Getting into the Swing of Things

With a truncated work week and a holiday to boot, I had little time for up-dating over this past week. Frank and I spent the long weekend visiting the newly-restored Guggenheim (with a fanstatic Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition), picking up our weekly CSA haul, watching the fireworks from a rooftop in Chelsea, and meandering over the Williamsburg Bridge on Sunday to stop at Guss' Pickles to pick up some amazing Full Sours, Pickled Tomatoes, and Sauerkraut. If you are near the LES, treat yourself to a stop at Guss'! Everything is prepared locally, the quality and taste is superb, and the prices are very reasonable.


Now that it is summer time in the city, I have been very much into making smoothies and frozen, blended treats. These satiate my desires for things such as ice-cream, which even vegan, is not exactly the best food to put into your body. While I have seen many people post on the joys of 'Green Smoothies', I tend to lean towards eating or juicing my greens (I love the strong, bitter flavor!) and embracing the power of berries in blended form.

Berries, as you all know, are very high in antioxidants, flavonoids, and contain a spectrum of vitamins and minerals. Coupled with a banana, flaxseeds, and either filtered water, coconut water, or almond milk, this smoothie combination manages to be raw or high-raw, and also satiates me for most of the day. But before I hand over the recipe, an anectdote. The other day while doing some apartment re-decorating, I was reminded of the glory of Garam Masala. I accidentally had it one day to taste right after eating an apple slice, and was amazed at the flavor compliment. So, the smoothie recipe below contains a pinch of Garam Masala to add a bit of depth and warmth, much like Cinnamon, but a bit more exotic. Exotic, as we all know, is wonderful.



Blueberry-Banana-Flax Smoothie


1 medium banana

1/2-3/4 c. frozen blueberries

2 Tbsp. flaxseed

1/4 c. water or almond milk, plus more as needed

1/4 tsp. garam masala


Break banana into large pieces and place it and all other ingredients into a blender. Blend, adding more liquid if necessary to facilitate blending.


Enjoy!
--CG