I've never been a huge fan of the color pink, but I can certainly appreciate it more when it's a deeper shade, as if mixed with deep reds, like for instance Burgundy. I find looking at it really to have a kind of a pacifying effect, grounding almost...
I've been meaning to share some of my favorite smoothie recipes for quite some time now. I wanted to start from my favorites- the green ones- but I've been postponing it, waiting until I make a "perfect" one to share it. Nah, nah, nah. They have all turn out absolutely delicious, every time, no matter what I change and in the process I've developed dozens of recipes and there is honestly no point in waiting to share them. So I though I'd just get right to it and share them each time I make them. I'm starting with this one simply because I just made it, a few hours ago. I hope I'll be able to share the other ones soon as well.
This one is one version (of many different variations) of a quick Burgundy-colored beetroot smoothie I just had this morning.
When preparing any smoothie, I usually just try to make sure I've got the proportions right- depending on what flavor or colors I'm going for- but when it comes to the precise measurements I never actually weigh them and I usually just wing it. This is what I used today and I did weigh it in case anyone needed a more precise guide, but don't get too focused one them. Play a little, I dare you:)
Since this is a beetroot smoothie and not everyone adores the strong beetroot taste, I recommend adjusting the sweetness of the smoothie with the amount of banana (and pineapple if you have a very sweet one) that goes into it. Today I started with 1/2 a banana, but I found that the beetroot taste was still a bit to strong for me so I ended up adding bit more at the very end. I also added a teeny bit more of pineapple just because I had a small cube left and wanted to just use it all up. And since it only helped make it sweeter I was okay with it. If it had been the beetroot that I only had a bit left of, I think I would have saved it for another smoothie or for something else, because in this particular case it would have destroyed this deliciousness.
I also could have added more kale, I usually go nuts with the greens in smoothies, but when I work with reds and pinks and purples (beetroots, berries, etc) I try to be very careful about not overdoing it with the greens if I care about the final color of the smoothie. If I don't, I just throw in whatever I have, but if I do, I do keep in mind what happens if you blend red and green in equal proportions... In case you've never painted, the color is not pretty... through the taste of the smoothie is usually amazing. However, I do appreciate that some people just cannot drink it if it looks like poop, no matter how delicious it is. So I generally leave the green indulgence for the green smoothies and watch it when the reds and pinks.
Burgundy-colored Beetroot Smoothie
yields: about 1 large cup/glass, about 300-330ml or 2 smaller glasses
Ingredients:
BEETROOT* - about 60g (about 1/4 of a big one or 1/2 of a smaller one)
KALE - a handful, about 20g (can be substituted for baby spinach)
PINEAPPLE - 60-80g, adjust to taste
BANANA, frozen** - 55g-95g, start with the 55g (about 1/2) and add more if at the end you decide you need more sweetness
ZUCCHINI - 50g (about 1.5in/4cm piece)
APPLE - 40g (about 1/4-1/3)
WATER*** - 60ml (1/4 cup)
optional: FLAX SEEDS, ground - 2 teaspoons
optional: GINGER, fresh - a small piece, if you like ginger and if it's not boiling hot outside
Method:
Make sure you wash all the ingredients that need to be washed: kale, zucchini, apple.
If your blender isn't very powerful perhaps break/cut the ingredients into smaller chunks to help your blender out a bit.
Add all the ingredients (but water) into your blender.
Add 1/8 cup / 30ml of water at first.
Blend everything until it's all nice and smooth.
If your blender needs a bit more water to get going add the remaining 30ml / 1/8 cup of water. If you're not a fan of thick smoothies, you can add even more water, but I usually don't like them too runny, so I use as little as possible, only enough for my blender to start. If you're lucky enough to have a blender tamper you might not need to add any water at all.
Taste your smoothie. If you find you need a bit more sweetness and/or the beetroot taste is a still a bit too strong add more banana (and pineapple, if you want).
Enjoy!
* Beetroot- I used a store-bought cooked beetroot, but you can use a raw one or cook it and let it cool before you blend it
** Bananas- make sure you freeze your bananas when they are very ripe, or just use a ripe banana (then you might want to chill your smoothie for a while before you dink it)
*** Water - you could add some plant-based milk instead, but keep in mind that that will make the smoothie look a bit more creamy/milkshake'y in color... it will still taste fantastic, but it won't be Burgundy for sure.
You can drink it as a smoothie or, if you make it a bit thicker (use less water) you can make it into a smoothie bowl.
Alternatively, if you have a powerful blender with a tamper, you could freeze all the ingredients (but water and flax seeds) first and blend them all to get the almost-ice-cream consistency. But it will only work if you have a blender tamper... Otherwise you can definitely enjoy it as a smoothie.