Raw Vegan Easter Bun Truffles

Happy Easter! If crossed buns are significant to you at Easter and you would like one but can't have them, try these instead. I won't deny I've made the regular Easter buns this weekend simply because I don't mind the odd indulgence. However, if you are doing your darndest to stay raw over Easter or you are gluten free, or just want a healthier option then these are for you. They are pretty close to tasting like regular buns if I do say so myself, and they are easy peasy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups ground almonds
2/3 cup chopped dried fruit (I used raisins, apricots, and dates)
1 tablespoon mixed spice
4 tablespoons apple juice (if desired, they are sweet enough for me without)
4 -6 tablespoons coconut oil
sliced almonds to decorate

Method
1. Stand coconut oil in warm (not hot) water until it liquefies
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and then add juice (if using).
3. Add the coconut oil a little at a time until the mixture sticks together like a biscuit (or cookie if you're in the northern hemisphere) dough. It will depend on the oil content of your ground almonds as to how much you will need, some have a higher oil content and won't be as dry.
4. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into the size balls you would like, mine were a level tablespoon amount. Push down slightly and put onto a tray.
5. To make the crosses using a sharp knife cut strips of the sliced almonds into one longer bit and two half  lengths and push the pieces gently into the top to form the cross.
6. Cover and leave in the fridge for the coconut oil to set the truffles. It won't take long.
7. Enjoy!

Raw Vegan Banana Ice Cream Cake

 

Ahh! It's that time of year again, November has been and gone, and while I am still going strong with my raw vegan endeavours its definitely time to think about Christmas. This year will at our house, and I've decided putting up pictures of snow and mistletoe and singing about reindeer and being white is ridiculous when its hot, hot, hot. So this year it's all about Australia. Even my mum, being a pom thought it stupid to be sitting down to a heavy English dinner with baked ham and turkey when all she could think about was a salad - but Dad can't do without. I do believe one year she cooked christmas lunch in her swimsuit it was so hot!

Anyway, to kick it off this year how about a raw vegan ice cream cake? It is such an easy dessert and nice and cool for a hot Christmas Day. It took me about 15 minutes to put together from start to finsish and I didn't have to use the oven.

Ingredients
Crust-
150gr raw macadamias
100gr soaked dried apricots (water reserved)
50gr dessicated coconut

Filling

5 large frozen bananas

1 1/2 cups mixed berries

1 vanilla bean scraped

meat of a young coconut (or 2/3 cup best quality coconut cream, but this is not raw)

Method

1.Using food processor, pulse macadamias and soaked apricots until coarse large crumbs

2.Add dessicated coconut and a little of the apricot soaking water to bind it together.

3.Press into the bottom of a cling wrap lined spring form or loose base tin (I used a 20cm loose base deep tin). The cling wrap allows you to get it out more easily, but I like to live on the edge ie I forgot until i was pouring the filling. If you have a really good non stick tin yo should be ok if you gently use a palette knife around the edge to get it started.

4. In food processor or blender, puree coconut meat, banana, and scraped vanilla bean. If you can't get a good quality vanilla bean don't use the artificial stuff, try and get the real vanilla paste instead. I didn't add any sweetener because my bananas were slightly overripe when I put them in the freezer and were sweet enough. You could add a little agave nectar but I don't think it needs it.

5. Pour half the mixture over the crust, gently sprinkle berries evenly over the top, and then pout the other half of the mixture over the berries. Tap the side of the tin gently and give a little shake to even out the top, and place in the freezer to set. Since I used frozen bananas to start with mine set in about an hour. 

6.Before serving leave out for 10 minutes on bench to soften slightly. If it is really hot put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes so it doesn't melt too fast. Top with cherries or other fruit of your choice.

You could use unfrozen bananas, just make sure they are really ripe so they are very sweet. when my bananas are getting a bit too ripe I put them in the freezer to use in smoothies, in their skin. To peel frozen, I top and tail, and cut in half before running a sharp knife down the side.

Rawmazingly Good

So I haven't been posting a lot of raw recipes, but mostly it is because this time around I decided to keep it simple. Last time I tried to improve my health by going raw I ate a lot of nuts and seeds, and although I felt really good afterwards, I felt there was too much dehydrating, sprouting...waiting basically! I  also felt that I didn't really need all that stuff. So this time, I've been following a mostly fruitarian approach. Whoa! I hear you say. Is that safe? Is that sane? How can you possibly be full? How can you possibly get all that you need? 

Well...

I read a LOT about nutrition first. Yes, you can get enough nutrients, and yes you can get enough protein, if you eat enough. At the moment I can't quite eat that much, but I am increasing day by day. Calorie for calorie spinach has more protein than meat. Who knew?!For anyone interested in this approach I highly suggest doing research first and checking with a nutritionist if you can't work it out. If you are very overweight or have lots of health problems definitely check with a professional. That being said, many doctors will not approve of the approach (my doctor doesn't approve of vegans let alone raw vegans).  

The first few days were hard. I cut out sugar, soymilk, and tea as well. I did have some nut based meals such as the raw chilli burritos, becasue I was so hungry, and this filled me up longer. I only ate some nuts a couple of times the following week. All the smells from people heating up their lunches were driving my cravings into overdrive for toast and pasta and such. I also had some pretty bad headaches and felt ridiculously tired. Had a few mood swings too poor husband! I tried to workout a couple of times but in hindsight this was a really bad idea because I was going through detox. I can't imagine what it would feel like for someone who eats a lot of meat and dairy, and processed or fast foods. It would be hell! I was lucky my symptoms weren't too bad and disappeared after two days. 

This week I have been having juices, smoothies, and fruits. I am absolutely craving more and more fruit. Breakfast has typically been fruit salad with all fresh fruits of course. Mango, pineapple, watermelon, rockmelon, mixed berries, passionfruit, and bananas. I might eat another banana mid morning, and lunch is usually a smoothie - three or four fruit varieties, and some greens. I have at least a litre, if not more, and another one or two pieces of fruit. I have more smoothie in the afternoon. My boss bought a juicer for our kitchen at work this week and we've made a couple of juices this week as well. Woot!

Dinner has been salads, lots of fresh tomato, cucumber, carrot, celery, capsicum, and avocado with greens. I did have gluten free cooked meals twice, quinoa and sweet potato soup with heaps of chilli, and corn pasta with a fresh vegetable sauce. I actually didn't feel like I needed to eat cooked meals, so perhaps by next week I won't bother with them at all. 

By the second week I am typically eating on average 16 serves of fruit a day, plus another 6 serves of vegetables. That is triple the recommended minimum, and I am eating more and more all the time as my body is adapting! I feel pretty great, and this week I powered through my workouts. I increased the resistance on the bike and wasn't really huffing like the guy next to me.

Weekends I eat more freely, but with interesting consequences. We had Chinese take away last weekend and I felt really awful through the night and the next day. A kiwi fruit smoothie fixed the problem - apparently they are really great for stomach upsets! I made pizza last night and feel a bit sluggish this morning, all I want is some fruit. My cooked cravings are just about gone, and although I will continue to eat some cooked foods I feel I don't really need to. 

And what about the weight? A weigh in last night and I've lost almost 5kg. I know this will mostly likely from fluid retention but I feel very hydrated as my skin is lots better, so therefore the excess fluid is no longer needed. It has actually been harder eating ENOUGH rather than cutting down. I am so full from all this great fruit and veg, so I have been tracking what I eat with my fitness pal so I make sure I'm getting enough calories. The Beloved noticed I was smaller which was nice because as with a lot of men he often puts his foot in it without intending to e.g. "it's ok sweetie, there are plenty of people fatter than you." LOL

It will be interesting to see what my next blood test shows, as I'm hoping the thyroxin will be absorbing better and maybe the dose can be reduced for once. That would be nice! I do believe this is something I can sustain long term. It isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle, which is so important if you want to stay healthy!

Sarah's Super Smoothie Juice

Someone I know has been a little under the weather this week. If I could make her a batch and delver it I would, but since I can't I'll post a recipe and hope some kind soul can make it for her :) This should give anyone's immune system a boost,  and most importantly, keep you hydrated to flush out the baddies. It contains Vitamins A, C, E potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium...just trust me, this is super juice. Because only the carrot and celery is juiced and everything else is pureed into a smoothie, the fibre slows the release of the sugars, and helps keep you full. And count the serves of fruit and veg in there! you got em all in a smoothie!

Makes about 2 litres of smoothie juice.
3 carrots juiced
2 large celery sticks juiced
1 cup watermelon pieces
1/2 cup dried apricots soaked
1 cup pineapple pieces
2 oranges
2 kiwi fruit, skinned and chopped


Soak apricots in water until soft - warm water for 15 minutes should be enough, you can chop up everything else while you wait.
Juice carrots and celery.
Put carrot and celery juice in blender with all other ingredients and blend until smooth.

Raw Vegan Kale Burritos with Mango Cucumber Salsa

This has to be one of my favourite raw meals simply because it's so tasty and easy to convert. There are lots of recipes for raw chilli, but this is mine.

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnuts soaked

1/2 cup pecans soaked

1 cup fine chopped button mushrooms

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes soaked

2 whole fresh tomatoes

1 shallot

1 small chilli

1 small clove garlic crushed

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

fresh coriander leaves

Method

Pulse soaked nuts in food processor for a coarse grind, and add to chopped mushrooms.

Put fresh tomato, soaked tomato, chilli, ground coriander, garlic, and paprika in food processor and puree. Add to nut mixture. Finely chop shallot and coriander leaves, and mix through. If it is too dry add a little water.

For the salsa, I julienned a cucumber, diced a mango, and added some coriander leaves.

I had mine in kale leaves, but you could also have them it in lettuce cups.

Raw Vegan Chocolate Strawberries

Mmmmmm....Just because I'm eating raw doesn't mean a lack of delicious treats. These beauties were dipped in a mixture of raw coconut oil, and cacao, and then put in the freezer for 15 minutes to set. Because it was so warm today I didn't need to sit the coconut oil in warm water to liquify - it took me a minute to mix 1/4 cup oil with a couple of spoonfuls of cacao powder and beat until smooth. If you like it sweet, you could add some agave, but I like bitter chocolate and it went well with the juicy strawberries. Think of all those antioxidants humming around my body!

Raw Vegan : The Real V8 Smoothie Juice

I really dislike V8 juice you get in a bottle. I remember my Nan trying to give it to me as a kid. I tried later on but basically it tastes not very fresh to me, and a bit chemically and too salty. I suppose it's because its reconstituted juice. Anyway, this tastes a thousand times better. I also only juiced the carrot and celery because I think its important to get fibre from the flesh of the other ingredients to fill you up and slow down the release of the sugars.

Ingredients

juice of 4 carrots

juice of 2 celery sticks (leaves reserved)

three roma tomatoes

1 whole cucumber

1/2 avocado

1/4 red capsicum

1 small garlic clove

1 small wedge red onion

1 small chilli

I juiced the carrots and celery, and then put that in the blender with the celery leaves and everything else. I didn't have to add any water, the juice took care of smoothing everything out. It was fairly spicy, so if you aren't good with chilli I would suggest 1/2 or omitting it and adding a dash of cayenne pepper.

So what else did I eat today? Breakfast was my favourite green smoothie - banana, orange, and baby spinach, about 750ml. Lunch was a watermelon, kiwi, celery juice and spinach smoothie, a bit under a litre. I probably drank about  a litre of water during the day as well....I forgot that when you first start a week of smoothies you pee lot because you get super hydrated and all the fluid retention is flushed out. I also forgot how hard it was last time  - when you work in a food business and do nothing but talk about food all day! and my office is opposite the kitchen, so I smell EVERYONE's morning tea toast and lunch. Yikes! But I think if I can get through the week I'll sort myself out and will have got past many of the cravings. Cravings weren't that bad today, the only thing I really missed was a cup of tea. The lack of tea probably explains the headache I got mid morning, but that subsided after lunch. I'll have a chamomile tea before bed probably, but that's allowed being caffeine free!

When I think of how many serves of fruit and veg I've had today, that makes me feel pretty amazing.

For anyone that's doing anything similar or following along I'd love to hear how you are going!

140 Pounds Plus 42 Mince Pies

You know that bit in Bridget Jones when she has Christmas with her Dad and she reports "Weight :140 pounds (plus 42 mince mince pies)..." I think after this last month I feel a bit like that -let all my good intentions out the window and ate and cooked  too much. Don't get me wrong, I love MoFo, but now I feel I need to have a really good detox. I won't tell you what I actually weigh - I won't even tell my husband and can barely look myself when I gingerly put a toe on the scales. With Christmas approaching there are so many yummy temptations out there, and I would like to get back on track a bit. Since it's spring and the weather is warmer (ha! snow anyone?) I feel it's time for a month of raw. And being World Vegan Month, what better way to celebrate than by eating as wholesome and nutritious as possible? So for 4 weeks, I will be eating only raw vegan. I know it is going to be hard the first week, I'll start craving all those bad comfort food carbs, but I know I'll feel a lot better by the end of it. So let's start with a week of juice and smoothies, call it a smoothie feast if you will!

I've been to the fruit shop and armed myself with an entire watermelon, plus an assortment of various fruits and vegetables I intend to juice or turn into a smoothie - the cupboard is rather bare of any treats and the Beloved will be under strict instructions to prevent me from caving and getting out dip and crackers. Although, truth be told, he probably wouldn't do this so I will have to rely on will power. Or if that doesn't work, I'll use my won't power. A fat picture on the fridge can also help any moment of weakness LOL.

In all seriousness, it's more about me eating properly, and hopefully eliminating foods that might be preventing me from absorbing some rather important medication. I don't believe in crash diets, living on water or any of that nonsense. I want nutrients that aren't in a pill! So, I'll be sharing my food journey, and any recipes I come up with along the way for a month of delicious raw food. 

Dairy Free Thickshake Style Smoothie

This may be boring to you, but after my run this afternoon I wanted something sweet but nutritious to replenish my energy. The Beloved was making himself a very non nutritious malt shake, and it made me feel like a thickshake.  I had some frozen bananas and strawberries in the freezer, so I whacked a banana and a handful of strawberries in the blender with 250ml water and scraped out a vanilla bean into it. A few bursts in the powermill and I had a nutritious thickshake without any sugar or dairy. The bananas  made it super creamy, so I'll be making more of these with other fruits to see how it goes. Yummy!

Rawmazing Race: Seaweed Salad in Tokyo

Tonight was actually Mr Sprout's turn to make dinner...but he was running late. So, I decided to get out the sundried wakame I bought on a whim last week, and make a seaweed salad. It's been a sea veg day, as I had nori wraps for lunch as well. Now, nori I understand and love, but I was a bit dubious about the dried dog poo looking things in the packet. I was also a little apprehensive about the texture and taste, but what the hey, I'll give anything vego a try! It is a superfood, containing numerous vitamins and minerals, including A, K, some B's, folate, calcium,and iron. It's also one of the highest vego sources of omega 3, so it was about time I tried it! It was super easy to soak the wakame in cold water while I chatted to Mrs Bean on the phone, it only took about 10 minutes (she busted me taking the photos, but I swear I was an active participant in the conversation!) and I chopped up some capsicum, celery, zucchini, spring onion, carrot, and avocado. I threw on some rice vinegar, tamari, sesame oil, and seeds...I didn't have any wasabi, but once it was thrown altogether it was pretty substantial, and surprisingly, tasted really good.Now that I've discovered the deliciousness of sea vegies, I'll probably eat more of them!

The Rawmazing Race: Raw No Fry in Shanghai

This was Tuesday night's dinner. I was cold, damp, missing the Beloved (he was a away for work), had a thumping headache from the detox process, and couldn't get the internet to work. I was SORELY tempted to give in, put the mushroom ragu from the freezer into the oven or alternatively eat something crumbed, battered and fried. Everyone I passed in Katoomba seemed to be drinking hot chocolate or eating hot chips. And everyone seemed to be eating lunch in the room joining my office and all I could smell was hot buttered toast, soup and the like. Did I mention we had a sales meeting and there was sampling of a new soup product? Nope, didn't have any - even though it was veg (and this is rare for tastings at work!)

Somehow, I didn't give in. I had a hot shower, drank a cup of fruit tea, and lit the fire. And then I made a no fry, and somehow curbed my cravings. I actually struggled eating all of it!

The ingredients were simple - baby bok choy, broccoli, carrot, capsicum, celery, cucumber, and cashews. The dressing was tamari, rice vinegar, chilli, coriander, and sesame oil. Once again, I didn't measure, just tasted as I went. I would like to make it again with some different veg combos.

And I wouldn't have minded being in Shanghai eating this and planning some tours of the city, visiting temples, and a boat ride down the river. Instead I was in my pj's on the couch trying to decide whether I wanted to ogle watch Hugh Jackman or Alexander Skaarsgard. The blondie won.

The Rawmazing Race: Raw Ratatouille in Nice

This was Monday night's dinner. How I wish I was actually in Nice eating this, sitting in a cafe and looking oh so chic and slim. Or perhaps I've wandered onto the set of 'Allo 'Allo and I'm in Nouvion being served by Rene Artois? (as long as it wasn't cabaret time and I had to stuff cheese in my ears so as not to hear Edith's off key warbling). Alas, the closest to being French I will get while eating this will be to sit in our Renault and to wear my beret. But don't let that stop you eating this, the fresh tomato  sauce is really tasty, and it is filling yet light. And so easy! I didn't measure, just tasted as I went. the classic ingredients are all here, just uncooked!

I used my mandolin to thinly slice eggplant, which I tossed in salt and olive oil and set aside in a colander for about 20 minutes while I did the rest. I chopped zucchini, capsicum, and diced tomato and onion, some basil and parsley, and tossed together. For the fresh tomato sauce I blended a couple of tomatoes, a sliver of fresh garlic, a slice of onion, salt and pepper, and some extra virgin olive oil. I rinsed the eggplant before tossing it in with everything else. It was even better for lunch the next day.

Bon appetit!

Zucchini & Tomato Salad in Creamy Dressing

In another attempt to eat raw food despite the temperature seeming more like autumn than summer, this was yesterday's dinner (and today's lunch).  It reminds me of potato salad when the zucchini is prepared this way. You could probably omit the tomato, and it would be a bit more like potato salad, but I like the tomato in it. I got about 6 servings out of this.

Ingredients

5 medium zuchhini, peeled and chopped into chunks

5 large tomatoes chopped into wedges

1 small onion, sliced very thinly (I used a mandolin)

chopped parsley and chives

For the Dressing

2 Tablespoons tahini

1/2 avocado

1/4 cup water

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

After chopping the salad ingredients, make the dressing. I put all the ingredients into a container and blended it with my bar mixer. Then I just poured over and tossed through. It's my favourite dressing, sometimes I jazz it up with a bit of lime zest or juice, you can even add a bit of chili to it!

Vegan MoFo: Raw Stuffed Capsicums

Nothing particularly exciting I know. But it was VERY filling!  The Kitchen Fairy and myself chomped on these not long ago and were surprised at how full we were afterwards. I got some lovely yellow capsicums, and stuffed them with finely chopped vegies like carrot, tomato, cucumber celery, and spring onion, and then I topped them with a sauce of cashews, sundried tomato and tahini. It was so yummy!  I think we'll be eating more of these over Summer.another easy peasy raw recipe to add to the list!

Vegan MoFo: Raw Vegan Sushi Rolls

The weather is warming up, I feel Summer coming! This means I want to eat lighter foods, and eat more raw vegan. The Beloved bought me a new raw food "uncook" book while he was in Perth last week, Raw Food Reawakening and I've been inspired again. So tonight I made sushi using cauliflower for "rice" with the usual fillings like carrot, cucumber, alfalfa, and avocado. I made a dressing with tamari, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar, but unfortunately forgot the pickled ginger - oh well.  It was pretty quick to put together, but a bit more messy than traditional sushi rolls. My little food processor definitely made light work of the cauliflower florets. They need to be eaten straight after you make them, in my experience they just sog too much to take in a lunchbox to work. But they are pretty filling, and just as tasty as the regular kind, without all the empty calories. 

Vegan MoFo: Liquid Breakfast - Beetroot, Carrot, Orange & Ginger Smoothie

I love smoothies for breakfast. It's the easiest way to hydrate and nourish your body. I got myself a book on juices with the aim to try a different one every day. The difference being, in the recipes only the juice is used, but I'm using the pulp as well, for the fibre and to slow down the absorption of all that fructose! So today it was beetroot, carrot, orange, and ginger. Wowee! I love fresh beetroot, and although the kitchen fairy (aka my sister Sally) wasn't so keen, I loved it. Not too sweet, and that ginger kick was just right. I used two medium beetroot, two large carrots, three oranges, and a thumb sized piece of ginger. I'll be buzzing around all morning....

Vegan MoFo: Raw Chocolate Tarts

For some reason, my sweet tooth quadruples while eating raw. Things I don't normally crave suddenly become a must have. I made these for dessert last week but haven't gotten around to posting them until now. They are rich and filling, and one is more than enough (well, for me anyway). I made the base with ground hazelnuts, soaked dates, and vanilla and refrigerated them in 5cm loose bottomed tart tins until firm. Then I whizzed some avocados with some agave syrup and raw cacao powder for the filling. They were dreamy, chocolate- mousse- like morsels served with perfect strawberries. And the filling is just as good for a no fail cupcake icing too, or just served on it's own as mousse. Definitely a keeper!

Raw Vegan Lemon and Fig Slice

I’ve been particularly good lately. Lots of raw vegan food to clean out the system, but craving the odd sweet thing (which is weird, cos although I love to bake, I don’t necessarily eat them). Anyhoo, I love lemon, and being the end of winter it's in season.I was trying to think of a way to do fig slice raw. So here it is. No sugar, no flour, no oil, just wholesome ingredients.

For the base

1 cup raw almonds, ground

½ cup dried ground coconut

Zest of 1 lemon, plus juice

4 dried apricots (you can also use apple if you prefer) soaked and drained

For the top

Approximately 8 soaked dried figs (2 soaked)

Method

In a food processor, combine almonds, coconut, and zest.

Puree apricots with lemon juice. Add to almond mixture.

Line a small loaf tin with clingwrap.

Press almond mixture firmly into bottom of pan and put into fridge.

Puree two soaked dried figs.

In a food processor, coarsely chop remaining figs, then add to fig puree.

Spread over top of almond base and return to fridge for a couple of hours or overnight to set. You can put this into the freezer if you are in a hurry!

Sprinkle coconut over the top and cut into slices.

Raw Vegan Green Smoothies

I have to admit, I've fallen off the wagon a bit with these smoothies the last couple of weeks. Probably because it's been so darn cold in the mountains and I'd rather a bowl of a oats or some toast. But there is currently a tide of the dreaded man flu sweeping the office at work, so I'm ramping up the smoothies again to try and ward it off. They might not look like the best thing in the world to drink, but trust me, all you taste is the sweetness of the fruit. I love taking these with me to the gym in the mornings as a speedy breakfast after a workout, it nourishes and rehydrates, and with all that fibre it keeps me full through the morning. When I first started having these, I had heard that your tastebuds change and you start to crave more greens. I didn't quite believe it, but it is true. If you have kids, why not try getting them to eat some greens this way? Tell them Dr Seuss left it out of the Green Eggs and Ham book...okay, so that might be stretching it, but I don't have munchkins.

Sometimes I will have these as meals, so I'll make a blender full (mine is a 2L) and have some for breakfast, and then the rest at lunch and snack on some nuts, or some hummus and crackers or carrot sticks. This gets me through to dinnertime no problem.  I feel really good when I've been having a lot of green smoothies, and if you don't believe me, see what Anand and Runi at Raw Power have to say and join their Green Smoothie Challenge http://www.greensmoothiechallenge.com/ 

The Beloved bought me a high speed blender, but any one will do, it just won't be as smooth. If you get into these, I recommend getting a really good blender, it does make a difference.

In summer, I was making these smoothies with mostly bananas, with some peaches or mango thrown in. But with bananas being so expensive due to cyclones and floods, I've had to come up with some different combos. Feel free to change the leafy greens, spinach seems to be a good option for starting off, but you can also put in dark lettuce varieties, kale, comfrey... adding some fruit high in vitamin c in my opinion, would proably also help absorb the iron from the greens. While I certainly don't have a medical degree, it surely can't hurt!

Pineapple and Lime Green Smoothie

500ml water

1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored, chopped into chunks

2 peeled limes

1 apple, cored, not peeled cut into wedges

1/2 cup of mint leaves

3-4 handfuls of baby spinach, or other leafy greens ( I like a mix of kale and spinach)

Put fruit and water in blender and whizz for about 30 seconds. Add the greens and blend for another 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Or why not try...

Orange and Cranberry Green Smoothie
2 oranges
1 cup frozen Cranberries
500 ml water
3-4 handfuls of leafy greens