Wicked

You know the witch's face on the Wicked Broadway show poster?  That's pretty much the color of the green smoothie I made recently.  Was it wicked?  Why, no, it was rather good in fact.

Having heard some buzz about green smoothies this summer I decided to try one myself.  I made my usual smoothie of a frozen banana, a handful of strawberries, a container of yogurt (any random flavor), and some OJ and then added some nice, freshly washed Swiss chard from the organic farm.

I took my  first taste with trepidation - no different than normal!  But I actually WANTED it to taste "green", so I kept adding chard until I could taste it.  I probably added about a cup of chard in all:   result?  a sweet and creamy smoothie but with a a distinctly fresh, vegetal undertone, and yes, the color of Elphaba's face.

Green smoothies?  Easy and nutritious.  You can get a serving of green leafy vegetables without resorting to cooking at all.

It was in this spirit of experimentation that I picked up the Everything Green Smoothies Book, by Britt Brandon.  Now here was an entire book devoted to green smoothies using either romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, or kale, plus all kinds of other diverse ingredients.  Not sure how they would taste, but I was willing to try.

Here's a recipe I tried for a smoothie inspired by the Everything Green Smoothies Book, but this one didn't actually turn out to be that beautiful witchy green -

Chocolaty Dream
1 frozen banana
1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup packed spring mix looseleaf lettuce
1 teaspoon sugar or sugar substitute

Blend until smooth.

Interesting, the color of a dark chocolate milkshake with little green bits in it.  First taste, not bad, but I actually liked it better the more I drank it.  And afterward?  I was full for a long time, but in a good, healthy-feeling way.  Cocoa powder has all those good antioxidants in it plus fiber, so it's actually good for you, whereas a dark chocolate bar is less so. Chocolate without the guilt!

I think you can pretty much interchange any of the green leafy veg from this book, and also substitute most any dairy product for another, so this book is more of a guideline than anything else.  But I am going to branch out and try some of the other combinations from this book, maybe one with fresh spinach?

Now I just hope I don't turn green...

Diane Whitman
Reference Librarian
Sometime Healthy Eater
Broadway Musical Enthusiast