Green Smoothies: Easy, Healthy, & Delicious

It wasn't very long ago that the mention of a smoothie would bring on images of tall glasses of creamy, frothy, and usually sweetened fruit drinks. Recipes for smoothies were often linked in cookbooks with shakes, parfaits, or other ice cream based blended concoctions.

Then we started to see a change occur, where smoothies thought of as a healthy way to whip up a combination of fruit into a drinkable slurry that both kids and adults would like. Fresh fruit was blended with juice or water or even yogurt for a thick and creamy drink that was a bit healthier than the 'dessert' style smoothies made like their cousins the ice cream shake, malt, or parfait.

Jump forward another few years and you'll find a whole new generation of smoothies emerge - the green smoothie. The idea of green smoothies may have begun with the healthy raw veggie juicing crowd, but it has blossomed into the craze it is today thanks to the desire by so many of us to eat healthier, easier, faster, and with tastier results.

Now, before you turn your nose up at the notion of drinking your greens, let's see what really happens when you blend up a green smoothie.

The Smoothie Maker

The first thing you'll need in order to make a really great green smoothie is a really great blender. Your standard kitchen blender may work just fine, for the most part. But, as you progress and start adding a wider variety of ingredients, you'll want something that's heavy duty enough to really pulverize the stuff. You should be able to puree food as dense as celery and lemon slices without ending up with little pieces floating around your smoothie.

For this reason I recommend investing in a super-blender - or my favorite smoothie blender, the Ninja Master Prep. This does not have to be a top-of-the-line smoothie making machine. There are several blenders available, some that are specifically for smoothies, that don't cost too much (see bottom of this post for some examples). If you consider the fact that you may burn out several inexpensive basic kitchen blenders over time, the investment may be worth it. Spending $150 or so once rather than spending $50 over and over and over again will not only save you money in the long run, but will produce better smoothies.

The Greens

This is the part of the recipe that is the most frustrating, at first. When you're new to the green smoothie thing, the choice and the amount of the greens may have you confused. Can you really drink a cup of kale, or spinach, or celery, or broccoli, or cucumber, or what-have-you? The answer is yes, if blended properly.

You have to remember that most of these greens contain a lot of water. When you hit the blend button, you will be reducing the greens down to their most tender form. Once blended with the other ingredients, including the liquid you choose, the greens should disappear into the mixture.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Preparing the greens in such a way as to remove some of the more tough parts will also help create a nice smooth smoothie. You may want to peel the celery 'strings' to get the best result, or blanch the broccoli to remove some of the crunch and the bite that raw broccoli can have. Peel a cucumber if the skin is too dark and tough, and remove the seeds if they are too big and plentiful. Use young kale and make sure the woody stalks are removed. Once you get the hang of this, you'll get past the idea of drinking vegetables and start enjoying your blend of tasty green nutrition.

The Flavor Changers

This is where you can choose to serve a smoothie that is very vegetable, slightly vegetable, or barely recognizable as a vegetable. It all depends on what you add to the greens that makes your smoothie either savory, sweet, creamy, or textured. You get to decide.

For people who just can't get past the idea of drinking their vegetables, but really want to enjoy the health benefits of a couple extra servings of vegetables a day, there is a way around this. After you've tossed a handful of greens in your blender, top it off with fresh or frozen berries or fruit, and pour in orange, apple, or pineapple juice, then blend until smooth. The surprising thing is the greens will all but disappear behind the flavors of the fruits and berries. Drizzle in a touch of local honey and the disguise is complete. This works great as a way to get kids to 'eat' their veggies. What they don't know, or taste, won't hurt them (in fact, it will do just the opposite).

If you lean toward a savory taste, the green smoothie is perfect for you, too. Whipping up a healthy tomato juice is easier than ever when you start with some greens. Celery, cucumber, lemon, and lime are perfectly suited to a blender full of spinach or kale, and fresh juicy tomatoes. You can even choose homemade vegetable or chicken stock as the liquid. Or, pour in cold green tea for more tangy flavor and healthy benefits. The combinations are endless. I even know someone who makes a very spicy cocktail style smoothie which includes all the savory and green ingredients mentioned plus onions, garlic, and horseradish. This is a refreshing and healthy drink to enjoy as a brunch time treat or while watching the late afternoon sun disappear.

When you decide to add smoothies to your diet, why stop at fruit smoothies? Sure, you want to enjoy several servings of fruit every day, but what about including your veggies, too? Green smoothies are healthy, delicious, and so versatile. You can enjoy a sweet smoothie with the greens well hidden behind the fruit or berries, or you can enjoy a savory smoothie with the greens and other tangy ingredients right up front. Either way, your green smoothie creation is super-food in a glass!

A Few Good Smoothie Blenders: