For a while now, I have been threatening to make a spinach smoothie, which has been met with disgust by my flatmates. Wilted spinach pasta is tasty. Spinach salads are fine. Home-made Saag Aloo is positively divine. But the idea of spinach blended down into an Incredible Hulk shade-of-green smoothie is a thought that is positively terrifying for them. And honestly, I was a little sceptical too.
But just one sip of this breakfast smoothie and you will feel invincible. Its 10am. You’ve just had two portions of greens before even thinking about work. You could write a novel, you could whizz through the housework. You could go jogging. Or in my case, you could go to work when the sun is pouring through the sky and you’re stuck indoors in an ice rink. No big deal, the sun will be there when you finish work. It’s summertime after all. And it’s time for getting into those bikinis.
Ok, so maybe this smoothie won’t make you Heidi Klum beach-ready, but it will make you feel like you can take on the world. Packed full of iron-rich spinach, cooling cucumber, a twist of zesty lime and thickened up with some natural yoghurt, this breakfast smoothie is definitely on the good-food list. And if you’re feeling a tad sweet, blend in some honey for a natural sugar high. Its ok, the spinach cancels it out. And remember to add the ice cubes, because this baby is at its best chilled right down. And of course, because its summer, ice cubes are a necessity in all drinks. Natürlich.
So bring it on summer, that bikini hidden away in my cupboard will be making an outing.
Makes 1 Smoothie
You Will Need
A large handful of spinach leaves, washed
¼ cucumber, washed and sliced
1 heaped tablespoon natural yoghurt
A squeeze of lime
A teaspoon of honey (optional)
2-3 ice cubes
Place the spinach, cucumber and yoghurt in a blender and whizz until smooth. Alternatively place ingredients in a jug and whizz with a hand blender. Stir through the lime juice and taste. Add honey for a sweeter taste if desired, then blitz again. Pour into a glass or jar and add the ice cubes. Leave for 5-10 minutes to allow the ice cubes to chill the smoothie before drinking.
[…] a staple in my library. But having noticed my most popular post of 2012 is – get this – my Spinach and Cucumber Smoothie, I thought a refreshing alcoholic version would be a nice way to round off the […]