Vegan Cooking with TLC

I make many different varieties of smoothies. I like to play with the ingredients.  This  Mango Smoothie  is a rare smoothie where I don't include any berries.  I almost always include some type of greens. In this recipe, I use kale. It gives the smoothie a light greenish tint, which I find rather pretty but some might not.    I decided to make mango the star of this smoothie, which I enjoyed more than I expected.  I find this Mango Smoothie light and refreshing but quite filling. It makes enough for one large smoothie or two small smoothies.  Mango Smoothie 2 cups frozen mango ½ cup walnuts 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon amla powder (optional) ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon matcha powder (optional) 2 teaspoons fruit infused vinegar ½ cup chopped kale 1 small orange 1 small avocado 1 banana Place walnuts, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, amla, matcha, and vinegar in blender . Blend until becomes a thick chunky bu...

We don't eat smoothies as often as we used to but do enjoy them when we do. I like to keep smoothies relatively simple but get in as many healthy ingredients as possible without sacrificing flavor. This particular smoothie really lets the cherries shine. Cherry Berry Smoothie ¼ cup almonds 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon amla powder, optional* ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon matcha (green tea powder) 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 2 tablespoons cherry infused balsamic vinegar** 2 cups spinach*** 1 avocado 2 bananas 1 cup frozen blueberries 3 cups frozen cherries water**** Place almonds, spices, amla powder, matcha, flax seeds and vinegar in a blender.***** Blend well. Add spinach. Blend until well blended. Add avocado and bananas. Blend until well incorporated. Add frozen cherries and blueberries. Blend until smooth. If too thick, add a little water to thin to desired consistency. Pour into large mugs . Serve. Note: I use organic ingredients whe...

I used to eat a smoothie every morning for breakfast leading me to develop a wide variety of them; however, I rarely wrote down the recipes. When I started eating smoothies less frequently, mostly only on weekends, I rather forgot about all those different smoothies.  I've started revisiting the idea though because sometimes I really like a good smoothie, particularly for breakfast. Recently, I remembered a smoothie I used to make with strawberries and mangoes, so I started playing with the idea. I updated it quite a bit and in some ways simplified it.  Strawberry Mango Smoothie ¼ cup walnuts ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon matcha (green tea powder) 2 tablespoons raspberry balsamic vinegar 2 cups kale* 1 banana 1 avocado 2 cups frozen strawberries** 2 cups frozen mangoes** Place walnuts, ginger, and matcha in a heavy duty blender . Blend until resembles a powder. Scrape away from sides, if necessary. Break kale into small pieces. Add kale, vanilla, and vinegar. Blend until...

When I first started eating a plant-based diet, I ate smoothies almost daily. I don't eat them as often now because I've found other ways to make sure I'm getting a wide variety of healthy, nutrient dense foods in my daily diet. I used Dr. Gregor's Daily Dozen as a guide for making sure I eat all the nutrients I need each day. The Daily Dozen app (available free for both iphone and android devices) is great for helping to track eating habits. A smoothie is a great way to knock off several items on the list quickly and easily; however, the there are pros and cons to eating smoothies . (I would recommend watching the whole 5-part series starting with the one linked.)  We almost always eat a smoothie at least one morning of the weekend. It's a nice change of pace from the oats we eat many other days. Also, smoothies are great for those days when getting in all the nutrient dense food isn't quite working out. We've been known to do a smoothie for di...