Green Smoothie Tangy Cherry Twist

Makes a little more than a quart

Green Smoothie Tangy Cherry Twist

I have to admit that one of my favorite green smoothies is a cherry based spinach smoothie. I made one again this morning and the flavor is subtle while the texture is creamy. I took a look in the freezer again, and it looked like I’ve still got 4 bags.  Those will be tasty treats. While the supplies last, this one is on the top of the menu!

One of the things that I have to admit about this smoothie is how simple it is. There really isn’t any preparation that has to happen because the bulk of it has been done ahead of time!

So here we go.

To make this smoothie, you’ll need to really plan ahead. Last spring, ok, I guess it would be early summer when the cherries are in season, I bought a large box. We ate cherries for days, but before they could sit around long, I prepped them for a deep freeze. I have to admit that it was somewhere around 40 lbs or so which is a lot of berries. 

About the same time the cherries showed up, so did a cherry pitter. I believe it was a father’s day present (Thanks Arielle!). You might be able to find one for about 20 bucks.  Here is the one that I have:

What’s nice about this one is that the little tray holds about 20 berries and they nearly jump off the pitter shaft when the spring extends the piston for another berry. The drawback is that it doesn’t successfully remove every pit, so you have to double check your berries afterwards. Generally, it works well and for twenty bucks, it’s definitely worth the time and money.

In any case, I processed nearly 40lbs of berries (so they were pit-less) and then fill quart size Ziploc freezer bags. Each bag holds a few cups each. If you plan ahead too, you should end up with a dozen or more bags with pit-less cherries ready to add to any smoothie for the next year (if they last that long).

When you’re ready to make a smoothie, remove the bag from the freezer and use just the amount that you want without defrosting them and return what’s not used back to the freezer.

Now for the recipe:

  • 1 ½ cup apple juice
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 large dates
  • ½ lb spinach
  • 2 cups frozen cherries
  • (Other things as the spirit moves you!)

Add the liquids on the bottoms, throw in dates, pack in spinach and top off with frozen cherries. Blend on low until the mixer starts to turn. Turn to high and blend for a minute or more. The frozen cherries will help keep the mixture from overheating so you can blend it longer. The longer you blend it, the smoother it becomes. I like ‘em really smooth.

Now notice at the bottom of the recipe, there is an ‘other’ section. If you look close at the picture of ingredients, you’ll notice that I’ve got a can of Reliv Classic, Sun Warrior ORMUS greens and a banana. What you can’t see in the picture is a probiotic pill. The probiotic doesn’t take up much space and I like to keep the intestinal flora strong, so in it goes. Likewise, the Reliv Classic is a good protein additive, and because I haven’t been recovering from my yoga workouts fast enough, I add this for the help. And, lastly, the ORMUS green powder. That’s just something that will make your head ring (See The Bell Rock Buzz article).

I figure that in a few days, I’ll be harvesting fresh mint from the garden and at that point I’ll be looking for raw cacao mint smoothies – which I also love. When that starts happening, I’ll post those recipes.

If you didn’t think ahead and you don’t have a stash of frozen cherries, I’m sure the you’ll be able to find some at your favorite health food store. If not, just wait a couple weeks and those stone fruit will come to a roadside near you!

Enjoy!

Now for the recipe:

  • 1 ½ cup apple juice
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 large dates
  • ½ lb spinach
  • 2 cups frozen cherries
On high speed, notice the frosting on the side of the blender

Add the liquids on the bottoms, throw in dates, pack in spinach and top off with frozen cherries. Blend on low until the mixer starts to turn. Turn to high and blend for a minute or more. The frozen cherries will help keep the mixture from overheating so you can blend it longer. The longer you blend it, the smoother it becomes. I like ‘em really smooth.

(Also note that I’ve made this smoothie a couple times in a row. It’s nice having ingredients that allow for this. So, on the day that I took the pictures, I figured I’d use a banana, but there were enough cherries to do the job. Thus, the picture shows a banana, yet I didn’t use it in the smoothies.)

You can make this smoothie with fresh cherries but it doesn’t get as smooth. But, that’s ok, for the fresh cherries are better for you.

Enjoy!