Antioxidant Fig Smoothies

Day 7

I've been drinking green smoothies daily, while doing an elimination diet to determine what food sensitivities/allergies/intolerances I might have.  While I genuinely enjoy them, I know without a doubt that I cannot get them into the boys, which is a shame because they are chock full of vitamins and nutrients and fiber.

Then I saw a recipe for an antioxidant smoothie on The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen website.  I modified the recipe slightly to incorporate berries, fruit and greens I could find locally, including fresh figs.  Figs are nutritional powerhouses, with more fiber per serving than any other common fruit and more calcium per serving than milk.  Did you know that?  I did not.  They are also rich and yummy, which is why I bought them.  It wasn't until I got home and looked them up that I found out how great they are for you.  As soon as my diet is a little less restrictive, I'm going to play around with them in savory dishes.

Rainbow chard is in abundant supply in my garden currently.  It is a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin A and has about 3-4 grams of protein per serving. It can be utilized as a substitute for spinach in many recipes and apparently, its stalks can be prepared and eaten much like asparagus, though I did not know this until I looked it up.  To think I've been growing it for years and have always just discarded them!  I'll have to try this and post on it in the future.

Actually, I don't really discard them.  Did you know you could save all the trimmings from your vegetables, including the papery outsides of onions and garlic and make a lovely vegetable stock with them?  As I am peeling vegetables or trimming them up to use in recipes, I save everything I remove and place them in a plastic bag, which I keep in the fridge.  Then every couple days when the bag is getting full, I dump them in a large stockpot and cover with cold water.  Bring it to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 1-2 hours.  Strain and cool.  This brings me a great deal of satisfaction knowing I have not let a single thing go to waste, and keeps me in flavorful stocks which can be expensive to constantly buy pre-made.

One last thing:  drinking greens in a smoothie is incredibly good for you.  You've lost no nutrients due to cooking and they are much easier to digest.

The original recipe calls for blackberries, blueberries, italian plums, peaches, apples and spinach.  Here is my modified recipe:

Antioxidant Fig Smoothies

1 white nectarine, pitted
4 fresh black mission figs, stems removed
3 italian plums, pitted (or 1 large regular plum)
1 small container red raspberries (1-2 cups)
1 small container blueberries (1-2 cups)
Rainbow chard, rinsed and torn with middle stem and stalk removed
2 cups water

Place the fruit in a high powered blender.  Add as much chard as will fit in the blender and pour water over the top.  Blend until completely smooth and creamy.

My Notes:

Using chard gives this smoothie a distinctly 'greenie" taste.  I've read recently that spinach (especially baby spinach) is far milder and blends in with other flavors better.  However, I have an abundance of rainbow chard in my garden that I'm trying to eat before the cool nights do it in.  I also don't mind the flavor of chard or greens of any type in my smoothie.  If you do, I would suggest trying spinach, specifically baby spinach, first.

Also, you may need to blend this for 5 minutes or longer, depending on how much power your blender has.  You'll know it's ready when you can no longer see bits of green swirling around in the blender.  I turn my blender on and then go about cleaning up.  I've made the mistake of not blending greens long enough and it's not a pleasant drink.

I make this the night before and chill it in the fridge overnight to enjoy in the morning and throughout the day. 

Results:

I will attempt to get the boys to drink this today and will update their opinions later.

Personally, I loved it and am thinking about going to get another pint of figs to freeze so I can enjoy this later in fall!  It has a rich, deep flavor and texture somewhat like prune juice.

Comments

[Amy]

I seem to be seeing figs everywhere these days. The smoothie looks great. I enjoy mine to be really cold. Have you used frozen fruit or ice in it?

[Jennifer]

Actually, Ali from WLNK sugggests using frozen berries and plums. However, I can never get my act together enough to actually freeze the fruit ahead of time. I will often just put the container in the freezer for 20-30 minutes ahead of when I want to enjoy some.

If I had been smart, I would have frozen blueberries back when I could get 4 or 5 filled to the brim pints for under 5.00, total. Alas, I did not and now they are almost 5 dollars for like a quarter of a pint. Way too expensive for a daily smoothie right now.

I think figs are a late summer/early fall tree crop... so that might be why you are seeing more things on them around this time.

I made this smoothie again this morning with raspberries, nectarines, italian plums, figs, curly mustard greens and added 1 honeycrisp apple. I like this one even better. The addition of the super sweet apple is a good plus... The smoothie was far sweeter and less tangy. Though --- the color is not quite so pleasing! :)