I know, I know. Here I am, posting a green smoothie. Me, the girl that berated juice cleanses and liquid diets in lieu of hot fudge sauce.
But, you know what, sometimes after a week of decadence and doughnuts and tacos and fried everything, we were craving something fresh for lunch instead of our usual melted cheese something or other.
We actually used to do smoothies for lunch quite often, though not so often as of late. While they are typically of the blue and pink persuasions, however, we have learned a few lessons in green smoothies over the years. This kind of smoothie-wisdom only comes from making horrible, inedible mistakes. But I’ll spare you that injustice and share with you today:
1. Stick to yellow, orange, and green fruit if you actually want a green smoothie, and not some sludge the color of a mud puddle. Seriously, step away from the strawberries.
2. Stick to spinach or kale. But whatever you do, avoid mustard greens at all costs. They do not make for an appetizing beverage. Trust me, Taylor learned that one the hard way. (Sip. “This isn’t so bad.” Another sip. “Hmm.” One more timid sip. “Ok. It’s totally gross.” And down the disposal it goes…)
3. Add ginger. Always ginger. The end.
I kind of threw this one together, and Taylor totally turned up his nose when I poured it in his glass. But despite the verdant hue, you’d be hard pressed to taste the vegetation. It’s refreshing from the cucumber, sweet from the mango, and spicy from the fresh ginger. We added a full 2 tablespoons (you know I like it spicy), but feel free to dial it back if you’d like. Just, please, don’t leave out the ginger. It’s what makes this smoothie sing.
I totally get bonus points for creating a smoothie the perfect shade of green to match my blog design, right? Right?
Don’t worry, we’ll be back to fudge sauce next week.
Ginger and Spinach Green Smoothie
Ingredients:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1/3 english cucumber, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 handful fresh baby spinach
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh minced ginger, to taste
- ice cubes, as needed
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender; purée on high speed until smooth. Add a few ice cubes and blend until it reaches your desired consistency.
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