Sparkle Kitchen: Superhero Smoothies
In “The Enemy,” Part Six of How to be Super: The Bridge Between, Selena has a challenging, tiring day on campus. By midday she feels like she has already been through two full days. Luckily she encounters Mona, who gets her a renewing smoothie to drink. Selena needs it, because the rest of the day will be just as filled with adventure, revelation, and, unfortunately, some bad news.
Whether you're an initiate of a secret society of superheroes or just an ordinary human, nothing can pick you up after a tiring summer afternoon like a refreshing, ice-cold smoothie.
This smoothie was inspired by my favorite concoction, "The Warrior" at my local smoothie bar. Filled with leafy kale, sweet pineapple, cool cucumber, and just a pinch of peppery ginger, it's my favorite way to cool off on a summer day. And with all that goodness packed in, you'll really feel like a superhero after drinking it.
If you're making this smoothie at home, a few tips:
First, I know that a lot of people don't have a high powered blender, so let me reassure you—you can absolutely make this with an immersion blender. Just, be sure you start with frozen kale and pineapple. When you freeze fruits and vegetables, the water in the cells freezes also. As the water freezes, it expands to break the cell walls making the produce much softer and easier to blend.
Second, blend the smoothie a little longer than you feel like you should have to. The extra blending — adding generous splashes of milk as you go — will also help break down the fruits and veggies to a delicious smoothie consistency.
I like to serve these in a chilled mason jar with a thick straw for slurping them down.
Superhero Smoothies
Ingredients
½ large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen kale
1 5.3-ounce container Greek yogurt
milk (between ½ and 1 cup depending on desired smoothie thickness)
1 cup frozen pineapple
juice from ½ lemon
a nub of fresh ginger the size of your thumb, peeled and minced
Directions
Add the cucumber, kale, about half the yogurt, and a splash of milk to a tall container. Blend together with an immersion blender until the kale and cucumber are mostly broken up.
Add the pineapple, a few pieces at a time, continuing to blend between each addition. Add the rest of the yogurt and a few more splashes of milk, as necessary, to get the mixture to smoothie consistency.
Last, add the lemon juice and ginger, and blend all of the ingredients together for at least two more minutes. Be sure and move the immersion blender up and down to make sure all of the different layers are incorporated.
Pour into a frosty glass, pop in a thick straw, and enjoy!
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About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
