The smoothie that started it all for me!
Since quite a few of you have been asking for smoothie recipes, I thought I'd share the one that started it all -
The Beginner's Breakfast Green Smoothie (serves one)
Ingredients:
- 4 ripe lakatan or lagkitan bananas (save the saba for when you're intermediate!)
- 1 bunch of organic kangkong, stems removed (soak in a large bowl of water with a little sukang tuba for 15 minutes, then rinse well. (OC peeps will want to run it through a salad spinner before blending, but I am OK with putting it straight into the blender after rinsing if I'm in a hurry)
- 2 dalandans (skin off, seeds removed)
2017 update: In the original recipe, I used 4 ripe bananas.
Nowadays, I would use triple or even more than that amount.
Preparation:
- Blend in a high-speed blender. Or if using a regular blender, add a little bit of filtered or coconut water and pulse until the kangkong gets as fine as possible.
Important stuff to remember:
- After drinking your smoothie, wait 30 minutes before you eat your oatmeal or other breakfast. I know most raw foodists just have this on its own, though. I, on the other hand, need to increase my caloric intake because I work out.
- Please, please, don't use the smoothie as a drink on the side. It needs to be taken alone so it can be digested at once. When taken with other food, it might end up just fermenting in your stomach. You don't want this happening to you. Trust me.
- Some people like to add papayas, berries, ground up flax seeds, and superfoods, but keep it simple when you are starting out.
- Don't add rootcrops or vegetables. The exception is the leafy greens. Don't add any kind of melon to your smoothie. Melons need to be eaten on their own. Stay clear of watermelon shakes at a restaurant!
- Don't use the same leafy green daily. Very important. Other leafy greens for beginners are curly leaf lettuce, kale, wheatgrass, and spinach. (Alugbati, pechay, arugula, malunggay and mustasa have stronger flavors and are better for intermediates. If in the future you start experimenting with these other leafy greens, know that you can always add more bananas or water to make the smoothie taste better)
- The ideal smoothie has less fruit and more greens, but this is a beginner's breakfast green smoothie, made for people who want a yummy first green smoothie experience :P
- If you don't like the taste of your smoothie, put it in your compost, or if you have a garden, Victoria Boutenko says just pour the smoothie onto the soil. The earthworms will have a party!
- Most dogs like smoothies too!
- And oh, the experts say to take your time enjoying the smoothie, even mixing it with saliva before swallowing. I haven't been doing this but I haven't experienced anything bad drinking it really fast.
The original recipe is from Aileen de Guzman. But I tweaked this one so it's simpler. Anyhoo, credit still goes to her for getting me started.
Oooh, and some raw foodies I know started feeding their baby green smoothies at 6 months. How cool is that?! The baby was purely breastfed and is super healthy and happy! Go raw family!
OK, I'm rambling. Will go now :D
The Beginner's Breakfast Green Smoothie
