Smoothies - Unexpected combinations can lead to delicious and healthy results

Smoothies – Unexpected combinations can lead to delicious and healthy results

Smoothies (alternatively spelled smoothy) is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit (fruit smoothie) and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients. They have a milkshake-like consistency that is thicker than slush drinks. They can also contain milk, yogurt or ice cream. Smoothies are often marketed to health-conscious people, and some restaurants offer add-ins such as soy milk, whey powder, green tea, herbal supplements, or nutritional supplement mixes. Smoothies became widely available in the United States in the late 1960s when ice cream vendors and health food stores began selling them. By the 1990s and 2000s, smoothies became available at mainstream cafés and coffee shops and in pre-bottled versions at supermarkets all over the world.

Health food stores on the West Coast of the United States began selling pureed fruit drinks in the 1930s, based on recipes that originated in Brazil. The 1940s-era Waring Blendor cookbooks published recipes for a “banana smoothie” and a “pineapple smoothee.” The name “smoothee” or “smoothie” was used by books, magazines, and newspapers for a product made in a blender. Dan Titus, the director of The Juice and Smoothie Association, states in his book, Smoothies, The Original Smoothie Book, that “smoothies became popular in the middle 1960s, when there was a resurgence in the United States in macrobiotic vegetarianism.”

The first trademark for a fruit slush was in the mid-1970s with the name “California Smoothies”, which was marketed by the California Smoothie Company from Paramus, New Jersey. Smoothies from the 1960s and early 1970s were “basically fruit, fruit juice, and ice”; in some cases in the early 1970s, ice milk was also blended in to create the “fruit shake”. These shakes were served at local health-food restaurants and at health-food stores alongside tofu, fruits, carob, and other health-oriented foods.

In the early 1970s, the co-founder of Smoothie King, Stephen Kuhnau, began selling blended fruit drinks under the name “smoothies”. However, Kuhnau admits that he “didn’t invent the word smoothie”; instead, he states that the term dates back to the “fruit and fruit juice based drinks made by the Hippies” in the late 1960s. In the 1980s, the increasing popularity of sports and fitness led to the marketing of supplement-fortified health food products. During this time, the first specialized juice and smoothie bars opened. By the 2000s, the “juice and smoothie industry [was] a multi-billion dollar industry.”

Since the 1990s, many smoothies companies have been using frozen yogurt to give their smoothies a thick, creamy, milkshake-like texture. Many types of fruit smoothies are found in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern cuisine and Indian Cuisine, including sharbat, which is typically made using yogurt and honey, as well as a range of fresh fruit. In India, the traditional Mango Shake is really a summer smoothie in which tota puri mango, crushed water ice, milk and cane sugar are mixed into a thick smoothie using a blender, while in South India, pineapple smoothies with crushed ice & sugar (without milk) are more popular. Smoothies can also be mixed with soda pop and/or alcohol to make cocktails. Smoothies appeal to a wide range of age groups because of their sweetness, fresh fruit flavor, and nutritional value. Most are high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Smoothie recipes

Creamsicle Juice

4 to 5 peeled, organic oranges

2 to 3 organic pears or apples

1 sweet potato

2 cups ice, optional

Process through a juicer one item at a time, then mix juices. To thicken, if desired, put in a blender with about 2 cups of ice and blend until smooth.

Makes 4 servings; per serving: 106 calories; no fat; 1g protein; 27g carbohydrate; 16g sugar; 3g fiber; 19mg sodium.

— Adapted from a recipe by nutritional counselor Sheree Clark on her website, fork-road.com

Santa Fe Sunshine

1 (1-inch) slice peeled jicama

1 pear

1 apple

Cut jicama into strips. Cut pear and apple into narrow wedges. Process the jicama and the fruit in a juicer.

Makes 1 serving; per serving: 200 calories; no fat; 1g protein; 54g carbohydrate; 36g sugar; 10g fiber; 4mg sodium.

— Adapted from “The Juiceman’s Power of Juicing” by Jay Kordich

Thank You Berry Much Smoothie

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

6 strawberries, stemmed

10 blueberries

4 blackberries

4 raspberries

1 banana, peeled

1 fresh or dried date, pitted and chopped

Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend at high speed until smooth.

Per serving: 135 calories; no fat; 2g protein; 33g carbohydrate; 22g sugar; 4g fiber; no sodium; 25mg calcium.

— Adapted from “Eat Raw, Eat Well” by Douglas McNish

Gingered Beet and Apple Juice

3 apples

2 beets

1 pear

Half a lemon

¼ cup sliced ginger

Apple wedges, for optional garnish

Rinse apples and cut into wedges. Scrub beets; discard tops if wilted (use them if they’re firm and fresh). Rinse and quarter pear. Peel lemon.

Push apples, beets, pear, lemon and ginger through a juicer and process until juiced.

Stir well; pour juice into 2 glasses. Serve immediately, garnished with additional apple wedges, if desired.

Variation: To prepare this recipe in a blender or food processor, core the apples and the pear, remove the seeds from the peeled lemon, peel the ginger and cut all ingredients into pieces no larger than 1 inch.

Makes 2 servings; per serving: 145 calories; no fat; 2g protein; 35g carbohydrate; 24g sugar; 5g fiber; 70mg sodium; 30mg calcium.

— Adapted from “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juicing” by Ellen Brown

Summer Cooler

1 peach

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of half a lime

½ cup sparkling water

Crushed ice (optional)

Cut peach into narrow wedges; discard the pit. Process the peach in a juicer.

Add orange juice and the lime juice to peach juice; stir to combine. Pour sparkling water into a glass (with ice if desired), and add juice mixture.

Makes 1 servings; per serving: 95 calories; no fat; 2g protein; 23g carbohydrate; 18g sugar; 2g fiber; no sodium; 35mg calcium.

— Adapted from “The Juiceman’s Power of Juicing” by Jay Kordich

Green Smoothie

1 head romaine lettuce, stem removed

½ cup peeled, coarsely chopped cucumber

1 to 2 cups coconut water

½ cup packed cup fresh parsley

Juice of 1 lime

¼ cup cashews, soaked overnight, or 2 tablespoons unsweetened cashew butter

½ avocado, peeled

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth, pulsing a few times before running the motor continuously. If necessary, turn off the machine and push down any unprocessed or lumpy areas, then start again to ensure proper mixing.

Makes 2 servings; per serving: 280 calories; 17g fat; 2.5g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 9g protein; 31g carbohydrate; 13g sugar; 11g fiber; 60mg sodium; 165mg calcium.

— Adapted from “The Naked Foods Cookbook” by Margaret Floyd and James Barry

Spicy Carrot Cocktail

3 carrots

4 tomatoes

2 celery ribs

½ red bell pepper

1 jalapeno or serrano chile

¼ lemon

2 to 3 ounces vodka, divided optional

2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided

Ice cubes

2 carrot sticks, for optional garnish

Scrub carrots, discard tops and cut into 2-inch lengths. Rinse tomatoes and cut into quarters. Rinse celery and cut into 2-inch lengths. Rinse peppers and discard caps and seeds. Peel lemon.

Push carrots, tomatoes, celery, peppers and lemon through the juicer and process until juiced. Pour juice into two glasses over ice cubes. Stir 1 to 1½ ounces (2 to 3 tablespoons) vodka, if using, and 1 teaspoon cumin into each glass. Garnish with carrot sticks

Variation: To prepare this recipe in a blender or food processor, core tomatoes, remove lemon seeds and cut all ingredients into pieces no larger than 1 inch. Add the vodka, if using, and the cumin to the other ingredients before processing.

Makes 2 servings; per serving: 90 calories; 0.5g fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; 3g protein; 18g carbohydrate; 12g sugar; 6g fiber; 85mg sodium; 45mg calcium.

— Adapted from “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juicing”

Recipes for juicing and smoothies with Bill & Sheila

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