The House of Spices

What is a smoothie?

A smoothie is a simply a fresh fruit pureed drink that is thick and made with milk, water, yogurt or even ice-cream, along with other ingredients such as sweeteners, leafy greens, superfoods, amongst others. Smoothies are so easy to make and you can make one simply by putting together all your favourite ingredients to make an amazing drink. Although you can use any fruit to make a delicious smoothie, it is important to keep in mind the types of ingredients and their ratio to make the perfect glass of smoothie.

 

My 2 way smoothies are two of my favourite smoothie drink recipes. One is a mixed berry and banana that is thick, sweet and delicious and the other is a dragon fruit and pineapple that is more towards the citrusy, light and refreshing end! Both of them are delicious and so quick and easy to make. You only need a handful of ingredients for which, many substitutes are available too!

 

What is the secret behind a perfect smoothie?

The key to a good fruit smoothie is to use ripe fruit, no matter what fruit you’re using. Additionally, there is also a formula to make the perfect smoothie! Every smoothie needs to  have the following components:

1. Liquid: Depending on how thick you want the smoothie, you can decide upon the liquid accordingly. This could include water, coconut water or any milk of your choice! I love to add a teaspoon of lemon juice when I’m making a sweet smoothie, such as my mixed berry one, to balance the taste.

2. Frozen/Fresh Fruit: This is the base flavour of the smoothie. You can use any fruit of your choice. You can use fresh or frozen. Frozen fruits result in thicker smoothies.

3. Leafy Greens: Spinach or Kale are probably the best options! However, you could also include mixed greens, swiss chard, beet greens, romaine lettuce, rocket leaves/arugula, collards, carrot tops, beet greens or anything else.

4. Superfoods: My favourites are chia and flax seeds but you can also include spirulina, turmeric, nut butter, hemp seeds, goji berries, cacao or even protein powder. You can add as many superfoods as you want.

5. Flavour Booster & Sweetener: To boost the flavour of your smoothie, you could add cinnamon, ginger, honey, dates, maple syrup, stevia, vanilla extract, amongst others.

6. Ice Cubes (optional): To make your smoothie cold and thick. However, this is completely optional.

 

What types of liquid can I use?

You can use any liquid of your choice to make your smoothie including regular water, coconut water or any type of milk! Coconut milk and almond milk usually work great but you can use soy or regular milk if you want. If you want to make your smoothie light, you can use water instead, however if you want it to be heavy then I would suggest using milk in your base.

 

Can I use frozen fruits to make this smoothie?

Yes, you can! If you intend to use frozen fruits, you can chop up the fruit the night before and pop it in the freezer so they’re ready to use the next day. If you are using frozen fruits, it is worth remembering that your smoothie is going to be thicker. 

 

If you want your smoothie to be light, you can use water with frozen fruit or alternatively stick with regular fruits instead. If you want it really thick, you can use milk instead (depending on your preference) and also increase the quantity of the fruits.

 

How to make my smoothie thick?

If you want to make your smoothie thick, I would recommend using frozen fruit instead of fresh fruit. You could also use milk and increase the quantity of fruits used and chia/flax seeds to make your smoothie thicker. You could consider adding dates, yogurt and two spoonfuls of oats to your smoothie too! 

 

Can I use this recipe to make other smoothies?

Yes, you can! Using the formula mentioned above, you can use my recipe to make any smoothie you want. Some of my other favourite combinations include:

1. Orange, carrot and ginger.

2. Strawberry and peach.

3. Mango and pineapple.

4. Kale, avocado and cucumber.

5. Chocolate, banana and peanut butter.

6. Cherry and beetroot.

7. Pineapple, banana and coconut.

 

Do we need to strain the smoothies before serving?

Nope! Unlike fruit juice or mocktails, smoothies are not meant to be strained using a sieve. You can pour them into a glass and enjoy them as soon as they are ready.

 

Any substitute for the ingredients mentioned?

There are a number of substitutes available to make both these smoothies:

1. You can substitute the fruits with any fruits of your choice.

2. Spinach can be replaced with kale, mixed greens, swiss chard, beet greens, romaine lettuce, rocket leaves/arugula, collards, carrot tops or even beet greens.

3. You can substitute milk with water and vice-versa. You could also use coconut water!

4. For the superfoods, apart from chia and flax seeds, you can use spirulina, turmeric, nut butter, hemp seeds, goji berries, cacao or even protein powder.

5. For the flavour enhancers, apart from cinnamon and ginger, you could consider adding honey, dates, maple syrup, stevia or vanilla extract.

 

Any cooking tips for this recipe?

1. Always start your blender on low and then slowly increase the speed to high. This makes sure the blades don’t get stuck, and everything is well combined.

2. Blender your leafy greens (spinach) first before adding your fruits. This way, your leaves will become super smooth and you won’t get any leafy chunks in your smoothie.