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More Healthy Recipes
Make an extra healthy smoothie by adding water (and some dates, as necessary, for extra sweetness). Forego adding juice if possible; even frozen fruit juice concentrates aren't as full of enzymes as fresh fruit would be.
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Coconut Oil, Coconut Milk, Coconut Cream...
Add a tablespoon or so of virgin coconut oil to your smoothie, if you don't have coconut milk or cream on hand. In case you haven't heard the good news about coconut oil: It can rev up the metabolism, fight off infections, and keep energy levels high.
For more info on coconut cream, coconut milk, and coconut oil, see this page. Coconut oil (and the concentrate from Tropical Traditions) is a hard solid when refrigerated, but by using some of these tips, it can be much handier to use.
Healthy Smoothie Recipe- Coconut Date Shake
Ingredients:
- 1-2 c. frozen banana pieces (freeze as many as you want, for future use)
- 1/3 c. or so of "cashew milk", or a handful of raw cashews, or some raw almonds (soaked overnight in some water)
- 1-2 TBS. or so of coconut cream (more if using coconut milk)
- small handful dates, pitted
- cold water as needed, for blending
Just take all of the above and mix until smooth in a blender. If you're not familiar with making smoothies, I'm including the details, as follows.
Ahead of time, prepare a bunch of bananas. Peel the bananas, slice through them, and lay them out on a tray that's covered with an inside-out zip-loc bag (or other thicker plastic bag). No, don't use plastic wrap; it's too thin and can break apart and stick to the frozen bananas.
Let the bananas freeze solid. Then you can store them in the zip-lock bag, using as needed.
On occasion I like to make "cashew cream", by soaking 1-2 c. raw cashews overnight in water. The smoothie is just a bit smoother this way, although you can omit this step and just add a handful of raw cashews whenever you make your smoothies. If you make the cashew cream, you can also use it on oatmeal, and sometimes in various sauces. It needs refrigerating, and won't keep for more than a week or so, so you'll want to use it up!
As for the coconut cream, I recommend Tropical Traditions' brand of "Coconut Cream Concentrate". It doesn't have the additives typically found in canned coconut milks, and it's far richer in flavor than any frozen coconut cream I've found at Asian markets. Go with what you've got, but do consider investing in the Cream Concentrate. It's awesome! But keep a few pointers in mind: The coconut cream is very solid, making it challenging to work with. I warm some in a pot of simmering water, to get it soft enough to work with, and then slowly add 2-3 times as much water to it until it's more of a cream consistency. I then refrigerate it; once you've added the water, it won't keep as long. But it makes it very convenient to use this way. The thinned-out cream blends easily into whatever I'm making. Again, I often add it to the morning cereal, or to sauces. It's great in soups, giving them a little ethnic twist. Oh, and I think it's quite economical. Like the virgin, organic coconut oil, it's a little pricey, but it's still a great value; full of concentrated flavor.