Every season is the perfect season for smoothies!
It is no secret that summertime smoothies are sublime, not to mention healthy(ish). I get obsessed with blending up every sort of fruit and green thing I can in effort to stay cool. Then the winter comes and they lose appeal. I notice my consumption of fruits and veggies goes down in winter, partially because all my seasonal favorites aren’t in the markets and partially because it doesn’t occur to me to blend up a frosty treat when I’m already chilly. And yet my level of ice cream consumption remains steady —funny how that works. I’ve decided, however, to welcome smoothies back into my life. Because really, they’re perfect year-round.
Green Smoothies for Every Seasonby Kristine Miles is the ultimate smoothie bible. If I only had the almighty Vitamix, the most recommended of all blenders, I could use that for my smoothie. Being the holy grail of blenders, Vitamixes probably have better things to do like cure cancer or rescue kittens or something. Actually, considering the health benefits of the smoothies one can make in a Vitamix, maybe they can cure cancer.
All of which to say is that Vitamix or no, if you own a blender you will want to make the healthy smoothies in this book. It is divided by seasons, with breakdowns of what foods are best at that time of year. It also explains the health benefits of said foods. I like that this book really pushed my boundaries and made me less wasteful. Who knew that the green leaves I normally discard from a bunch of radishes could be blended into tasty submission? Kristine Miles knew, that’s who. Radish tops are just one example of the new-to-me veggies I got the courage to explore with her book in my hand.
Some of my favorite recipes in Green Smoothies for Every Season were in the cleverly titled “Fall Into Autumn” chapter, so I want to share one while there’s still time! One example of an autumnal smoothie is the Pomegranate Pop, which you see in the picture I use for this post. It’s delicious and beautiful. Amongst other goodies it features oranges, dates and parsley. Even more delicious, however less colorful, is the recipe I am giving you:
I had been curious about Hachiya persimmons, so when I saw a recipe for Hachiya Heaven (yes, the recipes all have delightfully alliterative names) I knew I had to make it. It think it is my favorite one yet. Hachiyas require patience, because they tasty wickedly bad if you do not wait until they feel too ripe to eat. I waited until my Hachiya was mushy as sin and then sliced into it to scoop out the gooey orange scrumdiddleyumptiousness (it is so a word) inside. It blended like a dream. Enjoy the drink!
Hachiya Heaven adapted from Green Smoothies for Every Season by Kristine Miles
- 1 cup hachiya persimmon flesh (make sure it is very very very ripe-the fruit should be almost mushy to the touch before cutting into it)
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 lemon, peeled and sliced
- 1 lime, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup ice cubes
- 1 big handful of baby spinach (the recipe calls for butter lettuce but spinach was all I had)
- 1 tsp. honey (add more or less or use another sweetener if you like)
Blend it. Pour it. Love it. Feel the autumnal health.
P.S. I use an immersion blender to make this, I only covet the Vitamix.
