and readily available) conventional food to a mostly raw vegan diet.  Then I realized something - I ALREADY EAT RAW FOOD - MY MORNING SMOOTHIE!!!!  Well, it was mostly raw.

What started as a Jamba Juice addiction became a morning ritual where I made a fruit smoothie for myself and my partner every morning.  True, it usually had a scoop of frozen yogurt....oh, who am I kidding?....Vanilla Ice Cream in it, but it was a step in the right direction.

After reading Raw Food, Real World, I realized that a few small changes could turn my morning smoothie into a delicious and raw way to start the day.  Instead of high fructose fruit juice (apple or orange were my favorites), I could substitute electrolyte building coconut water.  Since water isn't sweet, I could add Agave syrup.  To make it creamy I could add coconut butter or almond butter.  YUM!

This morning I made a quick and easy Cherry-Banana smoothie:

-1 bag frozen organic cherries

-2 bananas

-roughly 1.5 cups coconut water

-2 heaping teaspoons of coconut butter

-1/2 a vanilla bean

-2 tbsp raw agave syrup (I use 365 brand from Whole Foods)

-a pinch of sea salt

I took a picture for the blog, looked at the clock and realized that I was running late.  So, I poured mine out of the glass you see in the picture and into a mason jar for my commute to Brooklyn.  My partner got to enjoy his at home because he didn't have to be at work until 9:30 - the lucky duck!