Thursday, July 24, 2008

Kick it with da Kiwis



I'm heading to New Zealand in a few weeks, so this afternoon I sipped a Kiwi Kooler smoothie. It's light, sweet, tangy and will be disappear before the sun can slip behind the clouds.  I made enough for two, so I put the other half in a container to freeze as sorbet for another sunny day.

Kiwi Kooler smoothie
3 peeled kiwis
1 c honeydew melon cubed
1 c or about 14-15 frozen green grapes
1/3 c pineapple cubed
1/4 c soy yogurt
1/4 c coconut milk
handful ice cubes
*1/4 c water
1/2 t poppy seeds

(*if needed; or replace 1/4 c coconut milk and 1/4 c water with 1/2 c lite coconut milk) 

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend for about 30 seconds or until smooth.  Pour into 2 chilled glasses and serve with straws. Cheers! 

(Side note: This smoothie does have some texture because of the grape skins and pineapple strings.)

Substitutions for:
honeydew melon~pear
coconut milk~vanilla milk of choice
poppyseeds~just leave out..


You don't say!--------------------------------------------------------------
-Did you know kiwifruit was orginally called "chinese gooseberry" (yes, almost everything came out of China!) and then after that it was a "melonette?" 
-It's actually named kiwifruit, although commonly referred to as just "kiwi."
-Kiwifruit is high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, and a protein-dissolving enzyme actinidin as well as being a natural blood thinner.
-Italy produces the most kiwifruit followed by China (smirk) and then New Zealand.
-There is a special tool called a "spife" used to eat kiwi. It has a knife on one end and spoon on the other to first cut the fruit in half and then scoop out the flesh.

-------------------------------------------------------------(He didn't say...)

I'm heading to the North island of New Zealand next month, so I'll be sharing all my culinary experiences here on my blog as well as any recipes I can nab from friendly, unsuspecting kiwis (the people, not the fruit silly!)  I have heard much about Pavlova, so I might have to bite the pill (lactase pill that is..) and just try some, aye? ~Cheers mate!

2 comments:

xoxo, Chloe said...

Sounds yummy. I don't eat kiwi that much so I tend to forget how good it tastes :)

Anonymous said...

ok girlfriend...
ummmm shall i say it again, u missed your calling... get goin and get enrolled in culinary arts.. or what the flip... don't and just say u did... u don't even need to go to school UR A FLIPPIN NATURAL AT THIS STUFF.... signed envious...