What
to put in a smoothie
At its most basic, a smoothie consists of nothing more than
fruit, ice and some sort of liquid to make the final product
more, well, drinkable. Add some yogurt and you get a creamier
smoothie. Add some milk or soymilk and you have a fruit shake.
The possibilities are limited only by your imagination (and your
tolerance for potentially strange flavor combinations). You can
add sorbet or ice cream for a sweeter, dessert-like smoothie, or
toss in some soybeans or tofu if you need a protein boost. And
if fresh-fruit goodness and calcium-rich milk/yogurt just don’t
provide enough healthiness for you, there’s a wide array of
herbal supplements and nutrient boost powders that you can find
at you local health store. Try bee pollen for essential amino
acids, echinacea to ward off a cold, oat bran to get some fiber,
wheat germ for a boost of vitamin E.
You can use just about any fruit
you like as the base for your smoothie – what’s most
important is that you use the freshest, ripest, ingredients you
can get your hands on. Buy fresh fruit when it’s in season and
at its cheapest, then peel it, de-seed it, and cut it up into
ready-to-blend pieces. Seal it up in a ziplock baggie and throw
it in the freezer, and you’ll be able to whip up smoothies in
no time, whenever the mood happens to strike. This is also a
great way to use up fruit that’s ripened to the point where
the texture is somewhat revolting, but the flavor is still
perfectly good – bananas, for instance, are only worth eating
when they still have a hint of green, as far as I’m concerned,
so whenever my bananas have passed that point of perfect
not-quite-ripeness, I just peel the remainder, chop them up, and
freeze them for smoothie use.
|
. |
Strawberry
Banana Smoothie
2 bananas
12 strawberries
¾ cup orange juice
handful of ice
water (optional: use to thin if necessary)
___________
Berry Cherry Shake
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,
blackberries, etc.)
6 pitted cherries
1 banana
1 cup milk
handful of ice
|
