A seasonal easy and healthy Cranberry Cucumber Smoothie recipe loaded with antioxidants and Vitamin C. This smoothie also features tamarind which is good for diabetes and helps to assist in weight loss.
At this time of the year, the virtual food world is swamped with rich comforty holiday recipes. With no doubt, they are a feast for the eyes as we collect and save pin them for later. My participation in the Virtual Vegan Potluck this year has brought an avalanche of mouthwatering recipes in my repertoire of recipes-to-try, each one more festive and scrumptious than the other! Vegan recipes have come a long way and I could not be more rejoiced to drool on such healthy delish from my screen until I go on and attempt them.
Vegan or not, however, it is probably the time of the year where a lot of us do go a little out of our usual ways and munch on a few extras. At least for my part, that is true. For me, the holidays had already started as soon as we hit December this year! And to combat the sluggishness from the little extra indulgences, winter or not, smoothies are the saviour! Indeed, no need to wait until January to jump into detox mode.
With the array of citrussy fruits available during the colder months, it’s a shame not to make the most of them. I have been buying pomegranates and cranberries like crazy this year. Apart from making cranberry sauce, I have found these tangy berries to be an excellent ingredient for smoothies. Not only are they rich in antioxidants and vitamin C but they are also excellent for infections of the urinary tract.
This smoothie also features tamarind which is good for diabetes and helps to assist in weight loss (if that is your goal) while mint leaves boost its cleansing properties. This tangy winter smoothie may not keep the chilly days at bay but it will sure mightily help to brave it!
Cranberry Cucumber Detox Smoothie
(Serves 1-2)
1/3 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries
1/2 cucumber, peeled (if desired)
10 dates (yes, this is a high-energy low-gi smoothie!)
1 ripe pear
Juice from 1 orange
5 – 6 mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp (+ half cup of water to remove the seeds)
Water as required to adjust consistency
- Dilute the tamarind paste in 1/2 cup of water. Smoosh it between your fingers to remove the seeds. Strain the seeds.Β (Watch this video where I show how to do this process).
- Then add all ingredients to a blender including the tamarind water. Add some water and blend until smooth.
- Pour in a tall glass and drink up!
Cranberry Cucumber Detox Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup cranberries, (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled (if desired)
- 10 dates, (yes, this is a high-energy low-gi smoothie!)
- 1 ripe pear
- Juice from 1 orange
- 5 - 6 mint leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp
- 120 ml water, [1/2 cup] to remove the tamarind seeds
- Water, as required to adjust consistency
Instructions
- Dilute the tamarind paste in 1/2 cup of water. Smoosh it between your fingers to remove the seeds. Strain the seeds. (see notes for a link to a video tutorial on how to remove the seeds from tamarind paste).
- Add all ingredients to a blender including the tamarind water. Add some water and blend until smooth.
- Pour in a tall glass and drink up!
Such a festive and healthy smoothie! It looks so refreshing with the cranberries and all. I've got a few pomegranates rolling around the kitchen counter, do you think those would work in place of the cranberries?
Yes pomegranates will be great too. You may not need as many dates then because they are less tart than cranberries. For pomegranates, I usually blend them first then strain them to remove the grit (unless you have a power blender that will really blend them fine). Then I add the juice to the rest of the ingredients.
Cool, thanks! I was wondering how you dealt with the hard part of the pomegranate seeds. π
I love how refreshing cucumber is in smoothies, this looks like a dream breakfast on the go π
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
What a lovely combination! I love that you used tamarind pulp for the tangy and sweet flavors!