ORANGE PEAR TURMERIC REFRESHER

This is a really refreshing combination of flavours, and a total energy boost! This is one of my favourites during citrus season. I've previously talked about turmeric and it's benefits. It's an immunity booster, and excellent for preventing - and curing - sore throats. Perfect during flu season or when the seasons change! 

Orange Pear Turmeric Refresher

makes: ~ 24 oz.

- 3 oranges, juiced

- 1 pear, cut into large chunks

- 6-8 sprigs parsley

- 1 lime, juiced

- 1/2 in. piece of turmeric, skin scraped off

1.  Blend everything till smooth. Enjoy!

LYCHEE CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE

Not that we need much convincing to eat this silky juicy fruit by the bagful, but lychees are very high in Vitamin C! Just 10-12 lychees provide 100% of the US Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C. Even if you don't consider the US RDA as sound nutritional advice, lychees are an exceptional little fruit. In addition to Vitamin C, lychees are rich in minerals - potassium, phosphorous, copper, to name a few.

Lychees are very sweet and juicy, but not intensely flavoured. So I like to eat them plain or with a few other fruits. I also like them in smoothies with complementary mild ingredients like mint, ginger, and cucumber. This smoothies is so light and refreshing, you'll want to make it often!

Lychee Cucumber Smoothie

makes: 20 oz.

- 2 cups lychee flesh (~20 lychees, skin and pits removed)

- 1 Persian cucumber, cut into chunks

- 7-10 mint leaves (from 2 sprigs)

- 1/2 in. piece of ginger (peeled if not organic)

- 1 cup water

1. Put everything in a blender jar in this order: lychees, cucumber, ginger, mint leaves, water.
2. Blend on High into a smoothie.
3. Pour into a glass and enjoy! Or refrigerate for up to 12 hrs.

GREEN GOLD SMOOTHIE

This is one of the most refreshing smoothies ever! The colour is a beautiful bright green thanks to the golden pineapple and mango that soften the deep green from spinach, and the flavour is crisp and refreshing. I'll be making this a lot more.

Flax seeds, like hemp hearts, are a nutritional bazooka. Flax seeds are a complete protein - i.e. they contain all 9 essential amino acids. Most proteins have to be combined with others to make complete protein, but not flax seeds. They can hold their own!

Flax seeds are also one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-9 are the other two types of omega fats - more on those later). Omega-3 fatty acids are the parent molecule for anti-inflammatory hormones in the body and, as with most things, food is the best source rather than supplements.

Ironically, the high omega-3 content of flax seeds makes them highly volatile when pulverised. Flax powder or oil is sold in dark containers to prevent oxidation from exposure to light. Similarly, heat also destroys omega-3 fats and flax seed oil should never be heated. If you're buying flax seed oil, buy organic, cold-pressed oil sold in dark containers.

Flax seeds are also called linseeds. The same linseeds that are pressed to make the linseed oil we all used to mix with paints in art class! In art, linseed oil is used because it dries fast... back to the whole volatility of linseeds thing. Don't go to the nearest Flax or other art store for linseed oil to put in your smoothie though - get food-grade linseed or flax seed oil from the grocery store!

Green Gold Smoothie

makes: 32 oz.

- 1 small cucumber, peeled and quartered

- 1 fresh mango, peeled and cut into chunks (~ 1 cup)

- 1/2 cup pineapple chunks

- 1 Key lime, juiced (or 1 tsp. lime juice)

- 1 lemon, juiced

- 1 in. knob ginger (peeled if not organic)

- 1 tbsp. flax seeds, aka linseeds (or 1 tsp. food-grade flax oil)

- 5 oz. baby spinach

- 1 cup water (or coconut water)

1. In this order put the ingredients in a blender jar: mango, ginger, cucumber, flax seeds, pineapple, lime and lemon juice, ginger, and water. Blend until very smooth.
2. Add more water and pineapple to adjust consistency and sweetness if needed.