Forget green beer, Irish car bombs and bowls of Lucky Charms. Toast to your health this St. Patrick’s Day with the rejuvenating power of a green smoothie.
As this unrelenting winter of polar vortexes, constant snowstorms and ubiquitous sniffles is nearing a close, we’re all in need of a tune-up.
thinking smoothies? color them green
Avery’s simple green smoothie
Juice from 2 oranges, freshly squeezed (roughly ¾ cup)
1 large pear (or two small pears), cored and cut into chunks
1 banana (preferably frozen)
2 handfuls (roughly 2 cups) spinach or kale
Add orange juice to a blender and then add the pear, banana and greens. Blend until everything is thoroughly mixed. Scrape down the sides, if necessary. Serve immediately. Makes 2 cups, or enough for one large or two small smoothies.
Kale Storm
$5 for 16-ounce or $6 for 24-ounce
Maine Squeeze Smoothie & Juice Cafe , 5½ Moulton St., Portland, 773-7374; and Public Market House, 28 Monument Square, Portland, 772-0040
This is what I consider a classic green smoothie. It has a vibrant color and a bright, tangy flavor. The ingredients are traditional, too: kale, spinach, mango, banana, apple cider and lemon juice. It’s a light drink that works well as a snack or alongside your lunch. Maine Squeeze has heartier green smoothies – such as the Faster Than Light and the Green Light – capable of doing double duty as a portable meal. But the Kale Storm is lighter, tastes great and gives you a boost of energy any time of day.
Mighty Green
$4 for 8-ounce, $6 for 16-ounce and $7 for 24-ounce
Whole Foods Market, 2 Somerset St., Portland, 774-7711
An extra creamy concoction, this green smoothie includes both kale and spinach and comes with an added dose of greens in the form of spirulina. Spirulina is a cyanobacterium that grows in tropical lakes. It’s considered a superfood since it’s packed with protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. When you order this smoothie, you have a choice of soy, rice or coconut milk and strawberries, blueberries, mango or pineapple. The smoothie gets its creamy goodness from avocado and banana. Whole Foods also sells a Farmer’s Garden green smoothie that is more of a classic, but I prefer this one.
Green Smoothie
$4 for 8-ounce or $6.50 for 16-ounce
Roost House of Juice, 11 Free St., Portland
Packed with blueberries, this smoothie looks more brown than green, but the flavor couldn’t be more delicious. Roost stands out from the pack because it uses all organic and many locally sourced ingredients. In addition to blueberries, its green smoothie is made with apples, bananas, kale and water. If you’re a fan of Roost, you’ll want to act fast to get one. Owners Kathleen Flanagan and Jeanette Richelson plan to close up shop at the end of the month. But the news isn’t all bleak for this raw, vegan cafe, as I hear Roost will likely pop up again soon in a more manageable form, such as a juice cart. In the meantime, get your fill of Roost smoothies before the Free Street doors close.
Additional Photos
Dark, leafy greens and phytochemical-rich fruit provide just the cure we need.
Green smoothies are easy to make and the combination possibilities are endless.
A good smoothie needs something liquid, something creamy and something sweet. And in the case of a green smoothie, something green.
Dark, leafy greens – the superstars of the plant world – include kale, spinach, romaine, collards, Swiss chard, dandelion, mustard, beet, turnip and cabbage.
I use them all in salads and cooked dishes, but for green smoothies I generally stick to the milder greens such as kale, spinach and romaine.
I typically use either freshly squeezed juice or plant-based milk as the base of my smoothies.
However, water is a good choice, too.
Bananas, silken tofu, nut butters and avocado all provide extra creaminess when I add them to my smoothies.
Instead of ice, I use frozen bananas.
Being both creamy and sweet, bananas make an excellent smoothie ingredient.
Whenever I have bananas that are about to become overripe, I just peel them, break them into smaller sections and freeze them in a freezer-safe container.
Then I have frozen bananas whenever I want to make a smoothie.
Almost any combination of fresh or frozen fruit can make a satisfying smoothie.
But when I’m making a green smoothie, I also consider the color of the final product.
Darkly colored berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries) can turn a green smoothie a slightly brownish shade.
So I tend to stick to fruits such as apple, banana, mango, peach, pineapple and pear that allow the final product to be green.
If you’re diving into green smoothies for the first time, you’ll enjoy my simple green smoothie recipe.
It has four ingredients and takes less than 15 minutes to make.
If you would rather have someone else do the chopping and blending for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration, check out my favorite green smoothies in Portland.
Slainte – here’s to your health.
Avery Yale Kamila is a freelancer who lives in Portland, where she writes about health food and drinks green smoothies. She can be reached at:
avery.kamila@gmail.com
Twitter: AveryYaleKamila
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