BASIC SMOOTHIE TEMPLATE

Most of the smoothies in this book follow the preceding template to achieve not only a healthy variety of nutrients, but also a suitable texture as well. Super- foods can be included in any of the following four categories. This is your guide for creating your own delicious recipes or for altering the recipes herein.

Bases: These are the main ingredients in the smoothie, and they usually provide the texture and thickness. This is a very broad category and can contain a wide variety of ingredients, such as whole soaked seeds, nuts, or fruits; fresh greens; fresh fruit; rolled oats; cooked brown rice; frozen fruit; and frozen vegetables.

Liquids: Most smoothies simply will not blend or will come out more like a pudding if you do not add liquid. Add more or less depending on your thickness preference. When adding pre-packaged liquids, be sure to avoid juices, as most have added sugar or have been pasteurized. Besides, you can usually add the fresh version of the whole fruit instead. Also, avoid sweetened varieties of seed and nut milks. Remember, we’re trying to avoid added sugar. When possible, always go for fresh and homemade first. Liquids can include water, fresh coconut water, organic raw milk, fresh-squeezed citrus, cooled homemade tea, seed and nut milks, and freshly juiced hard vegetables (carrot, beet).

Ice: A thick smoothie will turn creamy, and a thin smoothie will become a frosty slushie with the addition of ice. It will also chill a smoothie (which is infinitely

more palatable) that may have become slightly warm due to blending speed or the addition of warmer ingredients. Plain ice cubes work well, but water may down the flavors. You can also try many varieties of flavored ice, as mentioned in the Super-Flavored Ice chapter.

Extras: These are usually flavorings or sweeteners that may be needed to tone down the potency of certain ingredients, but can also include superfood powders and healthy fats. Examples include fruit powder, root powder, protein powder, spices, extracts, citrus zest, sea salt, honey, stevia, virgin coconut oil, and virgin olive oil.
Once you have chosen your ingredients from the four categories above, all that remains is adding them to your blender jar in such a way that minimizes splashback (like dumping frozen berries into liquid) and maximizes blending efficiency. To do so, always load in the following order:

1.    Larger, harder base ingredients like frozen fruit, nuts, and grains. If none exist, add ice first.
2.    Softer base ingredients like fresh fruit, greens, soaked nuts, seeds, and fruit.
3.    All your extras like powders, spices, extracts, oils.
4.    Liquid, then ice.
Give it all a gentle push down in the jar and blend away.

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