Green Smoothies

How did I not know about green smoothies 'til now? I'm the smoothie queen - whippin' up all sorts of wicked concoctions - yet it never occurred to me to add greens.

Basically, take any smoothie recipe you like, add a couple handfuls of chopped greens, and blend well. I made a green smoothie yesterday with spinach (yum) and another with arugula (never again) and romaine. Even though I added a negligible amount of arugula, the peppery taste permeated the smoothie - too much for my liking. This morning's smoothie was stellar though:

• 1/2 C water
• 1/2 C coconut water
• 1/2 of a lime, juiced
• 1 medium banana
• frozen pineapple chunks (maybe 1/3 C)
• 1/4 of a papaya
• 1 T cilantro leaves, packed
• 1/2 T ground flax
• 1 t chopped ginger
• 2 handfuls of chopped greens (kale, mustard greens and collards)

Except for the arugula fiasco, you cannot taste the greens over the fruit. I did notice the cilantro in this morning's smoothie, but I wanted to. It was a lovely, subtle flavor that complimented the tropical fruits beautifully.