Terrific Strawberry/Green Smoothie

I can’t believe how expensive those “instant” smoothies are, in the freezer section. Holy cow. I think they are $3 a package?!

We got a blender, a very nice one, from a dear friend. My daughter has taken it upon herself to create smoothies (mostly because I have been busy reviewing electronics and renovating the kitchen). She’s been experimenting with all sorts of ingredients (almond milk, cucumbers, bananas, etc). I’m not very fond of smoothies in general (I prefer to either eat my food or drink my drink, not have something in between), but my daughter’s strawberry smoothies are superb. They are especially terrific when chilled or iced just a little. YUM. Here’s her recipe for strawberry smoothie.

TIP: You can use either frozen strawberries or fresh. We use frozen because the fresh are usually too expensive. Fresh is best tasting, though. She also sometimes adds rice milk or soy milk to the mix, which makes the smoothie something like a milkshake.

Strawberry Kale Smoofie*

About 5 cups or so of frozen or fresh strawberries, washed and stems removed
2 handfuls of fresh kale, washed and stems removed
Water or rice milk

• Fill the blender about 3/4 with strawberries
• Add water or rice milk up to about an inch from the top
• Press “stir” on the blender for a few seconds to get the frozen fruit moving around
• Switch to “beat” until the strawberries are about all chopped up
• Then switch to “blend” for about 30 seconds or so, till it has the consistency of thick applesauce, and flows easily through the blender
• Add two handfuls of kale, and go back through the “beat” and “blend” cycles
• Add a packet of stevia, or in my case, Sun Crystals
• Set to “liquefy” until it has the smooth consistency you want
• Ready to serve!

“Smoofie” is our endearing term for “smoothie.”

Four Foods For Friday #112

We have another One Question Quiz, and interesting one.

What can you make with meat or poultry, rice, cheese and a vegetable?

Hmmmm. I’m not very fond of rice or chicken. And while I like cheese, I am fussy about my cheese (only Mozzarella, Swiss, and American). So this one has me as stumped as if making photo birth announcements or something. Uhhhh….

Well, I guess I like Turkey Divan. Boring, I know. Turkey is poultry! It’s a pretty bland dish, though (which is why I dislike casseroles and why I dislike rice and chicken). Last time i made Turkey Divan, I made it this way:

Turkey Divan

4 cups diced leftover turkey
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup canned roasted red peppers, drained and diced
4 leaves kale, washed and sliced into strips
4 cups rice, cooked

Throw broccoli in the microwave to thaw.

In a large casserole dish, place the turkey on the bottom. Add the kale and peppers, then the broccoli. Add the broth. Layer with the cheese.

Pop in the oven until heated through (about 30-35 minutes).

Serve with rice.

The kale and peppers spruce up the blandness of the turkey and rice, and help to sneak in a few added vegetables.