The 30-Minute Vegan - Mark Reinfeld [20]
TROPICAL SMOOTHIE
Vanilla is one of our all-time fave smoothie ingredients. If coconut butter is not readily available to you, this smoothie rocks without it. And it is a much better way to start the day than with the usual heavier starchy carbs.
MAKES FOUR 10-OUNCE SERVINGS
1½ cups mango, peeled and cubed
1½ cups pineapple, skin and
core removed, cubed
2 large bananas, fresh or frozen
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract,
preferably alcohol-free
1 to 2 tablespoons coconut butter
(optional)
1. Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth.
2. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 24 hours in an airtight glass jar.
Variations
• You can substitute store-bought orange juice for the fresh OJ if you prefer. Apple juice is another good alternative, but these days health food stores carry a huge variety of interesting juice combinations you can play with.
• Try using fresh or frozen berries, peaches, pears, apples, or pomegranate.
Quicker and Easier
Place the skin and core of the pineapple in a jar, fill with water, and refrigerate. This creates a subtly sweet water that can be used in smoothies or enjoyed on its own. Toss in a couple of cinnamon sticks and aniseeds for added flavor. Enjoy within 3 days for maximum freshness.
GALACTIC GREEN SMOOTHIE
Yummy smoothies are an effortless way to get some high-quality raw greens into your system. Greens are filled with minerals and other nutrients that our bodies thrive on. And greens make your skin glow, too, so drink up for your health and enjoy the side effects! You may wish to start with a smaller quantity of greens while you grow accustomed to the concept. Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it, though. If you do not have access to papayas, replace them with an equal amount of pineapple.
MAKES TWO 16-OUNCE SERVINGS
4 pitted dates (preferably Medjool)
¾ cup apple juice
1 large banana (about 1 cup sliced)
1 medium-size papaya, seeded (about 2 cups flesh) (see Tips and Tricks)
¼ cup cashews or macadamia nuts
3 cups kale leaves, lightly packed
1. If you do not have Medjool dates, which are moister than other dates, you may want to first blend the dates and apple juice together to puree them. Give it a good 30 seconds or so. (You can also use soaked dates if you followed our suggestion to have soaked dates on hand in the fridge.)
2. Otherwise, blend all of the ingredients, starting on low speed and working your way up to high speed until smooth.
Tips and Tricks
Papayas range from the size of a pear to the size of a watermelon. Depending on the season, you’ll see different varieties of papayas in many shapes and sizes (any of which will work in this recipe). Try to follow closely to the recipe measurement of 2 cups of the scooped out flesh to get the right amount and consistency. Also, be sure not to get ANY of the seeds in the smoothie. Even one can make the whole batch taste peppery.
Variations
• Substitute pineapple juice, coconut nectar, or pear juice for the apple juice. Or try any of your favorite juices that you think will match.
• Substitute any kind of nonbitter lettuce such as green-leaf, red-leaf, or butter-head lettuce for the kale.
• Adding several mint leaves will create a fresh taste.
• Substituting peanut butter or almond butter for the cashews offers a different, equally rich and delightful taste.
If You Have More Time
Some people prefer icy-cold smoothies. You can freeze any fruit in easy-to-open containers for weeks. Some fruits, such as pineapples, are easily cut into cubes. Bananas need to be peeled first and are fine frozen whole. Fruit such as mango and papaya are best when you take a few minutes to blend them up and pour the puree into ice cube trays, freeze, and then transfer to a container to store in the freezer.