Summertime Smooooothies!
by Kathy Stroh, M.S., R.D.

Can you imagine a better beverage (or meal) on a warm summer day than a thick, cool, refreshing smoothie? With a few well-placed additions, you can transform this delightful drink into a powerhouse of nutrients and create a satisfying, quick meal. Smoothies are, basically, a combination of fruits (or fruit juice), protein source, flavorings and nutritious extras.

The summer fruit season has begun, with the strawberry harvest. Now is the best time to use the continuing bounty of fresh fruits in your favorite smoothies.

When using fruits, frozen fruits or freezing freshly purchased fruits will yield a thicker, more flavorful drink. Simply wash the fruits or berries and freeze before blending. Bananas should be peeled and cut into chunks before freezing; this is a great way to preserve ripe bananas for later use. Other whole fruits should also be cut into chunks before freezing.

For your protein source, consider yogurt, frozen yogurt, fat-free milk, soy milk or silken tofu. Some extras that you can choose, for additional nutrients are: ground nuts, nut butters, wheat or oat bran (add additional liquid), ground flaxseed or wheat germ. Try a small amount of spices that complement fruit drinks, such as cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, dried ginger or fresh ginger root. Vanilla extract adds a non-caloric rich taste to many recipes.

When you are ready to feast put the frozen ingredients into the blender first. Make sure that the pieces are smaller than a golf ball, to insure that your finished drink is smooth. Next, add the liquid ingredients and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. Inspect the mix, add extra flavorings or ingredients and blend for another 30 seconds.

This time of year, the fruit combinations are limited only by your imagination. You might try:

• Strawberries and blueberries
• Strawberries and cantaloupe
• Strawberries and peaches
• Banana and cantaloupe
• Bananas and strawberries
• Raspberries and cantaloupe
• Mango and cantaloupe

You can also try adding some ripe avocado (technically a fruit) to your mix, for a smooth, rich flavor.

Two of my favorite combinations are Mango/ Melon Lassi and Avo-banana Smoothie. Enjoy!

Mango/Melon Lassi

• 1 cup chopped ripe mango (or canned mango pulp) or 1 cup chopped cantaloupe, watermelon or honeydew
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 4-6 ice cubes (may not be necessary if frozen fruit is used)
• sweetener (to taste)
• pinch of ground cardamom

Blend until smooth. Adjust the flavor with more cardamom, if needed. If you prefer a thicker drink, refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Avo-banana Smoothie

• One-half ripe avocado
• ½ to 1 cup frozen banana chunks
• ½ cup frozen strawberries
• ¼ cup non-fat milk or soy milk
• pinch cardamom and/or allspice (to taste)

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until desired thickness is achieved.