[Pastachef]

Has anyone tried the new fruit smoothies? The college girls I work for make them nonstop. In a blender they put a container of a fruity yogurt, a banana or a couple of strawberries, three of four ice cubes and an ounce or two of skim milk. Puree for a minute or two. They are as delicious as any dessert, healthy, filling for hours, and you can even add a little tofu for protein. I've got my whole family hooked on them. Especially my son. He's big on healthy eating and working out.

[Kimmie]

Of course!

1 cup orange juice
1 cup strawberries
1 cup low fat yoghurt (we have Damafro here, extra firm)
1 banana and a few ice cubes

Very healthy for adults as well!

[chrose]

My favorite post gym workout or after any hot exercise or on a hot day drink is this. I buy fresh strawberries hull and wash and halve them, cut up canteloupe, honeydew if I have, apples and bananas and any other fruit that I may have lying around. Put a few chunks of each into baggies and then freeze them. When I use them I put a bagful of frozen fruits into the blender, add 1 ice cube if you like a crunch, some orange juice, a spoonful or two of honey and a splash of milk. Blend to a slushy consistency and enjoy. If you like add a splash of club soda or ginger ale. Guaranteed pick me up and brain freeze.

[ April 29, 2001: Message edited by: chrose ]

Mmmmmmmmm, smoothies--my current favorite way to use up old bananas. Once they've got brown spots all over them, I peel 'em and put them in plastic bags in the freezer. To make a smoothie, I put one in the blender--best to break it up into chunks first--along with some berries--blueberries are great, or any others of your choice--milk, and orange juice. I find the orange juice (or lemon) is essential to finishing off the flavor. Mmmmmm--and so good for you.

I used to have these smoothies all the time when I still lived with my sister in Atlanta, Georgia. They are very difficult to find where I live now. I miss those drinks. hehe hehe

[Pastachef]

Afra, They're so easy to make. Don't you have a blender? You can put whatever you want in them.

No I don't have a blender. My brother had one when I was still in Atlanta, but when I came back it wasn't working and now does not work at all. Everything we mix now has to be mixed by hand, with the egg beater we use by hand. I wonder if the smoothies will turn out all right if we do this? I do have the beater we use by hand; I got it from that stupid school I tried to attend for gourmet cooking. If you could send me some recipes to try and if you could also let me know if I could make the smoothies this way, I would greatly appriciate it!

[Kimmie]

Rhubarb Smoothie

Prepare a syrup with 1 1/2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar.

Cut 1 lb. of rhubarb in 1-inch pieces and boil them for about 10 minutes in the syrup. Strain and cool.

In the blender, put the rhubarb along with:

1 cup strawberries
1 cup milk
1/2 cup yoghurt
2 tbsp. honey

Whiz until smooth. Add 6 ice cubes, one at a time, blend until smooth and serve.

[Pastachef]

I don't think it would work without a blender, Afra, because the blender also crushes the ice. Maybe you could borrow one from a relative or neighbor. Also, they are very inexpensive.

[Svadhisthana]

You might be able to do it with a "boat motor" they can crush ice and are inexpensive.
Svadhisthana

[Kimmie]

The Smoothies Deck : 50 Recipes for High-Energy Refreshment

Book Description
The Smoothies Deck features 50 surefire recipes for blended fruit drinks. Shown in tempting photos, Cool Hand Lime, Mango Madness, and the Sunset Sipper are just the beginning! The sturdy cards travel easy and clean up fast. Punch blend, frappé, or mix? It's all delicious with The Smoothies Deck.

Here



[ June 11, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]

[Pete]

I, as is the case with many chefs I know, eat terribly, when it comes to nutrition. I am lucky to sit down to one meal a day, and the stuff I eat on the run is, how shall we say....less than nutitious. I have started doing the smoothie thing in the morning along with vitamins, and I really feel the difference in my energy level. I also found that adding wheat germ is a great source of dietary fiber. It doesn't affect the flavor, but does give it kind of a gritty bite.

[Svadhisthana]

Local health food stores carry a lot of healthy "additives" for smoothies, like vitamins, wheat germ, etc. I like doing a smoothie with yogurt, soymilk, and frozen fruits. If you use the fruit frozen instead of ice, it won't water down the final product.

[Kimmie]

TROPICAL SMOOTHIES
Serves 4

1 mango, peeled, seeded, and diced (1/2 cup)
1/2 papaya, peeled, seeded, and sliced (1 cup)
1 ripe banana, peeled
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups ice In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth and well combined. Serve immediately.


VIETNAMESE SMOOTHIE

1/2 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks (1/2 ripe avocado or 1/2 small ripe papaya can be used instead)
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups ice
1 tablespoon sugar, plus more to taste

Pulse ingredients in blender or food processor until ice is puréed. Add sugar to taste.

[Pastachef]

Wow, Kimmie! You have posted some wonderful Smoothie recipes to this board. As in Pete's case, I am an undernourished and harried cook, so these things are healthy and filling for hours