Green Smoothie Magic - 132+ Delicious Green Smoothie Recipes That Trim And Slim by Gabrielle Raiz Read Free Book Online Page A

selection of washed and carefully stored greens. Know which ones are mild or strong.

    Mix And Match
    When the recipe says 2 cups of mild greens, reach into a single bag for 2 cups of greens for a single green smoothie, or take a cupful of 2 different varieties. The taste won’t be that different between the mild leaves.
    For example, I will often use the following when making a green smoothie with 2 cups of greens: asparagus lettuce and sweet potato leaves, different choy varieties, cabbage and sweet potato leaves, chickweed and spinach. The list goes on because the combinations are endless.
    So, when it comes to greens, the world is your (vegetarian) oyster. Put your greens on rotation, do some experimenting.

    A List Of Mild Greens
    As you can see, you will be spoiled for choice. I surveyed green smoothie makers (the people!) and found that they felt restricted by recipes that said that they needed to use chickweed or lambsquarters. They told me that if a recipe recommends a particular green then that’s the one they feel they have to use.
    I’ve taken a different approach that you’ll love! My recipes give you the freedom to mix and match your greens in the way that suits you. You could buy a variety of greens and use whatever you want depending on whether the smoothie recipe you decide to make is better with 2 cups mild greens, 2 cups strong greens or even 1 cup of each.
    Here’s a list of mild greens. I am sure you’ll find plenty that will fit your needs.
     
baby spinach
bok or pak choy or gay choy
sweet potato leaves
pumpkin leaves
papaya leaves
chickweed
asparagus lettuce
kale (smaller leaves can be milder than large ones) comes in many varieties and some are mild and others could be considered stronger.
tatsoi lettuce
chard (same group as spinach and similar in taste)
collard greens
carrot greens
beet greens (similar to spinach in taste)
cabbage
mizuna
butter lettuce
wandering jew
romaine or cos lettuce
purslane (similar to spinach in taste)
pigweed (similar to spinach)
lambsquarter (similar to spinach in taste)
amaranth
marsh mallow
alfalfa sprouts
broccoli sprouts
lentil sprouts
mung bean sprouts
sunflower sprouts and sprouts from garbanzo beans (chick peas), lentils, buckwheat, soybeans (edamame), quinoa, fenugreek, peas, barley, oats, millet and wheat
and so on
    So for example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of mild greens I could easily add 1 cup of bok choy and 1 of sweet potato leaves, or 1 cup kale and tatsoi. You get the picture.

    A List Of Stronger Greens
    For stronger greens I will use
     
rocket
watercress
endive (can be bitter)
mustard greens (can vary in their spiciness to be VERY peppery)
dandelion greens
radish tops
radicchio
radish, mustard, onion, chive and other hot sprouts
sorrel (not bitter but in the strong list due to its pronounced lemony flavor)
    Remember, find your supplier at your markets or local store and get to know your greens.

    Try Before You Take The Plunge
    You know, sometimes you can buy rocket, watercress, mustard greens or other strong greens that are anywhere from mildly spicy to peppery to downright bitter. It’s a good idea to taste test them before you go sticking 2 big cupsful into a smoothie. Mind you, you will be very pleasantly surprised how well strong greens go in some quite sweet smoothies.
    Our daughter wouldn’t dream of eating a salad with rocket in it, but happily slurps down an entire smoothie with 2 cups of the stuff when it’s accompanied by mango and mint.
    Don’t be afraid to put them in. But if you taste a particularly strong batch of greens, put anywhere from one handful to one cup in instead of 2 cups. Make up the difference with a cup of mild greens and it will all ‘even out in the wash’.

    Can’t Find Chickweed? Don’t Know What It Is?
    You see, you may live in a part of the world where you can’t find chickweed. You can go to the substitution list and choose something that will give you the same effect.
    Where you live and the season