Category Archives: Beverages

Smoothie of the Week: Tropical Mango Pineapple Banana

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This smoothie became an obsession in our house this week because the fresh sliced pineapple in the fridge was calling to us. D claimed when I bought it that he wasn’t a big fan of pineapple, but after seeing me throw it in the smoothie maker with mango and banana he was intrigued. I’m thinking of this as our last tribute to summer and the delicious fruits that come with it.

mango pineapple banana smoothie

Tropical Mango Pineapple Banana Smoothie

Put equal amounts mango and pineapple in a smoothie maker. Slice up a ripe banana and add it to the other fruit. Add three large spoonfuls of plain yogurt and blend. If too thick, add more yogurt and blend again. Add an ice cube or two and blend again.

Serves one.

Related posts:

Smoothie of the Week: Creamy mango
Smoothie of the Week: Tart raspberry popsicles
Smoothie of the Week: Refreshing cucumber kiwi, with bubbles
Smoothie of the Week: Creamy cantaloupe

Smoothie of the Week: Creamy mango

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Mangoes have been everywhere lately, so I’ve been stocking up, cutting them up and freezing the chunks for smoothies. They also make a great treat plain out of the freezer! Its creamy texture combines well with almond milk for a simple, light sweet tooth satisfier on these still-warm nights.

mango smoothie

To make it, combine equal parts mango slices (fresh or frozen) and almond milk in a smoothie maker. If you used fresh cut mango and the result isn’t cold enough, add an ice cube and blend again.

Smoothie of the Week: Refreshing cucumber kiwi, with bubbles

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Cucumber is the forgotten vegetable in our house. Do you have one of those? The kind that you buy out of force of habit and then completely forget about, until you dig it out of the bottom of your vegetable drawer, mushy and inedible?

I had to figure out something to do with these cucumbers to make them more front-of-mind, and it turns out they’re a very refreshing addition to smoothies! I added a splash of seltzer water for a bubbly afternoon treat, but if the sound of a bubbly smoothie sounds too odd for you, it’s perfectly fine to leave it out.

Cucumber kiwi smoothie

Cucumber kiwi smoothie, with bubbles

1/2 cucumber, cut into chunks
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
juice of 1 lemon
2 ice cubes
splash of seltzer water (optional)

Combine all ingredients except the seltzer water in a smoothie maker and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and top it with enough seltzer water to make it as bubbly as you like it.

Serves one.

Smoothie of the Week: Creamy cantaloupe

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I bought the most incredible, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cantaloupe I think I’ve ever tasted at Eastern Market this week. It’s delicious right off the rind, but also makes an incredibly creamy smoothie with a touch of almond milk and a spritz of lemon juice.

creamy cantaloupe smoothie

Creamy cantaloupe smoothie

About 1/4 of a medium-sized cantaloupe, sliced and rinds removed
2 tbsp almond milk
1 lemon slice
ice

Fill a glass (or, if you have a single-serving smoothie maker, one of the smoothie cups) about 3/4 of the way full with cantaloupe. This doesn’t have to be exact, but this will be the base of the smoothie. Add the almond milk and an ice cube or two and blend until smooth. Spritz the lemon juice on top and enjoy.

Serves one.

Smoothie of the Week: Sweet tart smoothie

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I’m puckering up and my mouth is watering just thinking about this smoothie as I write this. The tartness here comes from kiwi and a splash of lemon, so it isn’t overwhelming, balanced with mango for sweetness and a leaf of kale for nutrients and color. I’m quite beginning to enjoy drinking green smoothies!

Sweet tart smoothie kiwi kale mango orange juice lemon

Sweet tart smoothie

1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh mango
1/2 cup orange juice
1 leaf kale
2 ice cubes
juice of one slice of lemon

Combine all ingredients in a smoothie mixer and blend. If you find the smoothie cup is filled to maximum capacity with the ingredients before the ice, blend it a bit first to take down the level and then add the ice cubes after and blend again.

Serve with a lemon slice as garnish, and squeeze on top of smoothie.

Serves one.

Related posts:

Green peach smoothie
Coconut banana smoothie pops
Purple smoothie

Smoothie of the Week: Purple Smoothie

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I mentioned that I got a smoothie maker for Christmas, and as the days have been getting hotter, it has been getting more and more of a workout. I decided to start a weekly chronicle of the smoothies we’ve been making. Tell me about your favorite recipe in the comments and I’ll try it out!

Purple smoothie (raspberries and kale)

I love vegetables, but I love them even more when they’re disguised as fruit. This smoothie takes on a beautiful red-purple color because of the raspberries and a tart flavor with plain yogurt, and you can’t even tell there’s kale in there. I’m calling it Purple Smoothie because that sounds more delectable than raspberries and kale. Try adding strawberries and blueberries for a berry blast.

Purple smoothie

1 leaf kale, washed, stemmed and torn into pieces
3/4 cup frozen raspberries
3/4 cup yogurt
1-2 ice cubes

Pulse all ingredients in a smoothie maker or blender until smooth. Garnish with raspberries if desired.

Serves one.

Pumpkin Day

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Today is Pumpkin Day in my house. I may have gone to three grocery stores today, but what better to do with a fall weekend than spend it making the house smell delicious?

PA100069I made a spicy pumpkin latte, inspired by StreamingGourmet‘s recipe, although I thinned it out a bit and improvised with a packet of Starbucks VIA because my coffee maker seems to be incapable of making a strong brew. Then, I whipped up some of Robyn Webb‘s pumpkin butter and pumpkin parfait. Both are designed for diabetics, but there’s some wiggle room–I try to go low-sugar anyway whenever possible.

Here’s how I adapted the latte, in case you’re curious:

Ingredients:
1 packet Starbucks VIA Italian roast
1/3 mugful of hot water
2/3 mugful of skim milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 packets Splenda
sprinkle cinnamon
sprinkle nutmeg

1. Boil water and pour over contents of Starbucks VIA packet. Mix together–this will make very, very strong coffee.

2. In the same saucepan as the water just came out of, heat up the milk on low heat, stirring in pumpkin, Splenda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. When milk is hot, but not boiling, mix it with a hand-held egg beater.

4. Add milk mixture to coffee and mix well.

There’s no way to describe this mid-afternoon pick-me-up except this: it was wicked strong and wicked good. I’m from Massachusetts; I can’t help it.

PA100072I had the parfait for dessert tonight after it chilled for a few hours in the fridge. As for serving the pumpkin butter, I spread it over low-fat cinnamon graham crackers, and the combination was incredible.

Now I’m wrapping up the day with–surprise–some pumpkin beer from Buffalo Bill’s Brewery. Hey, I have to take advantage of my favorite season for flavors! At least we know my eyesight will be awesome with all this Vitamin A.

Chrysalis Vineyards: Norton Wine and Bluegrass Festival

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Thanks to my good friends Emily and Patten, I scored two free tickets to the 9th Annual Norton Wine and Bluegrass Festival at Chrysalis Vineyards over the weekend. (It’s always nice to have smart friends who win trivia contests and then can’t use their prizes because they have travel plans during the same weekend.) The ride out there alone was lovely enough, and then it turned out to be a perfect fall day to enjoy a little fresh air and sunshine.

For those of you DC-ers who haven’t ventured down Rt. 50 to this gorgeous area, I highly recommend you get yourself out there before the weather turns nasty. I hopped in the car with my friend Kate, who came to keep me company and partake in some boozy goodness, and we barely even noticed the ride because it was so unusually traffic-less and pleasant.

We started by wandering around the vendor tent, which had everything from beautiful jewelry to wooden furniture and housewares made out of re-purposed wine barrels from Wingo Wine Works–think gorgeous curves and deep purple tones–to gourmet chocolates and wine pairings from Chocolaterie Wanders (the cinnamon chocolate was to die for) to fantastic olive oils and vinegars from All Things Olive, who happen to also be at the Kensington Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings.

Then, we hopped in on a 9-wine tasting session featuring the vineyard’s trademark grape, the Norton. They started us off with their 2008 Viognier, a white with peachy undertones, then moved right into two rosés and a full palette of reds. Although I actually liked several of the wines we tasted, I was surprised that my favorite ended up being their Sarah’s Patio Red. I’m not usually a sweet wine type of gal, but this “white masquerading as a red,” as Linda, our guide, referred to it, had a hint of cherry sweetness without being overpowering. It sort of tasted like sangria, actually–perfect for a warm October day hanging out on the grass and listening to a bunch of guys playing bluegrass. We each bought a bottle and snagged a glass, then hunkered down on the lawn with some brie and rosemary crackers to take in the sun.

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If you haven’t already…

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…Get thee to a Starbucks sometime between now and Monday to try their new VIA instant coffee.

I’ll admit to being somewhat of a coffee snob. I don’t mail-order my favorite blends–but I totally would if I could find the elusive Angel’s Kiss blend that I tasted years ago and dream about at least once a week since–but the stuff that comes in an industrial-sized can is out of the question, a big tension point between me and my boyfriend.

So in all honesty, I was planning on just choking down the instant blend as a ploy to get the coupon for a free coffee. They had me sip it black, so as not to color my impressions of it. Lo and behold, I could tell the difference–and I liked the instant blend better than their traditional.

The thing is, their regular coffee is strong and a bit bitter, so I have to be in a very certain mood to crave it. It’s not something I would drink with my cereal every morning, so it generally comes as a mid-morning treat for me. But the instant coffee is something that I could drink on a daily basis, as it’s a bit more rounded and full-bodied. I’m actually considering dumping a little bit of one of the packets into the weak coffee my single-cup maker insulted me with this morning, but then part of me doesn’t want to waste it. Yes, it’s that good.