Sharing is caring!
Reading: fresh turmeric in smoothies
Fresh turmeric is probably one of the trendiest ingredients you haven’t heard of, but you should know about. It’s often used in savory dishes, and it is a natural anti-inflammatory. Purported to have health benefits acting as treatment or prevention for all sorts of things because it contains curcumin, I suppose it falls under the “super food” category, but there isn’t solid scientific evidence yet for most of the benefits. It is still really good for you, and it tastes amazing, especially when blended into this bright fresh turmeric smoothie.
Fresh tumeric has a lovely floral flavor that is far more complex than the powder and perfect for smoothie making. You can find fresh tumeric at health food stores or at international or Indian supermarkets. It looks like very small knobs of fresh ginger, with a bright orange center just barely peeking through under a wrinkly brown skin. Look for pieces that have no soft spots and are nice and firm.
Read more: Cinnamon Date Smoothie
For this smoothie, I added fresh ginger, mango, carrots, and an orange because apparently I was feeling a bit inspired by the color of the turmeric! Speaking of which… be careful when you peel the fresh turmeric because it will dye your skin a lovely shade of bright yellow. I didn’t notice it so much with one smoothie, but we tested this at least twice more the same day and my fingers were definitely yellow that evening!
You may use frozen mango for a more frozen smoothie consistency (like in the photos), or if fresh mangoes aren’t in season or readily available in your area. Or, of course, if you’re whipping this up in the morning and don’t want the hassle of peeling a mango! I’d recommend using everything else fresh if possible just so that you get the most vitamins out of your food. You’ll need to slice the tumeric and fresh ginger rounds rather thin if you have an older blender. If you have a higher end blender, just peel and toss them in. We purchased a refurbished Vitamix last year and it’s an amazing deal! I use it all the time, such a worthwhile investment.
If you find the flavor of the tumeric to be too strong, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon into the smoothie. It immediately takes the bite down a notch and makes the smoothie sweeter.
Read more: make pickled eggs with pickle juice
You can mix the smoothie up a day in advance if you’d like and store it in the refrigerator for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack the next day.
We found the tumeric smoothie to be really satisfying, we had one for breakfast and were satisfied until lunch, and had the most interesting reaction. Both the Godfather and I felt our body temperature rise after drinking the smoothie – not in an uncomfortable way, but it felt warming, like we’d just enjoyed a nice hot tea. So I guess that makes this my first “winter smoothie” recipe! Loads of vitamins, warming, delicious, and a beautiful color to boot!
Now if you’ll please excuse me…
Read more: How much baking soda to put in pool
