WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Rich and subtly sweet, avocado is a natural choice for blending into smoothies. This feel-good “green” power smoothie, with kale, avocado, pineapple, and banana, tastes great while also making you feel virtuous. And it’s filling enough to call it breakfast. We turned to a surprising source for protein for this smoothie: hemp seed hearts. They packed a nutritional punch, and their neutral flavor didn’t overwhelm the produce in the drink. In fact, hemp seed hearts can handle just about any smoothie flavor combination you throw at them. The hulled center of the hemp seed, a soft, almost waxy nugget, blended beautifully into our drink, leaving just a trace of pleasantly grassy, sweet flavor. You can use 2 tablespoons almond butter or ¼ cup wheat germ instead, if you prefer. Do not use frozen chopped kale for this recipe.
Serves 2
TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup baby kale
- 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 cup water
- 1 ripe banana, peeled and halved lengthwise
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ ripe avocado, cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons hemp seed hearts
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients in a blender.
- Process on low speed until mixture is combined but still coarse in texture, about 10 seconds.
- Increase speed to high and puree until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Serve.
