Someone recently asked on the site if I had any smoothies or other recipes using raw asparagus. Up til now… no. But this recipe here changes that.

Health Benefits of Asparagus

Asparagus has some significant health benefits. In particular, it contains a phytochemical called cochinchinensis which has apparently been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for its anti-inflammatory properties. Asparagus is also naturally very alkalizing (as are most Live Green Smoothies), which alone helps significantly with reducing inflammation. Asparagus also possesses an amino acid called asparagine, which helps the body detoxify. The antioxidants and glutathione in asparagus apparently help ward off cancer and cataracts, and its rich mineral content is supposed to help stabilize blood sugar.

Thing is, asparagus, uncooked, has a very strong flavor. I’ve juiced it, with beets and apples, and it is extremely potent! Not for those with delicate palates (hello).

So, the challenge here was to come up with a combination of ingredients that would enable a decent portion of fresh asparagus to be consumed pleasurably.

Making Fresh Asparagus Palatable

And so we have this very lightly flavored, velvety-textured Berry-Mango smoothie sweetened with red grapes (berries and mangos are both quite low on the sugar spectrum), and made into a Live Green Smoothie through the addition of a portion of fresh asparagus that, while still healthifying, is not large enough to overpower the fruit.

Son and Self drank this down lickety-split this morning. If I’d had more asparagus, I would’ve made a second batch!

So here we have Asparagus Smoothie Recipe Number One on the LGS site.

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Serious beta-carotene blast here, with fresh strawberries and rose water adding fragrance, and a bit of banana added for creaminess

Use yellow, orange, or red sweet peppers, and substitute raspberries if you’d like. Imagine this with red sweet pepper and raspberry with rose water… mmmmm.

Add greens to this one… I left them out just for the photos, cuz we all know what happens when we mix green, red, and orange!

Another lovely summery treat!

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Lovely, velvety, with a romantic rosy blush… and you hardly need romance happening to enjoy it. I poured a couple out to enjoy with my father, who liked it very much.

By now, if you’ve been following me for any length of time, surely you have some rose water in your cabinet that desires to make fresh appearances now and then, and this is a great way to enjoy it! Even if you choose to leave the vodka out (two recipes included, here), this is a delicious blend of mango, strawberry, and rose water to help keep the summer heat at bay.

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When I served this, the kids at the table loved it… “Looks like blood!”

Well, that’s not exactly how I’d put it, but.. yes… it sure is a striking dish.

Substitute several mangoes instead of the cantaloupe and you’ll have another gorgeously simple dessert or breakfast option. It’s absolutely company-perfect, and you could probably whip it up during a commercial break, that’s how quick it is.

Nature sure is amazing.

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This is a non-fat recipe with no added sugar, and a non-savory (no onions, no garlic, no olive oil) way to enjoy the health benefit of your jucy summer tomato harvest!

If you’re trying to lose weight, if you’re watching your sugar, if you follow a Weight Watchers program, or looking  to increase your tomato consumption to strengthen your heart-health, this is a unique dish you might want to check out.

Thinly sliced watermelon layered with thinly sliced juicy tomato wedges, “frosted” with an aromatic Strawberry-Rose glaze sweetened only with a few red grapes! Add a bit of quality salt to bring out the sweetness and you’ve got a great side dish for the summer table… or a juicy feast for one!

We tend to think of tomato as a veggie, but in fact it’s a fruit… and it behaves nicely as one when paired with many fruits.

(By the way, I ate this whole thing — eventually — for dinner. Seriously filled me up. Drank whatever berry glaze was left. *slurp* Good stuff!)

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Raw sorbets commonly get “sharp” and crystalline when frozen. This one however remains smooth and creamy, without the use of any nut milks or oils.

It’s also naturally sweet enough that you don’t have to add a sweetener, if you prefer to minimize the sweets (in fact, it has a faintly “grapefruit” freshness without grapefruits bitterness if you don’t any sweetener). However, you can certainly add some cane sugar, honey, or another raw or natural sweetener if you’d like to highlight further the fruit’s natural sweetness.

I added a nice size chunk of fresh ginger root as well, for just a wee bit of zing, but that’s entirely optional.

With the weather warming up, why not start getting in the habit of keeping a couple different fresh, raw, living ice creams and sorbets in your freezer so you have something quick and easy to grab… instead of something that won’t enhance your vitality and well-being.

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What a lovely texture… and you can whip this up in minutes! Easy ingredients, all fresh, all wholesome… and there’s no way you’ll find this combination in any store!

Fresh mango paired with fresh blueberries, quality vanilla (in this case, some richly fragrant vanilla from Mexico) and natural sweetener whips up lickety-split in your blender (easier if you have a high-speed Blendtec like mine, of course). And then you can eat it straight-away more as a *slushie*, or you can freeze it rather briefly, maybe an hour, and scoop it out as classic sorbet.

Often, raw sorbets get “icy” and hard crystals, but this one remains smooth and velvety in texture (thanks to the pectin in both the mango and the blueberry). It’s just wonderful.

Make it tonight, and have the leftover remainers with breakfast in the morning, or as an after-work refresher tomorrow afternoon!

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Beets aren’t just for slicing and borscht. The work wonderfully in many raw smoothies, and pair brilliantly with both berries and fresh greens to make some winning Live Green Smoothie combinations!

Rich in minerals, antioxidants, and the valuable phytonutrients that deep pigmentation gives clue to, this is a beautiful smoothie to give you energy and make you feel deeply nourished.

I’ve left the greens out of these photos, becase we all know what happens when we mix reds and greens (brown!), but don’t leave the greens out when you make this! This is the kind of energy drink you simply can’t buy at any store… it’s like drinking a rich transfusion that instantly revitalizes your blood.

Vampires never had it so good.

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Carrots are not just for salads and juicing! Especially if you have a high-powered blender, in which case blending them makes them completely smooth, like a whole-food juice.

Carrots, obviously jam-packed with beta carotene, blend brilliantly with fresh berries! And especially strawberries. The result: a deliciously flavored, highly refreshing, wildly nutritious raw smoothie that is quite low in sugar… great for dieters, diabetics, and anyone else watching their glycemic levels.

I left the fresh greens out on this recipe only until I’d taken the photos because I wanted to show how pretty the underlying ingredients are together. But then I dumped everything back into the blender with some baby spinach for my version.

Drank the whole thing up and felt amazing the rest of the night.

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Here’s a great basic recipe you can use to help add more fresh greens to your kids’ diet. The avocado in this green smoothie makes it creamy, fresh parsley or baby spinach make it (unwittingly) a salad-in-a-glass, and the strawberries, raw honey, and rose water make it fragrantly sweet in a way kids (well, mine anyway) enjoy.

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