Double the pleasure

So I've been beaten with the sick stick repeatedly the last week and finally lost the fight last night. I decided to make a healthy, fruity smoothie for breakfast to soothe my sore throat.  And then later I was feeling a little perkier and made one the tastes more like dessert!  I have a new bullet like blender that is perfect for making smoothies for one person and quite quickly too!

Feeling green smoothie

1/2 a small avocado

1 kiwifruit peeled

1/2 a large banana

1/3 cup frozen strawberries

1 T flaxseed oil

1/2 c - 3/4 c hempmilk

Blend and sip.

The smoothie is naturally sweet and refreshing yet still creamy with the avocado and hempmilk.

Holiday smoothie

1/2 c eggnog*

1 1/2 bananas

1 heaping T peanut butter

1/4 rice krispies cereal

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

ice cubes

Blend and sip slowly.

*Use soy eggnog if you are lactose-intolerant.

The smoothie is delicious, sweet and creamy.  You get hints of banana, peanut butter and eggnog under the chocolate flavor; like a holiday surprise! ;-)

A lovely lassi

So sickness suppressed my ravenous appetite this week. Fortunately,  I was still lively enough to whip up a Lovely Lassi smoothie to share with you.  I am happy it's mango season and there is an abundance of mangoes on the neighbor's tree!  I hear them drop from the branches at night with a crash and then a juicy plop!  You really can't beat fresh mango in the summer. Try this refreshing mango chiller with sweet hints of raspberry and rose...

A Lovely Lassi

1 1/2 c frozen cubed mango

1/2 c frozen raspberries

1/2 c lite coconut milk

3/4 c rice milk

2 t rosewater

1 T agave nectar

a few ice cubes

Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if needed, and more agave nectar to your preferred sweetness. Enjoy!

Paired with Pear

Mmmm! This morning I made another Dreamy smoothie.. pairing notes of lavender, honey and vanilla with pears and green grapes.  The perfect blend of creamy sweetness and exquisite flavor.  Lavender is one of my favorite herbs!  It's floral quality really kicks it to the forefront in a dish.  It is especially complimentary in sweets like lavender sugar, lavender tea, lavender chocolate, lavender coffee etc.. Fresh lavender is THE best! Here in the islands there is a place called Ali'i Kula Lavender on Maui that covers your every lavender need from postcards to lip balm. 

http://www.aliikulalavender.com

Pale Pear smoothie

1 c frozen sliced pear

1/2 c frozen green grapes

handful ice cubes

1/3 c soy yogurt

1 1/2 T cashew butter

1 T honeycomb

3/4 c vanilla hemp milk

1/2 t vanilla bean paste

2 pinches of lavender buds

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into two tall, medium sized glasses and garnish with a sprinkle of lavender. Enjoy!

(Side note: You may have to stop blending a few times and stir up the mixture so everything gets evenly blended.)

Substitutions for..

green grapes~add more pear

soy yogurt~yogurt of choice

honeycomb~regular or whipped honey

vanilla hemp milk~ vanilla soy milk

vanilla bean paste~pure vanilla extract or 1/4 t vanilla beans scraped from pod

cashew butter~replace with 1 T sesame tahini

*Lavender has amazing healing qualities.  It's wonderful for soothing the mind and body as well as renewing the spirit and soul.  It enhances sensuality; bringing awareness to ourselves and tuning us into our inner being. ;-)

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!