Servings: 2moderate srevings or one huge one (makes 1 quart).
Ingredients
2cupsCashew Almond Milk (below)
2cupspacked kale leaves
1cupfrozen pear chunks
1cupfrozen table grapes
1small banana (4 ounces in the peel)
Cashew Almond Milk
1cupwhole "raw" cashews
1cupwhole raw almonds
water, as needed (preferably filtered)
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a blender in the order listed. Blend until very smooth, around 3 minutes, beginning on low and slowly increasing the speed to high. Serve immediately.
Cashew Almond Milk
Combine the cashews and almonds in a 1-quart jar and fill the jar with water. Let soak 8-24 hours. Drain the nuts and rinse them well, then add them to the blender with 4 cups of water. Blend on high until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a nut milk bag and into a large bowl, squeezing the dickens out of the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. (Reserve the nut pulp for making brownies!) Add the remaining 6 cups of water to the nut milk (or add less water for a richer nut milk). The nut milk will keep, refrigerated, for up to 4 or 5 days.
Notes
A recipe with as few ingredients as this one is all about quality. I make this smoothie with ripe grapes and pears that I process and freeze myself, which allows me to use local, peak-of-season produce that I know will be sweet and flavorful.I like to make my own nut milk as it is heads and tails above the shelf-stable stuff. (Update: I tried this with shelf-stable coconut milk, and I did not like the result).I like just enough banana to make it sweet and creamy, but not take over (1 small one per two servings).If raw kale isn't your thing, you can wilt it easily by placing it in a strainer and slowly pouring 3 cups of boiling water over it. Rinse it with cool water and squeeze it dry.Jay and I usually share the quantity below, but I'm always happy to get the whole thing to myself on the rare occasions that he's away during breakfast time.Nutritional values are based on one of two smoothies.