Monday, December 4, 2017

WINTER GLOW GREEN SMOOTHIE with HEMP & GINGER

Hemp Recipe
Source: thefirstmess.com

I have been drinking so many green smoothies. Not earth shattering information I know, but I do have some travel coming up and with busy (typically indulgent) holiday times on the horizon, I’m taking a “fuel” approach to my meals these days. The simplification has been surprisingly relaxing, not gonna lie, but variety is a challenge. I keep leaning on the aforementioned smoothies, but also the same roasted veg/salad/whole grain bowl combos day after day. 

So in the interest of sharing more of my real life food, I’ve got a recipe for a smoothie I made up when I was getting a little tired of the old peanut butter and banana combo. The base here is ripe pear and hemp hearts, with lots of warm spice and a fresh burst of lemon. 

I picked up an excellent smoothie tip from my bud Lily a while ago: instead of using non-dairy milk as your liquid, you can just scoop in some hemp hearts and add water to the blend. You’re basically making fresh hemp milk AND your smoothie at the same time. No soaking necessary. So smart!

Hemp hearts are one of my favourite everyday superfoods. Compared to some of the other weird and wonderful fruits/powders/herbs/seeds, hemp is quite affordable and (where I live) totally accessible. It’s also a complete, totally sustainable protein source.  There’s lots of great info on this super plant on Manitoba Harvest’s website. I added hemp to pretty much everything when I first went 100% plant-based because I didn’t have a great handle on cooking yet and was looking for a mega nutrient boost. I still add hemp to everything though 😂.

The flavor is nutty and slightly sweet-grassy, which makes hemp super diverse. In addition to smoothies, I love using hemp hearts in place of pine nuts for pesto. Lately I’ve been making a kale and oregano pesto with a hemp base for drizzling on bowls and tossing with zucchini noodles. I just use this recipe, replacing the almonds with hemp and adding a couple sprigs of fresh oregano. 

And another one: I always have some sort of nut-based vegan “parmesan” on hand for sprinkling, and hemp works perfectly for it. In my little electric coffee grinder, I combine ¼ cup hemp hearts, 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, and a good pinch of salt. I pulse the mixture a couple times and it’s done. Delicious, so healthy, and super easy (looove my spice grinder).
Winter Glow Green Smoothie with Hemp & Ginger - The First MessPIN IT!
Other ways with hemp! Kale + Oregano Pesto & “Parmesan” Sprinkle.
WINTER GLOW GREEN SMOOTHIE with HEMP & GINGERPrint the recipe here!SERVES: 1
NOTES: I think a pinch of ground cardamom would be so delicious in this smoothie. 
-I peeled my pear to get that ultra green shade (always doing it for the photo haha), but normally I’d leave it. 
-I like using a mix of mild and strong greens for a green smoothie like this one. If your taste buds are hardy enough for all kale though, definitely go for it ;)
-The pear should be quite ripe for the right level of sweetness. 
-This smoothie ends up being room temperature, which I like in this colder climate. 

1 cup chopped greens (I like a 50/50 mix of baby spinach and kale)
small handful fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons hemp hearts
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
½ teaspoon MCT oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 ripe pear, cored and chopped
1 cup filtered water

In an upright blender, combine the greens, mint, hemp hearts, ginger, cinnamon, salt, MCT oil, lemon juice, pear, and water. Blend the mixture on high until completely smooth. Enjoy immediately, with an extra sprinkle of hemp hearts on top if you like.


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