Frank Picchione

Orange Smoothie

I am referring to this as an orange smoothie more for its color than its flavor. Except for the lime everything in it is orange. One of the many great things about a Vitamix is that you can simply put an entire citrus fruit into it. A lemon or lime only needs to be peeled first. There is no need for squeezing.  Other than the obvious navel orange and the lime, the ingredients are a carrot, a large wedge of cantaloupe, half a mango, chilled white tea, turmeric, ground flax seeds and ginger. I may have gone a bit overboard, but my enthusiasm has gotten the best of me, and this combination was delicious. Though with each sip I thought how much better it would be as a frozen drink with tequila added.

Beet & Kale Smoothie

I am totally hooked on my Vitamix. This was my third smoothie of the day. As always, raw and organic. This one had one large beet, a green apple, a handful of kale, a chunk of ginger, turmeric, flax seeds and kelp for iodine.

Vitamix Smoothies

I have wanted a Vitamix blender for the longest time, and now that I have one it is exceeding my expectaions. I have never been this excited about a kitchen gadget - and I have a lot of them. Apparently it can make sorbet in seconds out of frozen peaches, soy milk and stevia - no freezer time necessary. It is also great for making pureed soups, dressing, and of course frozen cocktails. It can chop cheese and nuts, and is great for making nut butters. But the main reason I wanted a Vitamix is for making raw vegan smoothies. I love coming up with different, nutrient packed combinations of produce. Because blending fruits and vegetable retains their fiber I think this is a much healthier alternative to juicing.

Below is my first power green smoothie. It was unbelievably refreshing and delicious. I prepped everything ahead of time so the ingredients would be ready to go in the coming days. For this smoothie I used everything green and organic - green tea, kale, honey dew melon, cucumber, celery, green apple, mint, ground flax seeds and turmeric (okay, the turmeric and flax are not green, but important additions). Can you believe the color of the resulting combination? Below is a photo of my purple vegan protein smoothie. I may have to start a new blog category for smoothies. Something orange next I think...