Tuesday: Smoothies

Smoothies are so common in our culture today that it's hard to remember when we all first started drinking them. According to Wikipedia's entry for "Smoothie":

"Health food stores on the West Coast of the United States began selling pureed fruit drinks in the 1930s, based on recipes that originated in Brazil. The 1940s-era Waring "Blendor" cookbooks published recipes for a "banana smoothie" and a "pineapple smoothee."

The name "smoothee" or "smoothie" was used by books, magazines, and newspapers for a product made in blenders. Dan Titus, the director of The Juice and Smoothie Association, states in his book, Smoothies, The Original Smoothie Book, that "smoothies became popular in the middle 1960s, when there was a resurgence in the United States in macrobiotic vegetarianism." The first trademark for a fruit slush was in the mid-1970s with the name "California Smoothie", which was marketed by the California Smoothie Company from Paramus, New Jersey.

Smoothies from the 1960s and early 1970s were "basically fruit, fruit juice, and ice"; in some cases in the early 1970s, ice milk was also blended in to create the "fruit shake". These shakes were served at local health-food restaurants and at health-food stores alongside tofu, fruits, carob, and other health-oriented foods. The copyright for the recipe of the banana and strawberry smoothie, which included horseradish, was issued April 3, 1972."

Horseradish?! Yikes.

Anyway, I kind of remember my first fruit smoothie experience as occuring in the mid-90's. A friend mixed some orange juice, yogurt, ice cubes and a banana in a blender and we had this "shake" for lunch. It reminded me of a frozen cocktail, like a daquiri or margarita, without the booze.

I never would have anticipated the popularity or diversity of product to come from such a simple idea. Today, I tend to whip up a smoothie when I am pressed for time and need a meal; I can make a smoothie with my immersion blender and matching cup in about 3 minutes and take the drink with me in my car (or in a bottle on my bike) as substitute for a sit-down lunch. Smoothies are also great energy-boosters in the afternoon when I'm feeling kind of tired and want a sweet treat.

Here's my favorite, easy smoothie "recipe"--I don't measure anything, just mix it all up and adjust as needed. Ingredients--a handful of blueberries, about a cup of plain, unsweetened almond milk, a splash of vanilla, a bit of stevia sweetener, a handful of ice cubes, and a big blob of full-fat Greek yogurt. High in protein, delicious, and full of good fiber. (You can substitute any fruit for the blueberries. Peaches are great. Raspberries are good too, but you'll need more sweetener.)

Here's some advice if you're watching your weight and enjoy smoothies. Making them with actual fruit, vs. calorie-laden fruit juice, is not only healthier (for the fiber in the pulped fruit) but lower in calories. Using stevia vs. sugar or honey also greatly reduces calories. Almond milk is really nutritious and has fewer carbohydrates than juice ( by a ratio of 20 to 1!) so it's a nice base for any "diet" smoothie as well.

While I love experimenting with fruit, I am not a fan of "green" or vegetable smoothies. I like V-8 veggie juice and the occasional small beet in a fruit smoothie, but I just don't find veggie drinks appealing. Maybe I haven't found the right recipe yet!