Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Ruby Smoothie Du Jour - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 12


Ruby Smoothie

The moment I made this smoothie for breakfast this morning, I just knew I had to share it here as today's post.

This is the second smoothie recipe I'm sharing here in the raw food theme I have going on for Vegan MoFo this time. The first was a regular old Healthy Green Smoothie. Today, I didn't have any greens at home, so I decided to put some veggies in there with the fruits. And I am soooo happy I did that.

Ruby Smoothie

The beetroot gives it such a gorgeous colour! Red is the colour of vitality, and as I sipped on this smoothie, I could feel the positive, healing energy of the red coursing through my system. :)

My friend Angela at Canned-Time is doing a red theme throughout this MoFo. I'm sure she'll be very happy when she sees these smoothie photos. :D

As with all smoothies, this is a highly flexible recipe. You can switch the ingredients around and add in whatever you have on hand.

Ruby Smoothie

If you have a high speed blender, you can roughly shop the veggies and pop them in. If not, then grate the veggies before grinding them to get the best results.

Ruby Smoothie
Serves 2-3 people

3 medium, ripe Bananas
1 ripe Guava
1 small Beetroot
1 small Radish
1/2 C Almonds
1 T Flax Seeds
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1-2 T Lime juice
pinch of Pachha Karpura (Edible Camphor)
pinch of Salt
1 C clean, filtered Water
Agave Nectar - optional ingredient for sweetening

* Wash and scrub the beets and radish well (don't peel them)
* Roughly chop them and add to a large blender jar
* Add cubed guava and peeled and cubed bananas
* Add all the remaining ingredients
* Grind well
* Mix, add a some water and blend
* Add the remaining water and blend well to get a creamy smoothie
* Pour into large mugs and add some ice cubes if you like
* Sip and enjoy! :)

Ruby Smoothie

A word about high speed blenders. I'm a firm believer in the strength and superiority of our old Indian mixer-grinder brands. It makes sense that at least a few awesome mixies come from a country where chutney, idli batter and masalas are ground on a regular basis.

We own an Elgi Ultra Choice+ that we got a couple of months ago and it has made a very significant impact on the amount I grind/blend now. It runs on a powerful 1000W motor and has some neat features that I'm very happy with. If you live in India and are looking to upgrade the mixie at your home, I highly recommend this one.

I have also heard good things about the Preethi brand. Though most of their mixer-grinders have only 750W motors, they have a commercial mixie called Xpro, that runs on 1300W. Preethi is more easily available throughout India and also in many other parts of the world (with country specific power features).

There are many other good Indian mixie brands but I had to mention the two above because they're the most powerful ones. Give them a try before you import a Vitamix, Blendtec or other expensive, fancy blenders. ;)

24 comments:

  1. I have a high speed blender, but that's such a good idea about grating hard vegetables first for people who don't. I like workarounds like that since for so many years I had an ordinary blender that simply couldn't stand up to the kinds of recipes I wanted to make with it.

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    1. Yeah, regular blender people deserve delicious smoothies too. :)

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  2. wait a spoon isn't a high speed blender is it? What a gorgeous array of hues and fascinating ingredients.

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  3. Loving the neon pink color you got from the beets. Beautiful!

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  4. Beautiful colour and interesting mix of ingredients - I also appreciate your advice on high speed blenders because I am sure that applies in many countries - I have wondered about getting some that are not vitamix and your advice makes me feel I am on the right track

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    Replies
    1. Johanna, when you get one, do let me know which brand you went for and how you like it.

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  5. What a lovely pink! Must get me one of those high speed blenders to make this! Thanks for the information!

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    1. You're welcome, Rithika. :) Do let me know which one you finally get.

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  6. What a gorgeous pink smoothie!!! I can't believe you have fresh guava for the smoothie ;( that sounds beyond amazing.

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    1. Thanks Rika. :) Yep Guavas are in season right now so we're getting lots of them right now. It's nice to be able to use local fruits in recipes.

      When you come here, I'll buy you some guavas. :)

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  7. How did I miss this?! It's gorgeous and loaded with goodness!

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  8. How did I miss this?! It's gorgeous and loaded with goodness!

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  9. Hi, loving your blog...keep it coming :)

    Wanted to check with you, if you happen to know where I can get one of these Elgi Utra mixer grinders in Bangalore ?

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  10. Hi, love your blog...keep it coming :)

    Wanted to check with you, if you happen to know where I can get this Elgi Ultra mixer in Bangalore?

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Prasanna. :)

      We got ours from Chennai but you could ask any home appliances store here in Bangalore and they should be able to source it for you.

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  11. Hi Susmitha
    I need a mixer-grinder (blender) that can pulp/juice raw vegetables such as carrots and beets. (similar to how a Vitamix does it, i.e without seperating out the fiber,)
    I also need to grind batter for idli/dosa

    I am trying to choose between these:
    Preethi Xpro or Elgi Ultra Choice+

    Which would you recommend?

    My criterion is to get a machine with a powerful motor, iw thoughtfully designed, and is easy to clean

    Since you have the choice+ I have a few questions
    1. How easy is to clean?
    2. Is the juicing/pulping/blending operation hassle free? I.e can you just leoad the mixer and leave it, or do you have to keep manually stirring the contents in teh jar at frequent intervals?
    3. Are the mixer blades fixed or detachable from the jar.
    4. You mentioned some that this mixer has some other features as well, in your blog. What are these features? Could you elaborate a bit?

    Regards
    vivek


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    1. Hi Vivek,

      1. The Elgi is really easy to clean. You just need to make sure you clean it immediately after use and it'll be just fine.
      2. The frequency of stirring would depend on on how much you load and the liquid content. It has been pretty hassle free for me with the juicing/blending but with nut butters I've seen more breaks are required.
      3. They are detachable but not easily by hand since they fit quite tightly.
      4. The jars are square with curved edges and that makes for better flow wile grinding. The blades are not sharp, they're cut in a particular shape so that the food is broken down by the force of getting hit rather than getting chopped. So you'll never have to worry about blades getting blunt and grind even hard stuff. The grinding speed is variable, that's a very handy feature.

      You should just read up on their product page for more details: http://www.elgiultra.com/website/product_detail.php?id=16&name=Mixer%20Grinders

      Good luck with buying your grinder. :)

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    2. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, I am really grateful for your advice. Will let you know which one works out for me.
      Ps: Great blog, I am planning to try some of your recipes as soon as I get my hands on the mixie !!

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