The ultimate guide to this Summer’s hottest smoothies

The popularity of smoothies is growing throughout the world and these rich, thick drinks have already splashed their way into local cuisine lingo as people start dropping in at the nearest cafe or take-away joint to order a satisfying smoothie rather than a regular juice or cup of coffee.

Anything goes

A smoothie can be fruity, chocolatey, coffee-based, even savoury. And you really don’t have to stick to a recipe; simply throw together whatever fruit or vegetable you like, add a liquid (milk, soy milk, fruit juice or a herb supplement) and a frozen ingredient like ice cubes, frozen yoghurt or sorbet, and whiz it up.

Make it smoooooooth

Although a normal food blender is perfectly good for preparing smoothies, some brands of electric appliances nowadays sell proper smoothie machines that makes the job easier and quicker. The end result is usually a lot smoother, seeing that the measuring cup have indicators up to where you should fill the container with liquids, fruit and frozen ingredients.

Some people might expect a boost of a different kind from their smoothies: If you aren’t that much of a fruit junkie, you can always mix together different combinations of strong brewed coffee, espresso, milk, vanilla yogurt, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, cream and honey. Delicious!

Anytime treat

Smoothies are to be enjoyed around the clock and are wonderful alternatives for on-the-go meals, snacks, refreshments and dessert. And, as we said, a smoothie doesn’t have to be sweet. Try making a savoury smoothie by blending cucumbers, tomatoes, celery stalks, spinach, onion, Tobasco sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Party starter: Pineapple Coconut Refresher
Blend together:
1 can of pineapple chunks (in juice)
250ml pineapple juice
1 cup of coconut milk
60 ml Malibu
6 small scoops of vanilla ice cream.

The result? One hectic party with a Caribbean vibe!

And a spoonful of smoothie might just be the thing to make the medicine go down. Next time you can’t sleep, try soothing yourself with the following blend:

Feel-good smoothie
Blend together:
1 cup of chamomile tea (frozen into ice cubes)
2 sliced oranges (pips removed) 1 Tbs clear honey and 4 drops of Valerian root (optional). Blend it all together until the ingredients become slushy. Bottoms up and off to bed you go!
Or how about an early morning energy booster
Combine in a blender :
500ml freshly squeezed orange juice
4-6 pitted dates
2 frozen bananas, peeled, into three pieces
6 ice cubes, crushed, and blend until thick and creamy

Or try these simple smoothies that never fail to deliver:

Green Machine – inject your body with a healthy dose of micro-nutrients!