Spinach Cucumber Carrot Smoothie

Spinach in a smoothie, did you say? You got that right. But did you know it could be tasty too!

I do love smoothies, for several reasons. For one, they’re very easy and simple to assemble -prep time is just for cutting the vegetables and fruit for toppings. Decide on the base you want, blend ingredients together, top with fruits, seeds and other ingredients and lo! Done.

Smoothies make for a great breakfast or meal replacement offer, as long as you take care to balance the macronutrients and micronutrients in the end result. Also, smoothies are a hundred times better than drinking fruit juice that’s been stripped off all its fiber content. Smoothies have the fiber intact, and what’s more, you can try them in endless varieties with different ingredients!

I try to include a lot of greens in my daily diet, but sometimes it’s just not possible to keep a track of your leafy vegetable intake an entire day. On such days, using a spinach base for smoothies ensures that you have your daily dose of greens right there in the jar, in the form of a delicious smoothie, no less! Presenting to you Spinach Cucumber Carrot Smoothie with a plethora of seeds and nuts, homemade cashew butter, wheatgerm and dried cranberries. Spinach is a fiber and iron powerhouse, and adding cucumbers and carrots add to the micro-nutrient profile immensely. You’ll never again think of spinach as a mere boring leafy vegetable.

I’ve added cashew butter to make the smoothie yummier and more appealing – you can substitute the same with almond nut butter/ peanut butter/ walnuts/ pecans etc. Addition of cranberries was an impulsive move that turned into a pleasant surprise, with the tangy-sweet taste contrasting beautifully with the spinach base. Inclusion of seeds has become a habit now with me – they add much-needed protein and essential fats to the smoothie.

Humble, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free if you omit the wheatgerm.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups Spinach, washed, roots plucked away
• 1 cucumber, peeled, cubed
• 2 carrots, peeled, cubed
• 50 gms cashews/ 2 tbsp cashew butter
• 2 tsp flax seeds
• 4 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp melon seeds
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp chopped almonds
• 2 tbsp wheatgerm (skip for gluten-free version)
• 2 tbsp grated tofu
• Dried cranberries, as per preference

RECIPE

Blend spinach, cucumber and carrots to a smooth consistency. Blend the cashews separately for 8-9 minutes for cashew butter. Add the cashew butter to vegetable purée and blend, or spread on top, as per preference. Divide the smoothie in 2 bowls. Top with seeds, nuts, wheatgerm, grated tofu and dried cranberries.

Devour!

I’d love to hear how it turned out for you, if you tried this recipe. Do post a pic on Instagram and tag #fitfoodiediary in the picture!