Yogurt and low-fat milk: Use milk as the liquid and add 1/4
cup yogurt per serving. Cheese: For calcium and protein; 1 to 2 tablespoons per
serving. Tofu: For calcium, manganese, iron, protein, and omega-3
fatty acids; 1/4 cup silken or soft tofu per serving. Flaxseed: Use ground ﬂaxseeds to add omega-3 fatty acids;
1 tablespoon ground ﬂaxseeds per serving daily. If you suffer from poor digestion, be mindful of
combining protein ingredients — like yogurt, cottage
cheese, nuts, or seeds — with fruit in smoothies. The body
sends different enzymes to the gut for digesting proteins
and, in some people, fruit prevents those enzymes from
doing their job. Some fruits have natural digestive agents
that can be combined in a smoothie to help remedy this
problem. Chapter 11 offers some tips on natural digestive
ingredients you can add to smoothies. B a n a n a  B r e a k f a s t
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon ground ﬂaxseed2/3 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
Dir ections
1 Peel the bananas and break each into 4 chunks. 2 Combine the milk, bananas, blueberries, ﬂaxseed, and yogurt in
the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 247 (From Fat 37); Fat 4g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 7mg; Sodium 96mg;
Carbohydrate 48g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 9g. Vary It! Bananas are a great source of potassium, which is
thought to play a role in controlling high blood pressure, but some
people just don’t like them. If you fall into the anti-banana
camp, you can substitute any one of the following for the bananas:
one sliced avocado; 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (large-ﬂake
oatmeal); 1/3 cup silken tofu; or 2 tablespoons chia seeds soaked
for ten minutes in the milk plus two peeled and pitted mangoes. G e t  U p  a n d  G o
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 mangoes
1 orange
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup frozen fruit chunks (see Tip)1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
Dir ections
1 Peel the mangoes, cut them in half, and remove the ﬂat stone
from each. 2 Peel the orange and break it into segments. Remove the seeds. 3 Combine the orange juice, mangoes, orange, frozen fruit, and
cheese in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 287 (From Fat 16); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 2mg; Sodium 236mg;
Carbohydrate 64g (Dietary Fiber 7g); Protein 10g. Tip: You can use mixed, commercially frozen berries or fruit
chunks, or you can slice and freeze any fruit that is in season,
including tree fruit, stone fruit, and berries for this recipe. This
smoothie is very thick! If you prefer a thinner version, add more
orange juice: 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra for a slightly thinner smoothie, or
1 cup extra for a very thin smoothie. B e r r y  N u t t y
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup pomegranate juice1 cup fresh blueberries or blackberries
1 cup frozen acai berries
1/3 cup silken tofu
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Dir ections
1 Combine the cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, blueberries or
blackberries, acai berries, tofu, and walnuts in the blender
container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit or nuts in the mixture. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 203 (From Fat 78); Fat 9g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 10mg;
Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 4g. Vary It! You can use plain low-fat yogurt in place of the tofu. T r o p i c a l  P i c k - M e - U p
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup coconut cream or coconut milk
2 tablespoons whey protein powder
1 cup cantaloupe melon pieces
1 cup frozen peach slices
1 banana1 tablespoon chopped Brazil nuts (optional)
Dir ections
1 Combine the coconut cream or milk and whey powder and
blend for a few seconds to combine. 2 Peel the banana and break it into 4 chunks. Add banana chunks,
melon, peaches, and Brazil nuts (if using) in the blender
container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit or nuts in the mixture. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 472 (From Fat 271); Fat 30g (Saturated 25g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 144mg;
Carbohydrate 46g (Dietary Fiber 8g); Protein 12g. Vary It! You can substitute pineapple for the peaches. You also
can add toasted coconut shreds as a garnish. Tip: Coconut cream is a thick, pastelike liquid that is pressed from
the coconut ﬂesh, so it’s similar to and yet thicker than coconut
milk. You can make your own coconut cream by blending fresh
coconut ﬂesh with a small amount of water. Dessert Smoothies
Dessert smoothies, like desserts themselves, can be totally
healthy and low in calories or they can be loaded with extras
that send the calorie count soaring over the top. The one bonus
is that fruit smoothies still always contain whole fresh fruit and
all their nutrients and ﬁber, which makes them healthier than
traditional desserts.Table 15-1 lists some of the yummy ingredients you can
experiment with in making your own spectacular, end-of-the-
meal drinks. C h e r r y  C h e e s e c a k e
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup fresh or canned, sweetened cherries
2/3 cup lightly sweetened almond milk
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon ﬁnely chopped pecans or toasted coconut
Dir ections
1 Pit the cherries if using fresh; drain the cherries if using canned.2 Combine the milk, cherries, strawberries, and cream cheese in
the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 188 (From Fat 98); Fat 11g (Saturated 5g); Cholesterol 22mg; Sodium 165mg;
Carbohydrate 20g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 5g. Tip: For a spectacular presentation that will wow guests, serve
this smoothie in clear shot glasses. This gives everybody a taste
and signiﬁcantly reduces the calories in each serving. You can
ﬁnely chop maraschino cherries and drizzle chocolate syrup as an
alternate garnish. R a s p b e r r y  A p p l e  C r u m b l e
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 apples
2/3 cup lightly sweetened almond milk
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons whey powder
2 tablespoons rolled oats (large-ﬂake oatmeal)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dir ections1 Peel the apples (if not organic), quarter them, and remove the
core and seeds. 2 Combine the milk, apples, raspberries, whey powder, oats,
honey, and cinnamon in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 213 (From Fat 22); Fat 2g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 113mg;
Carbohydrate 44g (Dietary Fiber 8g); Protein 7g. Tip: This makes a very thick dessert, and you may want to use a
spoon. If you want to drink it, use 1 cup of almond milk. Fruit Mocktail and Cocktail
Smoothies
Along with my dessert smoothies (see the preceding section),
these are the least healthy sections of this book and you may
want to skip right over them. If, on the other hand, you enjoy
getting together for the occasional end-of-the-week drink with
friends, you can pick up some ideas about how to choose
nourishing beverages that can work within an overall healthy
diet. Fruit mocktails are festive, social smoothies without alcohol. Because they tend to be high in calories, they’re best consumed
as an occasional treat. The fruit sugars make them hard to
resist, and they’re so delicious that I’d wager even people who
actually drink alcohol would make the switch, but designateddrivers, pregnant women, or anyone choosing not to consume
alcohol will thank you for making them. You can make up a
blender full half an hour before an event, pour them into shot
glasses, and freeze them — just leave about 3/4 inch headspace
at the top of the smoothies and take them out of the freezer
within a couple hours. Fruit smoothie cocktails are really just the same delicious
smoothies as mocktails with 1 ounce of alcohol per serving
added to the liquids. You can turn any of the fruit smoothies in
this chapter into a cocktail worthy of the best mixologist. For each ounce of alcohol spirits you add to a drink,
you’re adding about 100 calories. Rimming mocktail and cocktail glasses
Rimming glasses is fun and easy to do. All you need is 1 cup granul ated
sugar, 1 tablespoon of your favorite ground spice (like cinnam on) or
freshly chopped herb (such as mint), and 1 or 2 lime or lemon wedges . Follow these steps:
1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and the spice or herb. 2. Spread the mixture evenly into a saucer  or shallow bow l.
3. Use a lime or lemon wedge to run around and wet the rim of each
glass. 4. Turn the glasses upside down and set the moistened rims into the
sugar mixture. 5. Twist and lift out. Use a rimming mixture for one evening or event and then discard it. Bacteria can grow in the mixture after it’s moistened.S t r a w b e r r y  D a i q u i r i  D e c o y
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup crushed ice
Dir ections
1 Combine the cranberry or pomegranate juice, lime juice, and
strawberries in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 30 seconds. Add ice and pulse for 20 seconds
or until ice is evenly mixed in. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 59 (From Fat 3); Fat 0 (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg;
Carbohydrate 15g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 0g. Tip: Add more lime juice until the desired sourness is achieved. N a d a  P i ñ a  C o l a d a
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup pineapple juice1/4 cup coconut cream or coconut milk
3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 cup crushed ice
Dir ections
1 Combine the pineapple juice, coconut cream or milk, and
pineapple chunks in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 30 seconds. Add ice and pulse for 20 seconds
or until ice is evenly mixed in. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 135 (From Fat 62); Fat 7g (Saturated 6g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 20mg;
Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 1g. Tip: Coconut cream is a thick, pastelike liquid that is pressed from
the coconut ﬂesh, so it’s similar to and yet thicker than coconut
milk. You can make your own coconut cream by blending fresh
coconut ﬂesh with a small amount of water. P e a c h  M i x e r
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup peach or apricot nectar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 ounces rum, gin, or vodka
3/4 cup frozen peach slices
1/4 cup crushed iceDir ections
1 Combine the nectar, lemon juice, alcohol, and peaches in the
blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 30 seconds. Add ice and pulse for 20 seconds
or until ice is evenly mixed in. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 130 (From Fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 5mg;
Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 1g. Vary It! You can use pineapple or apple juice in place of the
nectar. Peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots may be sliced,
frozen, and substituted in this recipe. Preparing fruit
If you really want to get everything ready  for a smoothie in advance,  try
these tips:
 Buy organic ingredients so that you don’ t have to peel  them . Wash fruit and vegetables the night before, but leave them  whole
unless they take a long time to cut up. Store peeled and cut produce in an airtight bag in the refrigerator
and use within 24 hours. Wash, core, peel (if not organic), and cut fruit and veget ables into
pieces. Flash-freeze by layering the fruit or veget ables in one layer on a
baking sheet in the coldest part of the freeze r for an hour  or until solid. Then store them in an airtight bag in the freeze r for up to three months. Use as needed. B e r r y  M i x e r
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup cranberry or pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 ounces rum, gin, or vodka
3/4 cup frozen berries (see Tip)
1/4 cup crushed ice
Dir ections
1 Combine the cranberry or pomegranate juice, lime juice, honey,
alcohol, and berries in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 30 seconds. Add ice and pulse for 20 seconds
or until ice is evenly mixed in. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 193 (From Fat 3); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 3mg;
Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 1g.Tip: This drink may be tart tasting, so you can use honey or agave
nectar or brown rice syrup to sweeten it to taste. Vary It! Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, acai
berries, and even cherries work well in this mixer. Don’t speed
The key to preserving your blender and making great smoothies is to start
at a low speed in order to get the blades  moving, and then turn up the
speed to medium and watch as the larger chunk s of ingredients begi n to
break up. When the pieces of fruits and veget ables are liquidizing and
being forced up and around the sides of the cont ainer, ease the dial up
toward High. If you increase the speed too quickly, a large air bubbl e will
form, and the blades will just spin around inside it.Chapter 16
Vegetable Smoothies
In This Chapter
 Drinking your veggies throughout the day
 Getting the party started with savory smoothies
Recipes in This Chapter
 Green Energy Breakfast
 Vita-E
 Tomato Energizer
 Red Vitality
 Beans and Carrots
 Spiced Parsnip
 Berry Broccoli
 Coconut Green
 Lentil Soup
▶ Vegetable Soup
▶ Bean Soup
 Cabbage Slaw
 Minted Carrot Mocktail
 Spicy Tomato Mocktail
 Carrot Mock Mimosa
 No-jito
 Red Velvet
 Grape Cocktail Crème de Cocao
 Cucumber Gin
Let’s face it: We just don’t eat enough vegetables. A 2007 study
from Johns Hopkins University showed that among U.S. adults,
fruit consumption is holding steady, but vegetable consumption
is headed down. So, how many do you need? Some experts say ﬁve fruits and
vegetables a day. If you’re not eating ﬁve fruits and vegetables
every day, this is an excellent goal to set to start. However, the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) actually recommends
two to four servings of fruit and three to ﬁve servings of
vegetables every day. For optimum health and disease
prevention, aim for as many as ten or more servings of fruits
and vegetables per day. What can you do if you’re part of that group of people who
aren’t eating enough veggies? You can start drinking them! Because they include the carbohydrate and ﬁber along with the
nutrients, smoothies give you a feeling of fullness that stays
with you longer than juices. The average vegetable smoothie
will supply two to three servings of vegetables (or fruit and
vegetables), so you get a double or triple hit of these valuable
foods with every drink. Br eakfast and Snack Smoothies
Vegetables at breakfast? Why not? Although the traditional
breakfast drink is orange juice, a raw vegetable or green
smoothie provides antioxidants and phytonutrients in a
convenient and much more digestible form, because the
blender has done all the work of breaking down the plant
cellulose. You wake up in the morning dehydrated, with your blood
slightly acidic, so raw vegetable smoothies not only feed
and nourish your cells, but also rehydrate and help to
balance your pH levels. For morning vegetable smoothies, leafy greens such as spinach,
kale, Swiss chard, and fresh herbs are a good choice to blend
with carrots, zucchini, or tomatoes and one fruit, such as
pineapple, mango, kiwi, banana, berries, or cherries. Yogurt or cottage cheese is a good addition at breakfast,
because the protein takes longer to digest. Combining yogurt or
cottage cheese with non-starchy vegetables is usually tolerable
for people with very sensitive digestive systems, too — so even
if you can’t tolerate fruit and protein together in the same meal
or drink, you may be able to consume vegetables like summer
squash, cucumber, tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, and sweet
peppers along with yogurt or cottage cheese in a cool vegetable
smoothie. Foods to avoid if you’re prone to yeast or
viral infections
If you have a yeast infection, you’ve recent ly taken antibiotics, or if you’ve
recently suffered a viral infection (like a cold), avoid the following foods
— they feed yeast, bacteria, and viruses:
 All sweet foods: Sugar, candy, syrups, toppings, ice cream ,
sweetened desserts, and sweetened breakfast cereals
 All reﬁned grains: White bread, cakes, cookies, tarts, pies, and
baked goods
 Pasta: Wheat and gluten-free noodles, rice, lasagna,  and spaghet ti Fruits: All fruits except sour fruits, such as pomegranate, acai
berries, cranberries, and lemon
 Root vegetables: Beets, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes
G r e e n  E n e r g y  B r e a k f a s t
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cucumber
2 cups fresh or 1 cup frozen spinach
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon ground hemp seeds or ﬂaxseed
Dir ections
1 Peel the cucumber and cut into chunks. 2 Chop the spinach into cubes (if using frozen). 3 Combine the milk, cucumber, spinach, basil, yogurt, and hemp
seeds or ﬂaxseed in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy!Per serving: Calories 94 (From Fat 22); Fat 2g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 2mg; Sodium 116mg;
Carbohydrate 14g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 6g. Vary It! For a slightly sweeter version, use fresh apple juice or
orange juice in place of the almond milk and add 1 peeled and
quartered kiwifruit. Tip: To make thick, Greek-style yogurt, strain plain yogurt through
cheesecloth. V i t a - E
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 red or green bell pepper
1/2 avocado
11/4 cup fresh carrot juice
2 cups fresh chard pieces or spinach
3 tablespoons chopped raw almonds
2 tablespoons rolled oats (large-ﬂake oatmeal)
1 tablespoon ground ﬂaxseed
Dir ections
1 Cut the pepper in half. Remove the seeds and membrane, and
cut it into chunks. 2 Peel the avocado, remove the stone, and cut into chunks. 3 Combine the carrot juice, chard or spinach, pepper, avocado,
almonds, oats, and ﬂaxseed in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container.5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable or nuts in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 213 (From Fat 116); Fat 13g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 156mg;
Carbohydrate 23g (Dietary Fiber 8g); Protein 7g. Tip: Vitamin E prevents cell damage from free radicals and helps
protect against prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Vary It! If you’re juicing the carrots for this smoothie, try adding a
parsnip or half a beet to vary the juice. T o m a t o  E n e r g i z e r
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 small zucchini
1 red or green bell pepper
3/4 cup fresh tomato juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
Dir ections
1 Peel the zucchini and cut into chunks. 2 Cut the pepper in half. Remove the seeds and membrane, and
cut it into chunks.3 Combine the tomato juice, lemon juice, parsley, zucchini,
tomatoes, pepper, and ginger in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 95 (From Fat 8); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 23mg;
Carbohydrate 21g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 5g. Vary It! Red pepper adds color and easily substitutes for the green
pepper. R e d  V i t a l i t y
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 pear
2 small beets, lightly steamed
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, quartered
Dir ections
1 Peel the pear (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove the
core and seeds. 2 Peel the beets and cut into eighths.3 Combine the carrot juice, lemon juice, spinach, tomatoes, pear,
and beets in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 141 (From Fat 10); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 135mg;
Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 1g. Vary It! You can use an apple, mango, or other whole fruit or a
slice of pineapple in place of the pear in this drink. Lunch and Dinner Smoothies
The USDA suggests that eating three to ﬁve servings of
vegetables daily reduces the risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes,
cancer, heart disease, and bone loss. Vegetables rich in
potassium help to maintain healthy blood pressure, while those
high in Vitamin C keep connective tissue, including gums,
healthy. Vitamin A in vegetables helps the immune system ﬁght
infections and promotes healthy eyes and skin. An added beneﬁt of vegetables is their low energy density,
which means they don’t have as many calories, volume for
volume, as most other foods. This makes them a great choice
for snacks because the ﬁber in them will give you a satisﬁed
feeling of fullness that helps you to resist other high-fat or
empty-calorie between-meal bites. For the same reasons, vegetable smoothies also may replace
lunch and dinner occasionally. Some weight-loss diet plans
suggest that you replace one or two meals a day with avegetable smoothie, but I recommend that you work with a
health professional before starting in on any aggressive weight-
loss program. If you plan to use vegetable smoothies as meal
replacements on a consistent basis, you’ll need to ensure
that the third meal of the day includes a portion of low-fat
protein (chicken, ﬁsh or shellﬁsh, nuts, seeds, or legumes)
along with raw or cooked vegetables, whole grains, and one
serving of fruit. Cooked legumes (lentils, peas, or beans) make a great lunch or
dinner smoothie ingredient because of their plant proteins,
which tend to stay with you longer than carbohydrates. Their
high-ﬁber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising
rapidly after drinking smoothies, and it helps lower cholesterol. They’re also excellent sources of folate, tryptophan,
manganese, and iron. You can easily cook raw lentils, but good canned
legumes and lentils are widely available. To use cooked,
canned legumes, simply open and spoon into the blender
container. If you prefer, drain and rinse canned legumes
before adding to the container, but the liquid contains
water-soluble nutrients, so I recommend adding it to the
liquid ingredients in the smoothie. If you use ground or powdered legume “ﬂour” as an ingredient
in smoothies, you’ll greatly increase the antioxidant power of
the drink (see Chapter 20). All the smoothies in this section are very thick and
meant to be eaten with a spoon. B e a n s  a n d  C a r r o t s
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cucumber
1 apple
1 cup fresh carrot juice
1 cup cooked lentils or lima beans
Dir ections
1 Peel the cucumber and cut it into chunks. 2 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 3 Combine the carrot juice, cucumber, lentils or lima beans, and
apple in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 188 (From Fat 8); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 65mg;
Carbohydrate 38g (Dietary Fiber 10g); Protein 10g.Vary It! Green, red, or brown lentils may be used in this recipe. You can use any cooked, canned bean such as navy beans, lima
beans, or chickpeas. S p i c e d  P a r s n i p
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
3 lightly steamed or cooked parsnips
1 cup fresh apple juice
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Dir ections
1 Cut the parsnips into chunks. 2 Combine the apple juice, parsnips, chickpeas, walnuts,
cinnamon, and cayenne pepper in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 486 (From Fat 115); Fat 13g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 34mg;
Carbohydrate 86g (Dietary Fiber 17g); Protein 13g. Tip: Make extra vegetables at dinner—steamed, roasted, or
simmered. Freeze them or store them in the refrigerator and use insmoothies the next day. B e r r y  B r o c c o l i
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 cup lightly steamed broccoli or broccoli rabe
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Dir ections
1 Combine the carrot juice, applesauce, yogurt, broccoli or
broccoli rabe, blueberries, and nutmeg in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 162 (From Fat 18); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 4mg; Sodium 96mg;
Carbohydrate 33g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 6g. Tip: You can use raw broccoli in smoothies, but the texture and
taste is better if it’s lightly steamed or simmered ﬁrst. C o c o n u t  G r e e nPrep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cucumber
1 cup coconut or almond milk
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup cooked lentils or lima beans
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil
Dir ections
1 Peel the cucumber and cut it into chunks. 2 Combine the coconut or almond milk, cucumber, spinach,
lentils or lima beans, and coconut oil in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 415 (From Fat 284); Fat 32g (Saturated 27g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 42mg;
Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 11g); Protein 13g. Tip: Using coconut oil in smoothies adds good fats and lauric acid,
which helps ﬁght harmful bacteria. The fats stay with you longer
than carbohydrates, giving you the feeling of being full. L e n t i l  S o u p
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients1 orange
1 mango
1 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cups fresh spinach
1 cup cooked lentils or lima beans
2 tablespoons whey powder
Dir ections
1 Peel the orange and break into sections. Remove the seeds. 2 Peel the mango, remove the stone, and cut into chunks. 3 Combine the orange juice, lime juice, spinach, lentils or lima
beans, orange, mango, and whey powder in the blender
container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 317 (From Fat 13); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 91mg;
Carbohydrate 64g (Dietary Fiber 13g); Protein 17g. Vary It! Any dark leafy green (chard, beet tops, collard greens, or
kale) may be substituted for the spinach. You can use chopped
frozen greens in this smoothie if you don’t have fresh on hand. V e g e t a b l e  S o u pPrep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Heating time: 1–5
min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cucumber
1 carrot
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
3 tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 cup chopped chard or kale
1/2 cup cilantro or parsley
Dir ections
1 Peel the cucumber and cut it and the carrot into chunks. 2 Combine the broth, tomatoes, chard or kale, cilantro or parsley,
cucumber, and carrot in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 5 Pour into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for 5 to
10 minutes or until carrot is soft; or pour into a microwave-safe
bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute or until hot. 6 Pour the soup into 2 bowls, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 98 (From Fat 14); Fat 2g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 557mg;
Carbohydrate 21g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 5g. Vary It! If you want a chunkier soup, pulse for 10 to 20 seconds in
Step 4.Tip: If you own a Vitamix blender, skip Step 5 and run the
machine on high for 4 to 6 minutes or until the soup is hot. B e a n  S o u p
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Heating time: 1–5
min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 green onions
2 celery stalks
1 carrot
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup cooked kidney or navy beans
1 tablespoon fresh savory or thyme leaves
Dir ections
1 Cut the onions, celery, and carrot into chunks. 2 Combine the broth, onions, celery, beans, carrot, and savory or
thyme in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 5 Pour into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for 5 to
10 minutes or until vegetables are soft; or pour into a
microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute or
until hot. 6 Pour the soup into 2 bowls, and enjoy!Per serving: Calories 155 (From Fat 9); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 574mg;
Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 8g); Protein 10g. Vary It! If you want a chunkier soup, pulse for 10 to 20 seconds in
Step 4. Tip: If you own a Vitamix blender, skip Step 5 and run the
machine on high for 4 to 6 minutes or until the soup is hot. C a b b a g e  S l a w
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 green onions
2 celery stalks
1 carrot
1 apple
1 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup chopped red or green cabbage
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Dir ections
1 Cut the onions, celery, and carrot into chunks. 2 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 3 Combine the carrot juice, yogurt, onions, cabbage, celery,
carrot, apple, walnuts, and thyme in the blender container.4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 190 (From Fat 57); Fat 6g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 4mg; Sodium 183mg;
Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 7g. V egetable Mocktail and Cocktail
Smoothies
Using vegetable smoothies at social gatherings is just plain
smart. You want a slightly sweet and pleasing drink to share
with friends, so these nonalcoholic and spiked cocktails are not
only delicious but good for you. Table 16-1 lists vegetables that
work well for party smoothies, tells you how much to use, and
outlines what they’ll do for your body.M i n t e d  C a r r o t  M o c k t a i l
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 mangoes
2 slices pineapple, 1/2 inch thick
1 carrot, lightly steamed
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 to 4 fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)Dir ections
1 Peel the mangoes and remove the stones. Cut the mangoes and
pineapple slices into chunks. 2 Cut the carrot into chunks. 3 Combine the carrot juice, lemon juice, mangoes, pineapple,
carrot, and chopped mint in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, garnish with fresh mint leaves
(if using), and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 204 (From Fat 9); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 73mg;
Carbohydrate 52g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 3g. S p i c y  T o m a t o  M o c k t a i l
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 apple
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tomatoes, quartered
2 stalks celery
2 slices pineapple, 1/2 inch thick
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro2 to 4 fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (optional)
Dir ections
1 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 2 Cut the celery stalks and pineapple slices into chunks. 3 Combine the carrot juice, lime juice, tomatoes, celery,
pineapple, apple, hot pepper, and cilantro. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, garnish with fresh cilantro
leaves (if using), and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 161 (From Fat 14); Fat 2g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 124mg;
Carbohydrate 39g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 4g. Tip: Rim the edges of the glasses with coarse salt. Combine 1/2 cup
coarse salt and 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped parsley, thyme, or
cilantro. Tip into a shallow dish or saucer. Run a wedge of lime or
lemon around the edges of the glasses. Turn glasses upside down
and set into the herbed salt. Twist to secure salt to the rim of the
glasses and remove. Turn the right side up and ﬁll with the
smoothie mixture. C a r r o t  M o c k  M i m o s a
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 slices pineapple, 1/2 inch thick1/2 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 carrots, lightly steamed
Ice
1/2 cup club soda
Dir ections
1 Cut the pineapple slices into chunks. 2 Combine the carrot juice, orange juice, pineapple, and carrots
in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 5 Fill 2 tall glasses with ice halfway. Pour the smoothie into the
glasses, about three-quarters full. Add club soda, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 103 (From Fat 4); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 72mg;
Carbohydrate 24g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 2g. Tip: You can use raw carrots if you want, but cooked carrots make
a smoother drink. Tip: Garnish with orange slices if you wish. The ice may be
omitted if you want. N o - j i t o
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients1 avocado
1 stalk celery
1 apple
2 cups fresh or 1 cup frozen spinach
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 to 4 fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)
Dir ections
1 Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, and peel. Cut the
avocado and celery into chunks. 2 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 3 Chop the spinach if using frozen. 4 Combine the carrot juice, lime juice, spinach, celery, avocado,
apple, and chopped mint in the blender container. 5 Secure the lid on the container. 6 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 7 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, garnish with fresh mint leaves
(if using), and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 215 (From Fat 117); Fat 13g (Saturated 3g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 97mg;
Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 11g); Protein 5g. Vary It! This makes a thick smoothie. You can thin it by using 1
cup carrot juice or by using 1/2 avocado.R e d  V e l v e t
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 avocado
1/2 red pepper
1 apple
2 small beets, lightly steamed
1 cup almond milk
2 ounces vodka, light rum, or gin
1/4 cup cashews or macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 to 2 tablespoons honey (or to taste)
1 cup frozen strawberries
Dir ections
1 Cut the avocado and red pepper into chunks. 2 Peel the apple (if not organic) and cut into quarters. Remove
the core and seeds. 3 Peel the beets and cut into chunks. 4 Combine the almond milk, alcohol, avocado, pepper, apple,
beets, nuts, cocoa powder, and honey in the blender container. 5 Secure the lid on the container. 6 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture.7 Add frozen strawberries and pulse for 30 seconds or until
blended into the mixture. 8 Pour the smoothie into 4 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 206 (From Fat 77); Fat 9g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 73mg;
Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 4g. Vary It! The avocado makes this a thick drink. You can omit it for
a thinner smoothie. G r a p e  C o c k t a i l
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 avocado
1 cup grape juice
1 cup blueberries
2 cups chopped red cabbage
1 cup frozen red grapes
2 ounces vodka, light rum, or gin
Dir ections
1 Peel and cut the ﬂesh of the avocado into chunks. Tightly wrap
and refrigerate the remaining half. 2 Combine the grape juice, avocado, blueberries, and cabbage in
the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture.5 Add frozen grapes and pulse for 30 seconds or until blended
into the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, add 1 ounce of alcohol to
each glass, stir, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 320 (From Fat 65); Fat 7g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 52mg;
Carbohydrate 99g (Dietary Fiber 16g); Protein 7g. Vary It! Ice thickens and chills smoothies. Add 1/2 cup crushed ice
in Step 5 if desired. C r è m e  d e  C o c a o
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 avocado
1 cup coconut cream or coconut milk
2 cups chopped green cabbage, lightly steamed
1 cup frozen green grapes
2 ounces vodka, light rum, or gin
Dir ections
1 Peel and cut the ﬂesh of the avocado into chunks. 2 Combine the coconut cream or milk, avocado, and cabbage in
the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture.5 Add the frozen grapes and pulse for 30 seconds or until blended
into the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, clean the container and lid. 7 Add 1 ounce of alcohol to each glass, stir, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 493 (From Fat 298); Fat 33g (Saturated 25g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 89mg;
Carbohydrate 34g (Dietary Fiber 9g); Protein 7g. Vary It! Ice thickens and chills smoothies. Add 1/2 cup crushed ice
in Step 5 if desired. C u c u m b e r  G i n
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup tonic water
2 cups chopped cucumber
2 ounces vodka, light rum, or gin
1 cup frozen green grapes
Dir ections
1 Combine the tonic water, cucumber, and alcohol in the blender
container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 4 Add the frozen grapes and pulse for 30 seconds or until blended
into the mixture.5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 180 (From Fat 6); Fat 1g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 9mg;
Carbohydrate 28g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 1g. Vary It! Ice thickens and chills smoothies. Add 1/4 cup crushed ice
in Step 4 if desired.Chapter 17
Dairy Smoothies
In This Chapter
 Starting your day off with a calcium-rich drink
 Making your midday meal a milky one
 Deciding on decadent dessert and party drinks
Recipes in This Chapter
 Cashew Butter and Strawberries
 Orange Cow
 Berry Cheesy
 Breakfast Muesli
 Borscht
 Creamy Tomato Soup
▶ Chicken Salad
 S’mores-ies
 Grasshopper Pie
 Lemon Chiffon Cake
 Crème Cassis
 Café au Lait
 Crème de Banane
 Orange Cream
This chapter is all about using milk and dairy products in
smoothies. If you’re lactose intolerant, you may want to skipahead to the next chapter because every one of the drinks in
this chapter is made with milk or products derived from milk. Because they’re made from milk, dairy products — cheese,
yogurt, ice cream, cream, crème fraîche, sour cream, and
buttermilk — are good sources of calcium and protein. Dairy
products aren’t limited to cow’s milk; they include products
from all the various animal milk sources, such as sheep and
goat. Why add dairy products to your smoothies? Because
they’re a great way to increase your calcium and protein
intake while you’re getting your fruits and vegetables. Br eakfast and Snack Smoothies
For vitamin- and mineral-enriched breakfast and snack
smoothies, choose your milk or milk product and get blending. Because of the protein in milk and milk products, dairy
smoothies have staying power, which makes them perfect in the
morning for breakfast or midmorning snacks. Try making these recipes in the morning for breakfast
and then bring the remaining serving to work as a
midmorning snack. Be sure to ﬁll the glass jar or container
as close to the top as possible to reduce exposure to air. Cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator until you’re ready
to enjoy it on your midmorning break, while all your co-
workers are loading up on bagels, donuts, and vending-
machine food. You can use any of the types of liquid milk in these
smoothies: whole, 2 percent, 1 percent, or skim milk;
buttermilk; or sheep or goat milk. See the nearby sidebar
for more on choosing milk for dairy smoothies. How to choose milk for dairy smoothies
Milk is milk, right? Sort of. There are several different forms of milk, and
they all can be used as the liquid ingredient in smoothies, but each has
different properties and, of course, nutrients, not to mention fat, and each
produces a slightly different texture and thickness in the drink. Here are
the most popular forms of milk and what you can expect  from them  in
smoothies:
 Liquid cow’s milk: At supermarkets, you buy milk that has been
pasteurized (heated for safety) and homogenized (the butterfat broken
down into small particles so it doesn’t ﬂoat  to the top), and it com es in 4
basic forms. Whole milk has 3.25 percent  butterfat, which gives body  to
smoothies and slows down digestion so that you feel full longer . Reduced-
fat milk is available in 2 percent, 1 percent , and nonf at (skim). As the
butterfat is removed, the milk gets thinner , which makes smoothies made
with reduced-fat milk thinner than those made with whole milk. Buttermilk: Although it’s a by-product of making butter, buttermilk
does not actually contain butter. It has a rich and cream y texture, so
smoothies made with buttermilk are thick, but it cont ains less fat than
whole milk (about 1 percent). Powdered milk: Any liquid milk, including buttermilk, can be
evaporated to a dry powder and sold as pow dered milk. You can add 1 to
3 tablespoons of powdered milk for a thicker smoothie, or whisk 3
tablespoons with 1 cup of water and use it as the liquid. Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk is made by evaporating about  half
the water in whole or reduced-fat milk and proces sing it. Smoothies made
with evaporated milk are thicker and slightly sweeter than those made
with liquid milk. Sweetened condensed milk: In sweetened condensed milk, whole
milk and sugar are heated until about  60 percent  of the water evapor ates,
creating a syrupy thick mixture. Becaus e 1/2 cup contains a whopping 532
calories, it’s only added to dessert smoothies by the tablespoon per
serving. C a s h e w  B u t t e r  a n d  S t r a w b e r r i e s
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup 1 percent or 2 percent milk
1 cup fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt
4 chunks frozen banana or 1 fresh banana
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
3 tablespoons cashew or peanut butter
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Dir ections
1 Combine the milk, yogurt, banana, strawberries, cashew or
peanut butter, and sesame seeds in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit or nuts in the mixture.4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 421 (From Fat 175); Fat 19g (Saturated 6g); Cholesterol 22mg; Sodium 280mg;
Carbohydrate 53g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 15g. Tip: Use one 6-ounce or two 4-ounce containers of raspberry or
strawberry or other ﬂavor fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. O r a n g e  C o w
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 oranges
1 mango
1 cup fresh carrot juice
3 tablespoons powdered buttermilk
Dir ections
1 Peel the oranges and break into sections. Remove the seeds. 2 Peel the mango, remove the stone, and cut into chunks. 3 Combine the carrot juice, oranges, mango, and buttermilk
powder in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 200 (From Fat 11); Fat 1g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 8mg; Sodium 123mg;
Carbohydrate 45g (Dietary Fiber 5g); Protein 7g.Vary It! If you’re juicing the carrots for this smoothie, try adding a
parsnip or half a beet to vary the juice. Tip: Taste the smoothie and add honey, maple syrup, or brown
rice syrup if you want. B e r r y  C h e e s y
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup 1 percent or 2 percent milk
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
Dir ections
1 Combine the milk and cottage cheese in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. Start blending on a low speed
and gradually ease toward high, blending for 30 seconds. 3 Add strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. If the berries
are fresh, start blending on a low speed and gradually ease
toward high, blending the ingredients for 45 seconds or until
smooth and there are no visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. If the berries are frozen, start blending on a low speed and pulse
for 30 seconds. Ease the speed toward high and blend the
ingredients for 30 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy!Per serving: Calories 114 (From Fat 21); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 9mg; Sodium 162mg;
Carbohydrate 17g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 8g. B r e a k f a s t  M u e s l i
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup 1 percent or 2 percent milk
1/4 cup plain 1 percent or 2 percent yogurt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons rolled oats (large-ﬂake or old-fashioned oatmeal)
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 tablespoon ﬂaxseeds
1 tablespoon sunﬂower seeds
Dir ections
1 Combine the milk, yogurt, blueberries, oats, wheat germ,
ﬂaxseeds, sunﬂower seeds, and raisins in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit or nuts in the mixture. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 203 (From Fat 61); Fat 7g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 7mg; Sodium 89mg;
Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 11g. Lunch SmoothiesUsing a dairy ingredient in smoothies for quick and nutritious
lunchtime meals is an easy way to ensure that you’re getting
protein and calcium along with the vitamins and minerals from
the milk products. In addition to the liquid cow (or sheep or goat) milk, buttermilk,
powdered milk, or evaporated milk listed earlier in this chapter,
here are some other dairy products that work very well in lunch
smoothies:
 Yogurt: When milk is heated and beneﬁcial bacteria are
added, it ferments and becomes thickened and tart or
lemony tasting. One cup of yogurt is higher in protein and
calcium than an 8-ounce glass of liquid milk and it’s easier
to digest, so some lactose-intolerant people can eat it
without problems. Cheese: Soft cheeses such as cottage, ricotta, mascarpone,
creamy goat cheese, feta, and blue cheese may be spooned
or crumbled into smoothies. Medium-hard cheese like
cheddar, Swiss, and Gouda may be shredded for use in
smoothies. Use 2 tablespoons of cheese for each smoothie
serving. Whey powder: To make cheese, milk is heated and curdled
so that solids form. The liquid left over from the curdled
cheese solids is called whey, and it’s dried and sold as a
protein supplement. Adding 1 tablespoon of whey powder
delivers about 15 grams of protein to a smoothie drink. Cream: Fresh, raw milk contains butterfat, which is light
yellow and ﬂoats to the top. Supermarkets have various
types of cream available and they differ only in the amount
of butterfat they contain. Double cream has 48 percent
butterfat; half-and-half cream has about 12 percent
butterfat; and whipping cream (also called heavy cream)
weighs in at 30 percent butterfat. Of course adding creamto smoothies makes it creamier and denser, but it’s the fat
that makes the drink so rich. For people who are
undernourished and/or underweight, cream is an excellent
addition to smoothies. Crème fraîche: In France, raw cream is thickened by
bacteria for a slightly tangy, thick and velvety smooth
texture. Depending on the cream used to make it, crème
fraîche may be as low as 20 percent or as high as 48
percent butterfat, so use it in smoothies with caution. Sour cream: Similar to crème fraîche, sour cream is
fermented cream. By U.S. law, the butterfat must be 18
percent or more, so reduced-fat sour cream is technically
not sour cream. Commercial sour cream may contain
gelatin, ﬂavorings, vegetable enzymes, and sodium citrate. B o r s c h t
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Cooking time: 3–5
min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
3/4 cup fresh carrot juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, peeled and quartered
2 small, cooked beets, peeled and quartered
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 sprigs fresh dill, for garnish (optional)
Dir ections
1 Combine the carrot juice, yogurt, spinach, tomatoes, beets, and
chopped dill in the blender container.2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 4 Pour into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat for 3 to 5
minutes or until hot; or pour into a microwave-safe bowl and
microwave on high for 1 minute or until hot. 5 Pour the soup into 2 bowls, garnish with dill sprigs (if using),
serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 127 (From Fat 16); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 4mg; Sodium 179mg;
Carbohydrate 24g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 7g. Tip: If you own a Vitamix blender, skip Step 5 and run the
machine at high for 4 to 6 minutes or until the soup is hot. Vary It! Use 1/2 cup cottage cheese or 1/4 cup sour cream in place
of the yogurt if you want. C r e a m y  T o m a t o  S o u p
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Cooking time: 1–5
min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cucumber
1 carrot
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
4 tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup drained yogurt or Greek-style yogurt
1 cup chopped kale or Swiss chard
1/4 cup cilantro or parsleyDir ections
1 Peel the cucumber and cut it and the carrot into chunks. 2 Combine the broth, tomatoes, yogurt, kale, cilantro, cucumber,
and carrot in the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 5 Pour the soup into a saucepan and heat over medium heat,
stirring constantly for 5 to 10 minutes or until hot; or pour into
a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute or
until hot. 6 Pour the soup into 2 bowls, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 160 (From Fat 25); Fat 3g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 4mg; Sodium 589mg;
Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 8g. Tip: If you own a Vitamix blender, skip Step 5 and run the
machine at high for 4 to 6 minutes or until the soup is hot. Tip: Stir constantly while heating to keep yogurt from curdling. Vary It! You can garnish the soup with a tablespoon of drained
yogurt if you want. C h i c k e n  S a l a d
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup chicken broth2 cups fresh or chopped frozen spinach
1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage
1 carrot
2 tablespoons whey powder
1 tablespoon sunﬂower seeds
1 cup shredded, cooked chicken
Dir ections
1 Combine the broth, spinach, cabbage, carrot, whey powder, and
sunﬂower seeds in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of vegetable in the mixture. 4 Add the chicken to the container and pulse for 10 to 20 seconds
or until just mixed in but still in pieces. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 227 (From Fat 62); Fat 7g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 62mg; Sodium 664mg;
Carbohydrate 10g (Dietary Fiber 3g); Protein 30g. Dessert Smoothies
Sometimes we just crave a treat or we want something to mark
a special occasion or to celebrate an important event. Dessert
smoothies are sweet treats that ﬁt those requirements perfectly
— they’re served in tiny portions, once in a while. The reason
we love them is that they’re rich in cream, ice cream, sweetened
syrups like butterscotch and chocolate, nuts, sweetened dried
fruit, and other forbidden ingredients.You know they aren’t a bit healthy, fresh fruit notwithstanding,
but how can you resist these sugary, creamy treats? The answer
is to blend your own iced desserts with less sugar (and other
sweeteners) without using high-fat cream and ice cream. The following list details the calories found in three frozen
ingredients so that you can make an informed choice of what to
use in smoothies meant to be a treat:
 Frozen yogurt: It’s (just barely) a healthy alternative to ice
cream. Consisting of milk solids, sugar (or other
sweeteners), milk fat, yogurt culture, ﬂavorings, and
sometimes colorants, frozen yogurt is perceived to be
healthier, but the sugar and fat still make it a sweet treat. For any probiotic effect, be sure to buy yogurt and frozen
yogurt that contains live and active cultures. Freezing
doesn’t kill the bacteria, but commercial products that are
heat-processed at temperatures over 113°F do kill bacteria. One scoop of regular frozen yogurt has about half the
calories and fat of ice cream. Ice cream: A custard of eggs, milk, and/or cream is mixed
with sugar (or other sweeteners), fruit, or other ﬂavorings
and stirred while chilling to incorporate air that prevents
large ice crystals from forming. The result is a smooth and
creamy semisolid froth that may be scooped and molded. Commercial products have between 10 percent and 16
percent fat, milk solids, sweeteners, stabilizers, and
emulsiﬁers and water (from the milk). Ice milk: Originally, when a frozen dairy product contained
less than 10 percent milk fat, it couldn’t be called ice
cream, so it was called ice milk. Changes in USDA rules in
the 1990s allowed a 10 percent or less milk fat product to
be called low-fat ice cream in the United States. The
problem with lowering the fat is that usually sugar isincreased and the total number of calories is not
signiﬁcantly reduced. S ’ m o r e s - i e s
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/2 cup skim or 1 percent milk
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
2 scoops chocolate ice cream
2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
2 tablespoons crushed graham crackers, for garnish
Dir ections
1 Combine the milk, sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, and ice
cream in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 25 seconds or until smooth. 4 With the motor running on medium speed, add the melted
chocolate to the container through the opening in the lid. Blend
for 10 seconds or until mixed into the smoothie. 5 Pour the dessert smoothie into 4 glasses, garnish with crushed
graham crackers, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 367 (From Fat 117); Fat 13g (Saturated 8g); Cholesterol 30mg; Sodium 178mg;
Carbohydrate 54g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 11g.Tip: You can use hot fudge sauce in place of the melted dark
chocolate. Try skipping Step 4 and drizzling the chocolate over
the smoothies in the glasses. Serve with a spoon. G r a s s h o p p e r  P i e
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 to 3 drops pure mint extract
2 cups fresh spinach
2 scoops chocolate ice cream
2 tablespoons melted dark chocolate
2 tablespoons crushed chocolate wafers, for garnish
Dir ections
1 Combine the milk, sweetened condensed milk, mint extract, and
spinach in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 25 seconds or until smooth. Add ice cream
and start on a low speed, gradually easing toward high, blend
for 10 to 15 seconds or until mixed into milk mixture. 4 With the motor running on medium speed, add the melted
chocolate to the container through the opening in the lid. Blend
for 10 seconds or until mixed into the shake.5 Pour the dessert smoothie into 4 glasses, garnish the drinks
with crushed wafers, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 192 (From Fat 76); Fat 8g (Saturated 5g); Cholesterol 21mg; Sodium 99mg;
Carbohydrate 25g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 5g. Vary It! You can use fresh mint sprigs to garnish this dessert
smoothie. Vary It! You can substitute low-fat ice cream (or ice milk) for any
of the regular ice cream ingredients called for here. Check the
amount of sugar in the lower-fat ice cream to see if you need to
reduce the sweetened condensed milk or other sweet ingredients
in the recipe. L e m o n  C h i f f o n  C a k e
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vanilla or lemon ﬂavored yogurt
2 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate
2 scoops vanilla or lemon sherbet
4 chunks frozen banana
2 tablespoons crushed ladyﬁnger or lemon wafer cookies, for garnish
Dir ections
1 Combine the buttermilk, yogurt, lemonade concentrate,
sherbet, and banana chunks in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container.3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth. 4 With the motor running on medium speed, add the melted
chocolate to the container through the opening in the lid. Blend
for 10 seconds or until mixed into the shake. 5 Pour the dessert smoothie into 4 glasses, garnish the drinks
with crushed wafers, serve with a spoon, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 139 (From Fat 17); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 25mg; Sodium 102mg;
Carbohydrate 27g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 5g. Tip: Ladyﬁnger cookies or vanilla cookies are plain vanilla-
ﬂavored cookies shaped and baked in a long oval. You can make
your own or purchase them. Tip: You can use one fresh banana, cut into chunks in place of the
frozen banana. Dairy Mocktail and Cocktail
Smoothies
Why dairy cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks, you might ask? First, because they’re delicious — think Bailey’s and Kahlúa —
and they supply protein and calcium for added nutrients. However, as with most cocktail drinks, the calories are stacked
pretty high when these drinks are compared to plain vegetable
or even fruit smoothies. The same amount of smoothie ingredients that serves two in
the fruit and vegetable section is suggested to serve four here. Serve them in shot glasses and sip slowly if you want to lower
the calories you consume with each drink. Of course, if you
drink twice as many because they’re just so darned tasty, this
defeats that strategy.I suggest a darker alcohol such as amber rum, rye, or scotch,
instead of lighter spirits because the cream mixer can take the
stronger tasting liquor. If you prefer a lighter taste, of course,
you can use vodka, light rum, or gin. Liqueurs make good
additions to smoothies, and I use an orange-ﬂavored one in the
Orange Cream recipe here. Table 17-1 provides a brief list of
some liqueurs that add other ﬂavors you can experiment with in
smoothies. C r è m e  C a s s i s
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 4 servings
Ingr edients
1 cup 18 percent to 35 percent cream
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
2 teaspoons dark chocolate cocoa, optional
4 ounces amber rumDir ections
1 Combine the cream, yogurt, ice cream, blackberries, and cocoa
in the blender container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 4 Pour the drink into 4 glasses, stir 1 ounce of alcohol into each
drink, and enjoy! Per serving: Calories 353 (From Fat 213); Fat 24g (Saturated 15g); Cholesterol 87mg; Sodium 50mg;
Carbohydrate 18g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 4g. Vary It! Frozen fruit makes a smoothie thicker. You can use any
frozen berry in place of the blackberries.
_OceanofPDF.com_Juicing_and_Smoothies_For_Dummies_-_Pat_Crocker.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Yogurt and low-fat milk: Use milk as the liquid and add 1/4
cup yogurt per serving. Cheese: For calcium and protein; 1 to 2 tablespoons per
serving. Tofu: For calcium, manganese, iron, protein, and omega-3
fatty acids; 1/4 cup silken or soft tofu per serving. Flaxseed: Use ground ﬂaxseeds to add omega-3 fatty acids;
1 tablespoon ground ﬂaxseeds per serving daily. If you suffer from poor digestion, be mindful of
combining protein ingredients — like yogurt, cottage
cheese, nuts, or seeds — with fruit in smoothies. The body
sends different enzymes to the gut for digesting proteins
and, in some people, fruit prevents those enzymes from
doing their job. Some fruits have natural digestive agents
that can be combined in a smoothie to help remedy this
problem. Chapter 11 offers some tips on natural digestive
ingredients you can add to smoothies. B a n a n a  B r e a k f a s t
Prep time: About 3 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon ground ﬂaxseed2/3 cup plain, low-fat yogurt
Dir ections
1 Peel the bananas and break each into 4 chunks. 2 Combine the milk, bananas, blueberries, ﬂaxseed, and yogurt in
the blender container. 3 Secure the lid on the container. 4 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 5 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses and enjoy. Per serving: Calories 247 (From Fat 37); Fat 4g (Saturated 2g); Cholesterol 7mg; Sodium 96mg;
Carbohydrate 48g (Dietary Fiber 6g); Protein 9g. Vary It. Bananas are a great source of potassium, which is
thought to play a role in controlling high blood pressure, but some
people just don’t like them. If you fall into the anti-banana
camp, you can substitute any one of the following for the bananas:
one sliced avocado; 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (large-ﬂake
oatmeal); 1/3 cup silken tofu; or 2 tablespoons chia seeds soaked
for ten minutes in the milk plus two peeled and pitted mangoes. G e t  U p  a n d  G o
Prep time: About 4 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
2 mangoes
1 orange
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup frozen fruit chunks (see Tip)1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
Dir ections
1 Peel the mangoes, cut them in half, and remove the ﬂat stone
from each. 2 Peel the orange and break it into segments. Remove the seeds. 3 Combine the orange juice, mangoes, orange, frozen fruit, and
cheese in the blender container. 4 Secure the lid on the container. 5 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit in the mixture. 6 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy. Per serving: Calories 287 (From Fat 16); Fat 2g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 2mg; Sodium 236mg;
Carbohydrate 64g (Dietary Fiber 7g); Protein 10g. Tip: You can use mixed, commercially frozen berries or fruit
chunks, or you can slice and freeze any fruit that is in season,
including tree fruit, stone fruit, and berries for this recipe. This
smoothie is very thick. If you prefer a thinner version, add more
orange juice: 1/4 to 1/2 cup extra for a slightly thinner smoothie, or
1 cup extra for a very thin smoothie. B e r r y  N u t t y
Prep time: About 2 min • Blending time: 1 min • Yield: 2 servings
Ingr edients
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup pomegranate juice1 cup fresh blueberries or blackberries
1 cup frozen acai berries
1/3 cup silken tofu
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Dir ections
1 Combine the cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, blueberries or
blackberries, acai berries, tofu, and walnuts in the blender
container. 2 Secure the lid on the container. 3 Starting on a low speed and gradually easing toward high, blend
the ingredients for 45 seconds or until smooth and there are no
visible pieces of fruit or nuts in the mixture. 4 Pour the smoothie into 2 glasses, and enjoy. Per serving: Calories 203 (From Fat 78); Fat 9g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 10mg;
Carbohydrate 29g (Dietary Fiber 4g); Protein 4g.
Start at a low speed and gradually ease toward high.
What is a key tip for preserving your blender and making great smoothies?
The USDA recommends 2 to 5 servings of fruits and 3 to 5 servings of vegetables.
What is the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables, according to the USDA?
Dairy products can increase your calcium and protein intake.
What is a benefit of adding dairy products to your smoothies?
Cottage cheese
Which dairy product can be used as a substitute for the yogurt in the "Cherry Cheesecake" recipe?
Use ground flaxseeds or silken tofu.
What is a recommended alternative to using high-fat cream in smoothies?