RECIPES: Cheers to good health with healthy smoothies
Stiff joints, creaky bones and slower metabolism are all unwelcome reminders that I am getting older. I try to ward off the inevitable through regular exercise and a sensible diet. But I do dabble in some New Age hocus-pocus.
There’s admittedly a look of witchery to my morning liquid intake ritual. The cups that line my breakfast place setting are filled with water (hydration), herbal tea (calmness), coffee — always a cortado (alertness), orange juice (antioxidants, bonus benefit: avoid scurvy) and a demitasse holding a tonic of freshly squeezed citrus juices, a couple dashes of homemade hot sauce, a fork tine of shredded horseradish and a shake of Tajin seasoning. I refer to the latter as a “zinger”; hey, I haven’t had a cold in ages.
I’m not the only one who keeps the doctor away with drinks. Dee Dine, founder of health-minded website Green Smoothie Gourmet, shares 100 liquid concoctions in her newly published “4-Ingredient Smoothies + Juices” (Page Street Publishing Co., $17.99). Ingredients are selected for their nutritional benefit — stress or weight management, improved sleep, immunity, beauty (glowing skin!) — and then blitzed, juiced, shaken, stirred and even frozen.
Inflammation-fighting purple cabbage may seem off-putting for a smoothie, but, as Dine points out, Purple Cabbage Shake really does taste like a liquid blueberry muffin. While the recipe calls for cashew butter, Dine says any nut butter can be swapped, even sunflower seed butter for those who steer clear of nuts. I used almond butter with creamy, delicious results.
Aquafaba Fizz Shot, touted in the book as an energy drink, is a unique concoction that makes use of aquafaba. The liquid in a can of chickpeas has properties that function much like an egg white, positing aquafaba as an ideal vegan substitute for use as a binder, emulsifier and thickener. The dollop of whipped aquafaba is a terrific counter to the refreshing liquid layer below — a combination that offers all the zing of a gin fizz and none of the alcohol.
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup grapefruit juice
- 1/4 cup sparkling water
- 1/4 cup aquafaba
- Pinch of cream of tartar, optional
- Lime slice, for garnish
- Add all the ingredients except the aquafaba, cream of tartar and lime slice to a blender, and process until the juice is combined.
- Pour the aquafaba in a mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer for 5 to 7 minutes or until the aquafaba, which looks like egg whites, turns into a stiff whipped cream. A pinch of cream of tartar early on may help speed up the whipped transition.
- Once you have your whipped aquafaba, pour the blender drink over ice and dollop on the whip. Adorn with a lime slice and enjoy. Makes 2 (4-ounce) shots.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per shot: 20 calories (percent of calories from fat, 9), trace protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace total fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 2 milligrams sodium.
- 1/4 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 banana, peeled
- 2 teaspoons cashew butter
- 1 cup milk
- Add all the ingredients to a blender and process until the mixture is smooth. Enjoy immediately, or if you prefer, refrigerate for an hour to give it an extra chill. Makes 2 (8-ounce) shakes.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per shake: 146 calories (percent of calories from fat, 31), 6 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 5 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), 10 milligrams cholesterol, 62 milligrams sodium.Recipes reprinted with permission from “4-Ingredient Smoothies + Juices” by Dee Dine (Page Street Publishing Co., 2021).
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