We love quick and easy breakfast recipes and nothing is faster – or healthier! – than tossing a few nutrient-rich ingredients into a blender and giving it all a whirl. Many smoothies contain yogurt, but these recipes are dairy free and use only fruits, vegetables and herbs. To celebrate its seventh annual Low Carbon Diet Day last week, chefs at food services company and sustainability pioneer Bon Appetit Management Company created these recipes that are not only delicious and easy to make, but earth-friendly as well!
Raspberry, Pear, and Mint Smoothie (shown above)
By Jim Dodge, Bon Appétit Management Company Director of Specialty Culinary Programs
A ripe, pureed pear offers a thickening texture and a mildly sweet flavor that makes it an easy replacement for yogurt or milk in a smoothie. Yields one 8-ounce serving.
1/2 cup ripe Bartlett pear, diced (about ½ inch chunks)
1/4 cup frozen raspberries (or frozen strawberries)
3 medium mint leaves
1 tablespoon sugar or sweetener of your choice, or to taste
3-4 ice cubes
Combine in a blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with a mint leaf if desired.
Ginger, Apple, and Spinach Smoothie
An apple offers a thickening texture and a mildly sweet flavor that makes it an easy replacement for yogurt or milk in a smoothie, while the ginger adds zing. Yields one 8-ounce serving.
1/2 apple, washed, peeled, and cored
1/2 cup fresh baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3-4 ice cubes
Combine in a blender and blend until smooth.
Photos by Bart Nagel Photography
