MIXED BERRY VEGAN SMOOTHIE
This vibrant beauty is filled with blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and beets, along with green tea and vanilla. Full of nutrients and natural, intense fruit flavours, it is completely vegan, and can be served within 30 minutes.
We love our smoothies partially frozen, so what I like to do is to place the smoothie into a freezer safe container, freeze it for 30 minutes, then blend it up again, and then serve; like a gorgeous, healthy sorbet. You can also freeze it completely in your favourite ice lolly moulds.
This smoothie draws its sweetness from ripe bananas and raspberries, and it is perfect for us, but if you like your smoothies on the sweeter side, feel free to add a spoonful or two of maple syrup or raw honey, if you are not making it vegan.
Ingredients
250 grams fresh beets
100 grams cherries, frozen
100 grams raspberries, frozen
100 grams blueberries, frozen
150 grams ripe bananas
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
250 ml hot water
1 sachet of green tea
30 grams maple syrup, optional
Preparation
Add the sachet of green tea into the hot water, and let it steep for about 10 minutes, then let it cool down completely. Chop up the fresh beets into small chunks, then add them to a blender and pulse until they are broken up into tiny pieces. Carefully scrape down the sides, add in the frozen cherries, raspberries, and blueberries, and let it blend until completely smooth.
Add in the bananas and the vanilla, and blend again. Scrape the sides, just to make sure there aren’t any small beet pieces stuck to the side, and add the green tea in a few additions, blending fully between them. If using the maple syrup, add it, and let the blender run until smooth. Either serve it immediately, or let the smoothie batter freeze slightly, and serve it partially frozen. Yields 2 large servings.
By Tina Vesić
