May 25, 2012
(last updated April 28, 2014) 
Happy Friday! Here from the perch of my final days off, it’s hard to tell holidays and Fridays from other days, but we do have a long weekend coming up, and I wish you all good weather, some rest, and a lot of time making fabulous food!
Memorial day weekend is thought of as the start of summer, and in keeping with that theme, I’m here to share a scrumptious green smoothie recipe, and to offer you a shot at winning my friend Cory’s new ebook, a collection of 50 fabulous smoothies and juices! Cory Gallant—known throughout the blog world as ZestyCook—is my blog designer and consultant; he’s the person who helps me to make CR look attractive and stay easy to navigate. He’s also great at giving me smart, savvy advice on how to manage my blog and keep it up to date. I’m one of his affiliates, so readers who join by clicking through his icon on my right sidebar get a special deal on his services. If you’re hoping to revamp your blog, or start one for the first time, I highly recommend his services!
Cory’s also a huge lover of fresh, homemade juices and smoothies. His new book, Top 50 Healthy Juice and Smoothie Recipes—isn’t vegan, but all of the smoothies can be easily veganized, and many of them already feature almond or coconut milk. The juices, naturally, are vegan. When Cory first sent me his book, I confess that I thought to myself, “I don’t really need help in the juice and smoothie department!” But Cory quickly proved to me that even juice and smoothie fanatics like me can benefit from some inspired new recipes.
Take his “Pina Colada” smoothie, for instance, which I tried this morning. Creamy coconut milk, banana, pineapple, and mint come together with fresh spinach. The result is a drink that’s as summery and sweet and generally delicious as it is healthy and green. I instantly fell in love!
Pina Colada Smoothie, © 2012 by ZestyCook (vegan, gluten free, soy free)
Serves 1-2
4-6 oz unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups bunch baby spinach
1 banana
5 sprigs fresh mint
1 cup fresh/frozen pineapple chunks
Place spinach and coconut water in blender and process on high until liquid. Add pineapple,mint, and banana and blend until smooth.
What a perfect treat for warm weather!
Other recipes include such treats as the “jack up the antioxidants” smoothie (rich with banana, dinosaur kale, pomegranate, and blueberries), the “sweet and sassy” (cucumber, lime, kiwi, lemon, spinach, ginger, and apple), and such self-explanatory mixes as “grapes n’ greens,” “mango banana,” “blueberry greens,” and “almond cocoa butter cup.” Yum.
Also included in the e-book is a short primer on blending vs. juicing (Cory’s answer is the same as mine: apples and oranges. Do both!) as well as tips on how to thicken smoothies, make them ahead, and what order to place your ingredients in. Whether you’re a smoothie pro or you’re just starting out, it’s a perfect guide and resource. Plus, Cory’s emphasis is decidedly on green smoothies, so you can rest assured you’ll have plenty to choose from!
A quick tip for veganizing Cory’s recipes:
Whey protein: replace with any vegan protein powder
Greek yogurt: replace with soy yogurt, coconut milk yogurt, or young coconut meat
Skim milk: replace with almond, soy, hemp, flax, oat, or rice milk
And as I said above, many recipes are 100% vegan already.
If you’d like to experience some of Cory’s delicious recipes for yourself, I encourage you to enter tonight’s giveaway! As usual, there are a few different options for entering. Each is worth one entry, and you can choose one or all of them. Just leave me a comment for each entry, please. I’ll announce the winner on Monday!
1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me your favorite smoothie combination.
2. Tweet about this giveaway with the URL of this post pasted into the tweet! https://bit.ly/KoUCht
3. Like Choosing Raw on Facebook
4. Like Zesty on Facebook
5. Follow me on Twitter
6. Follow Zestycook on Twitter
Good luck!
May you sip a green smoothie or two this weekend. I’ll surely do that, and I’ll also be having a lovely dinner with two very special bloggers whom you may know and love tomorrow night. Back here for a recap Sunday!
xo
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watermelon, ice and mint…and a pinch of stevia!
greens and blueberries, YAY!
a ton of spinach, chia seeds, plenty of water & whatever fruit is on sale :p
I liked Zesty on Facebook ;D
I liked CR on Facebook ๐
My favorite smoothie combination (I love green!!) is 2 cups kale or green leaf, 1 cup almond milk, frozen banana/ sometimes ice too, avocado, and a little drop of maple syrup!!! (sprinkled w/ chia seed!!). i know this post is late but the weekend was fun & busy!! ๐
Liked you on Facebook already ๐
My favorite smoothie is an orange, two hands full of red grapes and lots of greens (spinach, kale and dandelion being the most often used).
liked you on facebook!
My fave smoothie is banana, strawberry, blueberry, brown rice protein, peanut butter, almond milk and spinach. Pretty basic, but good.
I love using frozen broccoli, fresh baby spinach, chia seeds, raw and vegan protein powder, wheatgrass ice cubes, frozen blueberries, maca powder, cinnamon, lucuma and cashew milk. Yum!
oh my!! this is packed. I will defn have to try frozen broccoli!
I like you on FB!
I don’t know if it’s too late to enter but my favorite combo (that I split with my husband) is:
1 banana (still green at the tips)
2 handfuls spinach, kale, or collards
1/2-3/4 cup frozen tropical fruit mix
1 scoop Amazing Grass lemon-lime flavor
2 T wheat germ (for zinc)
1 tsp or so of flax oil
3/4 cup or so almond or soy milk
I often throw in about 1/3 cup of beans for a whole food form of extra protein!
All of the amounts are approximate because I never measure any of it.
I follow Zesty Cook on Twitter!!
I follow you on Twitter!!
I like Zesty Cook on Facebook!
I like Choosing Raw on Facebook:)
I tweeted about the giveaway (@faiththomas)
My favorite smoothie combination is- spinach, lemon juice, coconut water, ginger, banana, and spirulina.
This sounds delicious! My favorite smoothie is almond milk, ice, mango, fresh ginger, and a little dab of coconut oil. Yum!!!
I follow you on Twitter!
I like you on Facebook already!
I tweeted about the giveaway!
My favorite smoothie combination is banana, frozen cherries, a little bit of spinach, and some strawberries!
favourite combo is definitely banana, pear, spinach, hemp protein, almond milk, maca and ice! yum!
I liked you on Facebook and followed you on Twitter.
My favourite smoothie: orange juice, coconut water, pineapple, banana.
frozen bananas and strawberries, cocoa powder, and a bit of agave nectar are my favorite smoothie combo
My favorite smoothie lately is spinach, banana, pineapple, mango, and peach.
Almond milk, cocoa, almond butter, banana, cherry and lots of spinach.
Just tweeted about the giveaway!
My favorite smoothie combo right now – Frozen banana, frozen pineapple, spinach, and sunwarrior protein powder. Yummy!
I’m following Zesty Cook on twitter now!
I follow you on twitter now! ๐
Liked Zesty Cook on Facebook!
I liked Zesty Cook on Facebook. Looks like a really awesome ebook!
I love cilantro, pineapple, grapefruit, cucumber, lime, cinnamon!
My two favorite smoothie combos (because really how can I just pick one?) are, chocolate and cherry, and, matcha and banana. Soo good! Although I love smoothies of all types.
Enjoy your last free daysM
I like Choosing Raw on FB.
I like Zesty Cook on FB
I now follow Zestycook on Twitter
I followed you on twitter. Can’t believe I didn’t already.
I tweeted the giveaway.
So hard to pick a favorite smoothie, but usually do handful of greens, some frozen fruit, frozen or fresh banana, almond milk. Hits the spot.
Uh-oh … I forgot to tell you my favorite smoothie… it’s basically any green (spinach is smooth… kale makes me feel healthier) with frozen pineapple chunks and frozen peaches… a splash of agave added if needed.
Wow – all those smoothies sound so good! And… Isn’t it odd? I think I know what dinosaur kale is and I’ve only been green smoothie-ing for a few months! ๐
The best smoothie I ever made was banana, papaya, strawberry and vanilla extract. So.freeking.good. I bet you could add greens to it and it would be just as delicious and extra nutritious! <3 Happy Holidays G!
My favorite combo is frozen raspberries, peaches and kale, yummy and fresh
I follow Zesty on Twitter
I follow you on Twitter
I like Zesty on FB
I like you on FB
I love trying new smoothie recipes! My go-to green smoothie combo is 3/4-1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 T. flaxseed, 1/2-1 frozen banana, and lots of spinach!
Liked choosing raw of facebook too
My favourite smoothie combo is cantaloupe melon, strawberries, cucumber and baby spinach. It’s super refreshing!
Liked zesty cook on facebook!
Liked you on facebook!
Favorite combo: banana, peanut butter, soy milk and some cocoa powder. more like a dessert, but delicious nonetheless!
my favourite smoothie combination: almond milk + peaches + stevia + flax meal + rice protein/hemp protein powder
i like zesty cook on facebook!