Kim's Welcoming Kitchen: Smoothies

Showing posts with label Smoothies. Show all posts

Monday, October 22, 2018

Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

7:56 AM by Kim LutzNo comments

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie (Gluten-free, Sugar-free)

Photo credit: Julie Han

Every morning, I make a pot of coffee for my husband and me. We each have a cup, and he takes a to-go cup with him to work. Depending on my day, sometimes I have more coffee, and sometimes I don't. If I don't have a second cup, that can lead to some wasted coffee. So sad.

That got me to thinking. What could I do with that extra coffee if I don't get around to drinking it? The same thing I do with fruit that I won't get around to eating -- freeze it and turn it into a smoothie!

Pour that coffee that you don't need to drink today into ice cube trays. When frozen, transfer those coffee ice cubes to a freezer-safe container for later use.

Then, when you need a treat in the afternoon, you can grab a few cubes and blend them with some lovely all-natural ingredients. (Have you ever seen the ingredient list of some popular pumpkin spice lattes? Yuck!) What could be better than a pumpkin-y, spicy, frothy coffee treat? Not much!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie (vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free, sugar-free)
Makes 1 2-cup smoothie

Ingredients:

4 2-ounce coffee ice cubes
1 cup non-dairy milk (I love So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage.)
1 teaspoon agave nectar
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preparation:
blend all ingredients thoroughly.

Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book, Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

Back to School Lunch Ideas

7:31 AM by Kim Lutz2 comments

Back to School Nut-free Lunch Ideas from Welcoming Kitchen

It's here again! Back to school.

For me, it's back to lunches! Here are some things that I will be making for lunch this year. They are all nut-free, so they are safe if your child eats at a nut-free lunch table or has a nut-free school.

My kids do not like sandwiches, so here are some of our lunch ideas.

Smoothies make great lunches. Loaded with fruits and veggies, they can sip up their lunch quickly so they can get outside to play at recess. Add a crunchy snack, and they will have enjoy their meal and have the energy they need to get through the rest of the day.

Smoothies make a fun and nutritious lunch.

Soup in a thermos is another favorite option.

Sunny Chocolate Coconut Butter is delicious in a sandwich or spread on apple slices.

Make a special sandwich with Sunny Chocolate Coconut Butter.

Try some of these other ideas, too:

This post was shared with Allergy Free Wednesday.

Happy Cooking!

Kim

My new book, Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

The Blender Girl Smoothies -- Grapefruit Fennel Smoothie

12:39 PM by Kim Lutz5 comments

Grapefruit Fennel Fix Smoothie from The Blender Girl Smoothies

I am so excited to tell you about a new book from healthy-cooking dynamo, Tess Masters, aka The Blender Girl. The Blender Girl Smoothies: 100 Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Paleo-Friendly Recipes is a fantastic collection of recipes that make it a pleasure to sip your fruits and veggies (and a whole lot of other good-for-you foods). The book is based on The Blender Girl Smoothies app, which launched in October of 2014.

Not only is the book loaded with 100 innovative vegan and gluten-free smoothie recipes, each recipe includes a gorgeous photograph, optional 3 nutritional boosters and benefits of each smoothie, for example weight-loss, detox, etc.

Tess also includes information on how to build a smoothie, how to stock your pantry and more essential smoothie-success information.

I have tried several of the smoothies in the book, and each is delicious and different. The Grapefruit Fennel Fix is a new favorite. This exciting flavor combination makes me feel like I'm on vacation ... and that's always a good thing! Tess has generously shared the recipe for this delightful smoothie with us.

grapefruit-fennel fix

A surprisingly stunning combination, grapefruit and fennel are both rich in vitamin C, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and potassium. The blend serves up anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, weight-loss, and detox power that helps boost immunity, scavenge harmful free radicals, cleanse the colon, regulate heart rate and blood pressure, aid digestion, and alleviate stomach ailments.
Serves 2

1/2 cup (120ml) water
1/2 small fennel bulb, cored, trimmed of stalks, and chopped
1 medium red grapefruit, peel and pith removed, seeded, and cut into chunks
1 green apple, skin on, cored and chopped
1/4 medium avocado, pitted and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
15 drops alcohol-free liquid stevia, plus more to taste
1 1/2 cups (190g) ice cubes

Throw all of the ingredients (except the ice cubes) into your blender and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy.
Add the ice and blast for a few seconds more, until smooth and chilled.

Boosters 1 cup (27g) loosely packed baby spinach
1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
1 teaspoon pomegranate powder

Happy Cooking!

Kim

My new book, Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

Creamy Sweet Potato and Carrot Yogurt Smoothie

12:38 PM by Kim Lutz2 comments

I love a good contest.
I love So Delicious Dairy Free everything.
So, the combination of a So Delicious recipe contest is too much for this girl to pass up!

I am entering my Carrot and Sweet Potato Yogurt Smoothie in the Sippable Category.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Yogurt Smoothie
makes 4 generous servings

Ingredients (amounts are approximate):
one baked sweet potato, skin removed
3 carrots, cut in chunks*
3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks
3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
3/4 cup non-dairy vanilla yogurt, I used So Delicious vanilla cultured coconut milk.
1 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk beverage
1/2 cup apple juice (or more if needed for a thinner consistency)

Preparation:
*I use a Vitamix Blender . If you are not using a high-powered blender, grate the carrots first.

Blend thoroughly.

Happy Cooking!

Kim

My new book, Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie

4:00 AM by Kim Lutz4 comments

Photo credit: Julie Han

Love it or hate it, you've got to admit that pumpkin is THE flavor of fall.

I, for one, love it. I especially love the idea of a pumpkin spice latte. As you know, I also love my smoothies. Of course this led to the absolute need to combine these two favorites!

Every morning, I make a pot of coffee for my husband and me. We each have a cup, and he takes a to-go cup with him to work. Depending on my day, sometimes I have more coffee, and sometimes I don't. If I don't have a second cup, that can lead to some wasted coffee. So sad.

That got me to thinking. What could I do with that extra coffee if I don't get around to drinking it? The same thing I do with fruit that I won't get around to eating -- freeze it and turn it into a smoothie!

Pour that coffee that you don't need to drink today into ice cube trays. When frozen, transfer those coffee ice cubes to a freezer-safe container for later use.

4 2-ounce coffee ice cubes
1 cup non-dairy milk (You could use the hemp milk from Super Seeds here.)
1 teaspoon agave nectar
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preparation:
Blend all ingredients thoroughly.

Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book, Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

Rosemary Melonade from The Blender Girl Smoothies App

10:24 AM by Kim Lutz1 comment

As I have said over and over, I love smoothies. I rely on them to fill in nutritional gaps in our hectic day-to-day lives, as well as to provide a delicious treat when we need one. My blender gets a regular workout in my kitchen.

Right now, I feel like a kid with a brand-new toy! Why? Because The Blender Girl, the very same Tess Masters from the gorgeous The Blender Girl Cookbook, has put together an app, The Blender Girl Smoothies, that takes smoothie making to the next level!

This app is not only loaded with recipes -- 75 to start and then another recipe added every week until 100 recipes -- but Tess provides a wealth of information about the ingredients she uses.

It is so incredibly user-friendly, too! You can sort by dietary restriction (definitely appreciated in a food-allergy household!), you can put together a pre-populated shopping list,and you can learn about buying and storing ingredients along with a host of other info in the glossary.

More important to me, though -- The Blender Girl Smoothies app is super fun to use. It is loaded with absolutely beautiful photos of every smoothie, and it has a fun feature where you can enter how you're feeling and it will provide you with just the right smoothie for you at that moment! Tess also suggests 3 boosters (for flavor or nutrition or both) to go with each recipe to increase the variety.

Lucky for us, I got to preview this app, and Tess is sharing a DELICIOUS smoothie recipe with us. This Rosemary Melonade will whet your appetite to get this app right away!

rosemary melonade

This exotic blend sips like a fancy cocktail, but skips the hefty bar tab. Melon is hydrating, and rich in vitamin C and anti-inflammatory lycopenes, while rosemary contributes awesome flavor and antibacterial backup. The combination makes this your secret immunity agent! Throw in the jalapeño for an added cleanse and kick.

Serves 2

3 cups (480g) chopped seedless watermelon, chilled

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 lemon, peeled and seeded

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

1/2 cup (80g) frozen pineapple

1/4 cup (80g) frozen strawberries

5 drops alcohol-free liquid stevia, plus more to taste (optional)

Throw all of the ingredients into your blender and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until well combined.

Boosters

1/2 cup (60g) frozen raw cauliflower florets

1/2 teaspoon cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño chile

For more sneak peaks of The Blender Girl Smoothies, check out:

Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book, Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.