2 Smoothies using Dandelion Leaves

Dandelion is one of the healthiest greens you can consume

, especially if it is plucked fresh from your back lot where you've been carefully growing food organically for a few years. Dandelions are said to help dissolve gallstones, detoxify the liver, clean out impurities in our bloodstream, dissolve kidney stones, help heal gastro-intestinal disorders, diabetes, and indigestion.  Today I will provide a couple of juice recipes -- use only organic, unsprayed leaves.  (ideas: you try your own ingredients):

Bitter-Sweet Love Juice
~Watermelon (organic with seeds, ideal)
~4 Dandelion Leaves (to start)
~small finger size fresh Ginger, peeled

• Wash and peel 1/4 medium-sized Watermelon leaving as much of the white inner layer as possible.  Cut into segments that will fit in your hopper
• Put all of the above through the hopper and drink!  You might want to repeat the process throughout the day using the same recipe above.  For me this made a 12 oz. glass, but it will depend on how much watermelon juice you get from the 1/4 Watermelon-- this is a good juice to make for 2.
• Watermelon and Dandelion are both natural diuretics.  Please talk to your physician or other trusted health care provider if you have a health issue that may flare up as a result of this.

Dandy Blended Salad
This is a fantastic detoxing and refreshing juice to help knock out the 'yeasty' infections and provide some relief from the itch.  

  Add enough organic stevia (1/2 teaspoon and up) to sweeten this salad without adding to the problem):

Put the following in a Vitamix (or other high power blender):

• 4 tender, large fresh Dandelion Leaves and fresh Nettle Leaves, if available
• Small bunch of Arugula Leaves
• Big Handful of Romaine or other mild Lettuce
• Juice of a Lemon
• Peeled and chopped Cucumber
• Sweet Red Pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 Cloves, peeled Garlic, chopped
• Small peeled nub of fresh Garlic root, chopped
• Turmeric, Salt, Pepper to personal taste
• 1/2 teaspoon organic Stevia powder (not the kind with alcohol or corn)
• Filtered Water to blend easily

This is zingy and nourishing when you are on a sugar-restricted diet.  I find it very refreshing during the time when the Dandelions and Nettles are actually growing when I can be so preoccupied with getting my garden into shape that I forget to drink/eat.  It's a great hot weather "liquid lunch" as well.  Be sure to "chew" each sip so as to have your mouth know that digestion has started.

Almond Butter-Apple Pie Smoothie

Any Apple Pie Smoothie recipe I've come across that is delicious seeks to replicate the apple pie a la mode idea using yogurt or thick cream to replicate the ice cream scoop mixed in with the fruit and the crust.  So, so yummy!  

I was experimenting and found that the following ingredients come together creamy, sweet, fruity and so satisfying as a dessert smoothie that you might never want to fuss around with pie crust again!

Into your Vitamix carafe put the following:

*3 Apples, sliced, core and seeds removed
*small nob of fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced or grated
*2 T. Maranatha Raw Almond Butter
*1-2 T. Raw Honey
*1 T. Cinnamon
*Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt (or to taste)
*1 C. Frozen Peaches (Secret Ingredient!)
*3-4 C. Almond Milk (I used Almond Breeze)

Whirl together until creamy smooth.  The Frozen Peaches bring out the 'apple' flavour more than apples do on their own (don't know why?).  Try it yourself and see if it is not ambrosia!

To your living health!

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Blueberry Sunrise Smoothie Porridge Bowl

This Blueberry Smoothie Porridge Bowl is lovely to see and full of flavour and texture that is to eat fun to eat.  

Here are the suggested ingredients for a similar  smoothie porridge bowl as high in nutrient density and healing deliciousness:

Start with a creamy oatmeal base, either made in the morning  hot and hearty  or as overnight oats that save on morning prep

Then  add on:

• A simple blueberry smoothie
• Non-dairy yogurt (eg., soy or coconut)
• Chopped walnuts
• Chia seed gel
• Cacao nibs
• Sliced orange rounds
• Coconut shreds

If you try your hand at a similar smoothie porridge bowl, take a snap and add hashtag #smoothiemoves on Instagram so we can celebrate your creation with you!

Enjoy your day!

 

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Pineapple-Mango-Plum Smoothie Porridge Bowl -

I call this Pineapple-Mango-Plum Smoothie Porridge Bowl.  The pineapple and mango make for a sunny smoothie (not that you can see much of the sunny piece) and the luscious plum preserves-- a precious gift from a friend's mom-- are set like gems and criss-crossed with delicious almond butter.

Suggested Ingredients:

Start with a foundation layer of creamy oatmeal, either the overnight variety or regular cooked oatmeal.

Then:

• A simple splendid pineapple-mango smoothie made up up of fresh or frozen fruit chunks, a scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder  and water or almond milk
• Italian plum preserves
• Almond butter
• Hemp seeds

If you like this smoothie porridge bowl and are on Instagram  please snap a pic of your masterpiece and hashtag it as #smoothiemoves !

Here is a closeup;

Enjoy!

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Sweet Dates with Nuts-Strawberry Smoothie Porridge Bowl

I am calling this smoothie porridge bowl "Sweet Dates with Nuts".  Hope you enjoy!

A FEW WORDS ABOUT DATES

In the Bible, dates are referred to many times, often in reference to their sweetness.  Dates continue to be grown and eaten in-- and exported from-- the Middle East.  Our North American grocery stores now also sell soft delicious Medjool dates grown in the USA.  Such a nice change from the hard cake of dates I knew as "dates" when I was a girl in rural Saskatchewan.

Dates also turn out to have the highest nutritional profile as a sweetener. They contain vitamin K, magnesium, selenium, antioxidants  and of course, fibre.  Early risers during the time of Ramadan (fasting all day) eat dates for breakfast as a chief way to get through the day.   

Date Syrup

Many Middle Eastern cooks make a date syrup-- dates and water-- as a delightful sweetener and for baking.  There are different methods, some more traditional methods with a 100% hands-on approach: soaking the dates, squeezing all the "juices" through cheese gauze, and then cooking the date juice down with constant stirring until a honey-like texture is obtained.  

I made a syrup by pouring boiling water over  2 cups of Medjool dates and letting them overnight.  Next morning I sieved out as much liquid as I could and boiled it down.  I mashed the leftover bits and they are a mass I can call "date butter"-- basically, jam. Very yummy.

The syrup I used in the smoothie porridge bowl, along with thin almond butter to represent "the nuts."  

So, here are the suggested ingredients:

*simple strawberry-water smoothie

*almond butter, thinned with a bit of H2O 

*date syrup (see above)

*coconut yogurt

*strawberries

*Hemp seeds

ENJOY!

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