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Galactic Green Smoothie
by Mark Reinfeld & Jennifer Murray in "The 30-Minute Vegan" (p. 48)
It took me a while of thinking about it to try a green smoothie, and this was my first attempt. I loved it and now make one for my husband and me at least once a week for breakfast. The recipe calls for a papaya, but I haven't had a lot of success in finding a good one, so I have successfully substituted mango and peach. The reason not to use red or purple berries, I think, is color rather than flavor. I don't know the best season for papayas, but when they start appearing in the market, I'll give them a try.
Makes two 14-ounce servings
2 dates
180 ml3/4 cup apple juice
1 large banana
1 medium papaya (about 2 cups)
59 ml1/4 cup cashews or macadamia nuts
710 ml3 cups kale leaves
Variations: Substitute mango or peaches for the papaya; try pineapple juice, coconut nectar or pear juice instead of apple juice; add mint leaves if available; substitute peanut or almond butter for the cashews.
Place all ingredients in a blender and process until very smooth.
* Original recipe calls for 3 dates. I found that 2 was enough to get a sweet mix. You can adjust to your taste.
I use frozen bananas in all my smoothies and as many other frozen ingredients as possible to make the drink as cold as possible. To achieve coldness without frozen fruit, you could add a few ice cubes to the mix, but don't add too many, or you will dilute your smoothie.