Smooth Move: Turning Your Neighborhood Produce into Succulent Smoothies

Kipp Whittaker | Jun 19, 2016 8:30 am | Add a comment | 1353 reads

Blending or juicing is a subject of contention amongst yoga moms and other health freaks the world over, so we’re not even going to get into this here. What we can say though is that blenders are more accessible than juicers and we just so happen to be blessed by living in a city with produce markets on every corner.

Blending is a great way to consume a greater variety of fruits and veggies than you may otherwise eat, making smoothies a uniquely versatile method for nutrition intake. You can do greens, fruits, nuts, seeds, superfoods, protein supplements, herbs, spices ... really anything. Your imagination is the only limit. Though we advise you to keep household pets out of this proclamation, there is so much just sitting in your kitchen that you can use to create a satisfying blend of nutrient heavy mush. Think of these recipes less as strict guidelines and more as simple prompts to get you started. So get ready and power up those high-speed blenders for a couple of smoothie ideas made with locally sourced ingredients found within a stones throw of many apartments in this city.

Lulu Chengzi
This magnificent creamy combo of bananas, Lulu almond milk, orange juice, and ginger is kind of like walking down a hutong ally and picking out a handful of nourishment from each hawker. If you think that eating each item individually would be a little cumbersome, why not just throw it all in the blender and thrash away. The result is a clean and wholesome meal replacer, that’s not only simple to make, but delicious with its combination of easy to find Chinese ingredients like goji berries, ginger, and a short list of other items from the tropics. This will act as a great refreshing drink once the oppressive heat of summer is in full force.

Ingredients:

240ml almond milk
2 bananas
2 medium oranges juiced, plus some zest
30ml goji berries
Fresh ginger
Ice (optional)

Strawberry Coconut Thrash
This recipe was made using common sense. Strawberries have been in abundance as of late, and there is nothing in the world that gives a smoothie that mouthwatering pink color better than a handful of these sweeties. Pack them into your trusty blender and watch them collide with bananas, coconut, vanilla extract, and ice for a satisfying summertreat. Why not add a couple of pinches of shredded coconut to the top to make it even more photo worthy. Be the envy of your friends by WeChat-ing your photos of this creation, so that your viewing public are aware of your skills with a blender, and demonstrating value to prospective mates living in this urban jungle.

Ingredients:

240ml coconut milk
1 ripe banana
320g frozen strawberries
42g unsweetened shredded coconut
2.5ml vanilla extract
Ice (optional)

Mandarin Dream
Not just a clever name, all of these dreamy ingredients can be found on the cheap at multiple locations near you. In a way, this is our attempt at recreating an Orange Julius but without the artificial sweetener, dairy milk, and powdered egg whites. Just a hearty dose of sustenance that’s effortlessly combined in this hearty liquid. Unlike juice bars, this won’t cost you a bunch of cash and will pack the same amount of the good stuff, if not more. We recommend listening to Tangerine Dream while you sit back enjoy the blended fruits of your labor.

Ingredients:

240ml coconut milk
1 banana
4 mandarin oranges, peeled
42g cashews
Ice (optional)

Banana Mianbao Che
While it didn’t look like one of those appetizing blends you might find poolside at the Coco Cabana, this tall cool glass of brown surprisingly tasted like liquified banana bread. Start out by soaking 160g of walnuts in filtered water for four hours. Once softened blend for three minutes on high with one liter of water. Add the rest of the ingredients to 480ml of this homemade almond milk, but hold the chocolate which you can flash blend to taste at the end.

Ingredients: