Good for all that ails you, this smoothie is packed with vitamin C and the healing properties of turmeric. I guarantee it does not taste like curry in a glass. The turmeric also adds a little something something, that's hard to put your finger on but is really rather delicious.
Turmeric has been used in ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. It has numerous health benefits - it's a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, as well as having natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. It's even thought to help prevent dementia and cancer (find out more here). Kind of perfect for this time of year in New Zealand, I'd say. It seems like almost everyone I know is sick with colds or flu at the moment.
This gorgeous golden smoothie is an easy way to get more turmeric into your life, without having to eat buckets of curry. I've used fresh turmeric root, which is inexpensive and easily available from Asian grocers.
You can also used ground turmeric. Be careful handling either fresh or ground turmeric, it really stains and will have yellow marks on your pale coloured benchtop if you're not careful.
Coconut milk, pineapple, orange and banana bring the tropics (and the vitamin C) to you, even if your day actually looks like this.
Go on and try it, this makes a really delicious change if you're stuck in a green smoothie rut. Go golden.
For those interested in my mental state as relates to smoothie making, I have to report that I've upgraded my blender - and instantly improved my life by approximately 367 per cent. It's a kitchen love affair with my high speed Optimum 9400 (no, I'm not paid to say so). So worth it, and so much easier to justify than some of its considerably more expensive competitors. I haven't found anything it can't do yet.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup fresh pineapple chopped, approximate
- 1 banana
- 1 orange or 2 small (skin removed)
- ½ cup coconut milk or one of those cute baby tins
- Small thumb sized piece of fresh turmeric peeled (or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add everything to your blender, blend until smooth, and enjoy. You know the drill here.
- If you don't have a high speed blender, then i'd recommend finely grating the turmeric first otherwise you'll end up with little chunky bits in your smoothie.
- I don't like smoothies that give me brain freeze, especially first thing in the morning, but if you like it that way then you could freeze your pineapple and banana first.
