There are two ways to celebrate winter in the kitchen - with color and with spices. You can, of course, use both in one recipe, but before you start adding spices, evaluate your ingredients. Some winter fruits are full of flavor and do not necessarily call for "enhancement."
This is how I felt about this smoothie. Cranberries, persimmons and pomegranates complement each other wonderfully in this recipe and do not need any spices. I used fresh, grade B cranberries. They were somewhat sweet and not too tart. To sweeten this smoothie I used a very ripe banana. You may want to add sweetener of your choice, but I suggest you try this smoothie just the way it is, before you add anything else to it.
As a liquid base for this wonderful smoothie I used freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. There are many ways to make the juice, some are messier than others. My preferred way is the "counter-top" method: Wash the pomegranate and roll it over and over on the counter-top until you feel the skin soften under your hands. Gently pierce the fruit with a sharp knife. Squeeze the fruit over a bowl and allow the juice to flow. When you notice that no more juice is flowing from the hole, pierce another one on the other side of the fruit. Squeeze again until no more juice is flowing. Continue the process until you are certain you squeezed all the goodness out of the fruit. This may be a bit messy so make sure that you are not wearing your Sunday best clothing.
Consider that making the pomegranate juice takes a little time so do not plan to make this smoothie if you are in a hurry for work. Also, do not cut corners! Do not get tempted to use a ready-made pomegranate juice like POM. Freshly squeezed juice is not only raw, but also pure and naturally sweet. If you wish to use a substitute, use coconut water or a freshly pressed orange juice, but never, never opt for a commercially produced juice, no matter how good they promise you it is going to be.
As a liquid base for this wonderful smoothie I used freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. There are many ways to make the juice, some are messier than others. My preferred way is the "counter-top" method: Wash the pomegranate and roll it over and over on the counter-top until you feel the skin soften under your hands. Gently pierce the fruit with a sharp knife. Squeeze the fruit over a bowl and allow the juice to flow. When you notice that no more juice is flowing from the hole, pierce another one on the other side of the fruit. Squeeze again until no more juice is flowing. Continue the process until you are certain you squeezed all the goodness out of the fruit. This may be a bit messy so make sure that you are not wearing your Sunday best clothing.
Consider that making the pomegranate juice takes a little time so do not plan to make this smoothie if you are in a hurry for work. Also, do not cut corners! Do not get tempted to use a ready-made pomegranate juice like POM. Freshly squeezed juice is not only raw, but also pure and naturally sweet. If you wish to use a substitute, use coconut water or a freshly pressed orange juice, but never, never opt for a commercially produced juice, no matter how good they promise you it is going to be.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 ripe persimmon
- freshly squeezed juice of 1 large pomegranate (about 1 cup)
- 1 ripe banana
- pinch pink Himalaya salt
- 1 tsp grape seed oil
- 2-3 ice cubes (optional)
Method:
- Wash cranberries and throw them into blender.
- Wash persimmon and cut off the top. Cut the fruit into quarters and throw into blender.
- Peel the banana and break into manageable chunks. Throw into blender.
- Add the pomegranate juice, salt and grape seed oil. Add ice cubes if you wish and whiz until smooth.
- Pour into glasses and enjoy in good company!
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique