Apple Date Smoothie

Continuing with my smoothie / shake series.... this is a new one. The other day when we were in the market and saw our fruit vendor had some good wet dates. They were cleaned ( though I do still rinse them before using) and packaged in neat 500gm packets. I took a liking to dates from my mother-in-law; she would buy it from the local market and would give us about 4-5 cleaned ones most days. Then later when I started baking I loved the idea of adding dates in cakes not restricting myself to only the date and walnut cake. So, unexpectedly, we bit into a sweet as ever piece of date when eating my pound cake as well :)

 

And now to get back to my smoothie, this is a great smoothie to have for breakfast or even as that mid morning or evening pick me up. Instead of giving into the temptation of a snack or chocolate or even coffee try this smoothie, it will assuage the hunger pangs and sweet cravings. The apple, dates and almonds (how could I leave it out!) blend really well making this a tasty smoothie. As for the benefits, it's numerous, find the benefits for the apple and almonds here. And the dates, it is rich in fiber, iron, calcium, fluorine, potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, Vitamin K  and Vitamin B6. It contains simple sugars like fructose and dextrose which replenish the energy and revitalize the body instantly being one of the reasons that it is used to break fasts. Dates promote digestive health and relieves constipation thereby promoting colon health. It is also believed to boost heart health and reduce the risk of stroke due to the presence of magnesium in it. Magnesium is also believed to help in controlling blood pressure and dates have a high content of it. Vitamin B6 is shown to boost brain performance increasing test scores. Dates also contain antioxidants known as Tannins, known to possess anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hemorrhagic properties. But yes, be warned of the high sugar content, it has an unbelievable 66.5gms of sugar per 100gm serving. So watch the amount of intake.

 

Ingredients

Almonds - 8 to 10

Apple - 1

Dates - 4 to 5

Milk - 3/4 cup

Soak the almonds for about 4 to 6 hours. Deseed and chop the dates and soak it in the milk for a couple of hours in the frig. Refrigerate the apple.

Discard the water in which the almonds were soaked and grind it to a fine paste. Then add the dates soaked in milk and again grind it finely. Next chop the apples and add it to the blender. Once finely blended pour it into a glass and it is ready to serve.

For a vegan version, increase the amount of almonds and grind it finely with water to make almond milk. Substitute the milk with the almond milk and a vegan version of the same smoothie is ready.

Blend the apples last just before serving to avoid browning due to oxidization.

P.S. And I forgot to take pics!

 

(Information on benefits sourced from: http://naturalsociety.com/health-benefits-of-dates-7-reasons-eat-date-fruit/ & http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/dates.html)

Pear Banana Smoothie

Fresh and seasonal fruits should be used in smoothies, that makes them full of flavor and naturally sweet. For the last few weeks, the local weekly market had an abundance of pears both the soft and the crisp kind. Just like an apple, it is a delight to bite into a crisp pear. BTW pears are from the apple family. I wanted the soft pear or babugosha as it is called in Delhi, to be the dominant taste in this smoothie. Hence I used 1 pear to half a banana. Again, same as my earlier smoothies I don't think this smoothie needs a sweetener. The pear and banana makes this smoothie really sweet. I used fruits that were ripe but not excessively so; use them at its peak of ripeness to completely relish its flavor and sweetness. Also, under-ripe fruits do not make a smoothie great.

Ingredients
Almonds - 12 to 15
Pear - 1 soft variety
Banana - half

Soak the almonds overnight, so that the almonds are ground well. Grind the almonds with about half cup water till completely smooth. You can lessen the water to get a thicker consistency. Skin and core the pear and dice them. Dice the banana as well. Add the pear and banana to the blender with the ground almonds and blend till completely smooth. The smoothie is ready.

 

The pear has a lot of benefits, it is known for its dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins. It has moderate amounts of antioxidant flavonoids phyto-nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein and zea-xanthin. These compounds, along with vitamin C and A, help to keep  the body protected from harmful free radicals. The fruit is a good source of minerals such as copper, iron, potassium, manganese and magnesium as well as B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). It also has one of the lowest calories in the fruit family. Its dietary fiber helps prevent colon and breast cancer and keeping the cholesterol count low.

Banana Apple Smoothie

Or should I coin the term Banapple for this Smoothie! I am taking small baby steps to lose some weight and I started with lessening my intake during lunch. Somehow, reducing my food during the day was always easy for me but come evening and I really wanted to eat. So today, I tried to completely cut my carb intake during lunch and thought of this smoothie. Like I wrote previously, I am more inclined to fruits in smoothies and would need time to graduate to vege smoothies. My stock of fruits included apple, banana and safarjal (yet to search the English name for it). There were some almonds as well which I planned to grind into the smoothie, it added to the consistency and to the health benefits.
Long back, I ground up some almonds rather than slicing them into my drink. And from then on I got hooked on to the taste of almond milk although I did not know then it was used widely in place of regular milk by vegans and people with lactose intolerance.

Banana Apple Smoothie now officially Banapple Smoothie at home!

Ingredients
Banana - 1
Apple - 1
Almonds - 15 to 20
Milk - 1/2 cup

This makes exactly 1 glass of smoothie. For this recipe you need to soak the almonds for at least 4 hours, the best is if you manage to soak them for 10 - 12 hours. Grinding almonds is easy once it is soaked for a long time. You can peel the almonds and use if you like, I preferred mine with skin. A lot of recipes suggest freezing the banana for a chilled smoothie plus it gives a shaved ice effect. Grind the soaked almonds with 1 or 2 tbsp. milk. Then add the sliced apple and banana give it a run again. At this time if you think you need to add milk to get the consistency right add milk 1 spoon at a time. The smoothie is ready.

Optional: You can add a drop of natural vanilla essence or a couple of vanilla bean seeds if you like.

I popped my Banana Apple Smoothie into the freezer for a nice cold drink and topped it with a spoonful of soaked sago or sabudana which I had handy.

 

Replace the regular milk with a few more almonds and a little water and you have a Vegan Smoothie recipe!

This smoothie's Awesomeness table:
Banana - contains Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Manganese, Potassium and of course fiber. It may be the best source of potassium which helps in lowering blood pressure. Bananas are also known for its antacid effects which helps in keeping stomach ulcers at bay. It also contains pectin a fiber which helps in easing bowel movement alleviating constipation.
Apple - contains Vitamin C and lots of fiber. Apples also contain phytonutrients which help in regulate blood sugars and an unusual mix of polyphenols which help lower the total cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol. The apple is also purportedly said to lower the risk of asthma and certain kinds of cancer. It also has anti-oxidant and anti inflammatory properties.
Almonds - now this one is a long list - Vitamin E, Manganese, Magnesium, Vitamin B2, Phosphorous, Calcium, Potassium, Tryptophan and copper. It helps lower LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. Almonds contain nutrients that help boost brain activity and lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease. And something we all love it for - skin and hair!

(Benefits information from : www.whfoods.com & www.care2.com)