FRESH BLUEBERRY GREEN TEA SMOOTHIE
Berry picking season is early this year. The Tulsa area is lucky to have several farms where you can go load up on berries.
Blueberries. Blackberries. Strawberries. Raspberries. They are all good for you. Just look at those vibrant colors.
Read more about the berry farms and the stellar season they are expecting this year in the SCENE section of the Tulsa World on Wednesday. And find some recipes for desserts.
Meanwhile, here are some smoothie recipes that feature berries.
FRESH BLUEBERRY GREEN TEA SMOOTHIEFor Blueberry Green Tea Fusion:
2 cups water
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 green tea bags
Honey or agave to taste
1. Bring 2 cups water to boil. Add 1 cup fresh blueberries. Boil 5 minutes. Strain. Add 2 green tea bags and steep 3-5 minutes.
2. Drink hot or pour over ice and add honey or agave to sweeten.
For smoothie:
1 banana
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
Zest of orange
4 ice cubes
1 cup Blueberry Green Tea Fusion
1. Blend well and top with mint sprig.
- Courtesy of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association
Tired of the same old smoothie? Here is something for the adventurous smoothie drinker…
Parsley, Kale and Berry Smoothie 1/2cup (packed) flat-leaf parsley (leaves and stems)
4 kale leaves (center ribs removed)
1 cup frozen organic berries (such as strawberries or raspberries)
1 banana (cut into pieces)
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
Purée ingredients with 1 cup water in a blender until smooth (add water if too thick).
- adapted from Bon Apetit
And something a little more traditional…
Strawberry-Banana Smoothie half of a banana
1 cup strawberries
Milk (as much as you want for the smoothie)
1 ice cube
1 teaspoon sugar (or no sugar, or more sugar)
1. Get out blender and put in half of banana, strawberries, ice cube, and milk. Add sugar, if you choose.
2. Blend for a few minutes until smooth.
If you go berry picking, you are going to have to freeze some berries for later. Here’s a non-dairy smoothie from Weight Watchers that calls for frozen berries…
Weight Watchers Smoothie 1 ½ cups frozen berries
about ½ cup Diet Lemon-lime soda, such as Sprite zero
1. Blend until smooth. Add more soda as needed.
I like a good smoothie recipe with healthy words like “protein” in the title…
Protein Packed Blackberry Smoothie1 cup of fresh blackberries
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 – (6 oz) container of plain non-fat/low-fat Greek yogurt (I use Chobani)
4 cubes of ice
1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or other type of milk, if needed
a few drops of liquid stevia or other natural sweetener, to taste
1. Place blackberries, banana, yogurt, ice cubes and 1/4 cup milk in blender and blend until fruit is pureed and ingredients are well combined.
2. Add stevia to sweeten and more milk to get the desired thickness (if necessary).
