Drinks

Energizing Apple Beet Coconut Smoothie.

apple beet smoothie (4)

Here’s one of those drinks which is guaranteed to give you a boost of energy, especially during those draining winter months we experience in Canada. I was visiting mom and dad in Toronto a while back and I saw she had brought back a ton of Turmeric from our garden in Trinidad and Tobago. She went on to mention that she makes this drink for dad and my sister (who lives close to them), so I got her to share the concoction with me. I’ve been making this smoothie ever since then.

You’ll Need…

4 beets
2 apples
1 tablespoon fresh turmeric
2 slices ginger
3-4 cups coconut water (unsweetened)
1 tablespoon honey – optional

 Important: Please wear gloves when handling the beets as the RED juice will stain your hands.

Basically all you have to do is peel and cube the beets (save the tops for salads or to cook as you would other ‘greens’)  and core/cube the apples.

apple beet smoothie (1)

I also scrapped off the other skin of the turmeric with a spoon, but I didn’t bother to peel the ginger.

apple beet smoothie (2)

Add all the ingredients to your blender and puree until smooth. I’d recommend chilling everything before you make the smoothie, so you don;t have to add ice and water it down.

apple beet smoothie (3)

apple beet smoothie (5)

My intention was to post this recipe on ChrisDeLaRosa.com, but my mom mentioned that while one may not associate this smoothie with the Caribbean (because of the apple) this is made and enjoyed in one form or the other at ‘home’.

Are you following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram yet? Join in on the fun today!

Drinks

Simple Energizing Green Smoothie.

energizing green smoothie (1)

When I was a kid on the islands smoothies wasn’t a ‘thing”, however we did have ‘punches’! With milk (in most cases) as it’s base, they included many of the exotic tropical fruits we are blessed with in the Caribbean. Today you can still see many punch vendors (known as the “punch-man”) in all the major cities and towns, but smoothies are just as common and many people include them as part of their daily breakfast or workout regime.

With all the requests I’ve been getting lately, I’ve decided to dedicate a full week to smoothies for your enjoyment!

You’ll Need…

1 stick celery
1 mango
2 cups spinach
2-3 cups coconut water
1/2 avocado
2 thin slices of ginger
1 banana

Wash the spinach and drain, then give the celery a rough chop and add them both to your blender. Go in with the ripe banana, ginger (I didn’t even bother peeling it) as well as the peeled avocado and diced mango.

energizing green smoothie (3)

energizing green smoothie (4)

Top with the coconut water and hit the puree or blend setting on your blender for a couple minutes (my blender had a smoothie setting). Feel free to add a few cubes of ice if you wish and frozen mango (pre packaged)  will work just as well as fresh mango if that’s all you have access to.

I usually chill my ingredients, especially the mango and coconut water so I don’t have use ice cubes, which can water-down this smoothie. Please drink immediately or you’ll find that it will not maintain in brilliant color and may start to break down (separate) after it’s been sitting for a while.

energizing green smoothie (2)

* You can go in with a tablespoon or more of honey or agave, if you’d like to ad a bit more sweetness than what the banana and mango will already have.