Cherry Ginger Smoothie
Cherry Ginger Smoothie- This vibrant smoothie is an antioxidant rich, quick, simple, and delicious way to kick off your morning!
August 2, 2021 by Nicole Collins
Summertime...
We all know I'm living my best life right now.
Warm weather. Bright shining sun. The best produce we'll see all year. These are just a few of the reasons I truly thrive this time of year.
Cherries are one of those fruits that are at their absolute peak this time of year. However, I feel like every year I forget how much of an absolute pain in the tush they are.
I wanted some cherries at the very last minute the other day. And I was planning to make a quick grocery run. But then, I decided that I wanted something that I can only get from Amazon Fresh. So, I ended up doing my whole “quick run” through the delivery app.
Here's the problem with that...I only wanted a handful of cherries. But, my only option was to order 2 lbs or nothing. And let me tell you, I haven't whined as much as I did pitting those 2 lbs of cherries in a long, long time.
I asked the question on Instagram the other day if cherries are really worth all the trouble. The final vote came in at 69% yes; and honestly, I thought I was just being dramatic and it would be more of an overwhelming yes. But it turns out, my insta fam hates the crime scene left behind after dealing with cherries as much as I do.
After my whining and complaining, I did finish pitting all of those cherries. And, most of them went into my fruit bag in the freezer. And, that means that I can make today's recipe on repeat, which makes the whole ordeal worth it.
So today, we're making Cherry Ginger Smoothies!
This smoothie is super easy to whip up thanks to a shortcut ingredient. And, it's bursting at the seams with sweet and spicy delicious flavor!
Let's start with the cherries. We want to use sweet, dark cherries for the recipe. This is a breakfast smoothie, after all, so sour is not what we're going for here. You can buy frozen cherries all ready to go for you in the freezer section of the grocery store; or you can do like I did and buy a couple pounds of cherries when they're in season, prep them, and keep them in the freezer for when you're ready to make this smoothie. Either way, the natural sweetness of the cherries will depend on how much additional sweetener you need in this smoothie.
The ginger part of our smoothie is where we're going to cheat a little bit. Instead of using freshly grated ginger root, we're going to use ginger paste. Ginger paste is something that you can typically find with the herbs in the produce section of the grocery store. It's a shortcut ingredient that allows us to have that fresh ginger flavor without the added work of peeling and grating fresh ginger. Now, ginger paste is not just pure ginger. There is usually some olive oil and salt mixed in, as well. But those extra ingredients, though not overwhelming at all, work perfectly in this smoothie; because a little touch of salt always helps to accentuate the natural sweetness of an ingredient. Ginger paste is great, because it keeps in the fridge for about a month after you open it. But if you prefer, you can always take the longer route and grate some fresh ginger yourself for this smoothie.
For our liquid component, I like to use light coconut milk. If I don't have coconut milk on hand, unsweetened vanilla almond milk also works in this smoothie. But I prefer the coconut milk, because it's a little creamier which gives the smoothie a silkier finish.
The last couple of ingredients in our smoothie is frozen banana, agave syrup, and chia seeds. The frozen banana is a pretty standard base to most smoothies. It adds nice sweetness and extra body to our drink. Agave syrup is a nice, light, natural sweetener. It's my absolute favorite to add to smoothies, because it doesn't have any flavor other than sweet; so a little goes a long way Finally, the chia seeds are there to help boost the protein levels of this smoothie which will help keep our tummies full until lunch time.
Once we have all of our components in the blender, we hit the button, and we're all done! And, the final result is a sweet, spicy, antioxidant rich drink which will have us feeling on top of the world from the inside out.
Those cherries add a little sweet and a little tang to the party. The ginger adds a subtle sweet spiciness which really helps to wake up our taste buds. And that banana and coconut milk makes the whole situation feel rich and creamy despite actually being light and healthy!
At the end of the day, it doesn't get much better than fresh, seasonal produce. I guess I have to admit that the time spent prepping the fruit is totally justified thanks to deliciousness we get as a reward.
Alright, everyone. I hope you enjoy this delicious smoothie as much as I do.
Enjoy, and let's drink!
Cherry Ginger Smoothie
Serves: 1 Print
Ingredients:
½ of a very ripe banana, cut and frozen
1 cup frozen sweet cherries
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tbsp chia seeds
½ -1 tbsp agave syrup
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary. Serve immediately.
Recipe notes:
*I keep a bag of frozen bananas in my freezer at all times for smoothies. When the bananas are very ripe (more black on the skin than yellow), peel and chop them into quarters. Space them out individually on a plate or or tray, and place them in the freezer. After a few hours when they're completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag until ready to use. Freezing them separately keeps them from clumping together in the bag and being frozen with an undetachable buddy. I'll do the same with any fruit when it's in season, and I have an abundance.
*You could replace the coconut milk with unsweetened almond milk.
*You can find ginger paste near the fresh herbs in the produce section of the grocery store. You could also substitute fresh grated ginger.
