This next recipe in our Smoothie Recipes Series is a bit exotic — I call it a Sun Smoothie. I like to include veggies in most of my smoothies for a couple reasons. Number 1: it’s really easy to get some daily servings of vegetables when you grind them up into a smoothie with other delicious, flavorful fruits like strawberries, bananas, and oranges. Number 2: adding some veggies into your smoothies prevents you from getting TOO much fructose in your system too quickly.
How to Make a Sun Smoothie
In your travel blender, mix up a Belgian endive, one whole banana pepper, some pineapple, and a little bit of orange juice (about a cup). If the pepper is too spicy for your tastes, just put a bit in. It just gives the smoothie a little punch.
Endives and Banana Peppers and Pineapple, Oh My
A Belgian endive is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the daisy family. It was actually created by accident — a horticulturist neglected chicory plants in a dark warehouse. They bleached from lack of light, and the endive was created. The veggie is low cal (about 20 calories) fat free, sodium free, cholesterol free, and a great source of folate. It also contains Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, Vitamin E, antioxidants, manganese, iron, and potassium!
Banana peppers are also low-cal and low-fat and will give this smoothie a little bit of a kick. They are high in Vitamin C (containing about 40% of your daily value), Vitamin A, Iron, Protein, and Potassium and contain cartenoids which decrease your risk of cancer and heart disease.
Pineapples, first of all, are delicious, but on top of that they provide us with lots of awesome health benefits! They’re loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and potassium, and are rich in fiber. They can also help prevent macular degeneration (loss of vision) due to their levels of beta carotene.
That’s all for this exotic pineapple smoothie recipe! I know it might be a little intimidating to use some nontraditional smoothie ingredients like endive and peppers, but using veggies in smoothies really is a great way to get some servings of vegetables in for the day. Usually the fruit is much more flavorful and hides the veggie taste, anyway
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