I was delighted this week to find a good local source of giant aloe vera leaves! It’s been a few months since I enjoyed a smoothie made with fresh aloe vera gel, and the fresh gel is el primo for alkalizing your body and helping to get rid of inflammation and stiffness, not to mention a whole host of other great health benefits.

I wanted to make an alkalizing smoothie especially for my mom, who — for health reasons — prefers her smoothies to be on the low-sugar, low-glycemic side. She found this plenty sweet, but you will see how surprising mild in sweetness it is. Most people mistakenly think of mangoes as being a very sweet fruit and, after having made smoothies using mangoes almost every way imagineable, I can vouch for it being a refreshingly mild in sweetness.

Is Aloe Vera Gel Bitter?

Now, as for the gel… I always use the monster-sized leaves I find in the grocery store, but I know that many people have smaller plants growing at home and are itching to use those. I have heard numerous complaints about aloe vera gel being bitter, which I have never, ever experienced. The aloe juice, yes… but the gel. And I have a sneaking suspicion that the bitter gel may be found in whatever variety these smaller home-grown plants may be.

Coincidentally, my parents just picked up & planted an aloe plant over the weekend, so I will be trying it out to see if it tastes any different.

From my experience, when I cut open a fresh aloe very leaf, the gel always smells like chicken soup, not the real kind but the sort they used to make when I was in grade school. I have no idea why this is the case, but, there it is. However, when I cut out the gel and use it in a smoothie (and I use ALL the gel in a giant leaf when I make a smoothie), the flavor is utterly, completely neutral. I can even make deliciously mild vanilla smoothies with it and it doesn’t interfere with the delicate flavor.

So. That’s my spiel on gel from the sacred aloe plant (which, by the way, comes to us via the health wisdom of Egypt, how nice).

Picking up a few leaves every time you go to the grocery store is a good practice. They run about $1.99 in my area. A fair price, I think, for the kind of rejuvenating, rejuicifying effect they can have on connective tissue in your body!

To cut the aloe vera gel out of a fresh aloe vera leaf:

1. First, slice down along each side of the leaf to cut off the spiky edges.

2. Next, cut the leaf in half crosswise (just to make it easier to handle), and then cut the top layer of green skin off each piece.

3. And finally, run your knife underneath the layer of gel, just above the bottom layer of green. As you release the gel from the bottom, cut it out in blocks or panels, and when you’ve finished, scrape or cut out any extra little bits.

And take care — the gel is slippery! Rinse your hands while you’re working, so you can maintain control without losing a finger.

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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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Cucumbers are just so great for hydrating, and so great for your skin, and connective tissue, and, well, every aspect of staying fresh & looking young (hah… there’s a commercial in there, somewhere!), and they pair wonderfully with mango here to make a Live Green Smoothie that is only mildly sweet.

Add fresh lime juice and you’ve got a super-refresher alkalizing drink with rejuvenating Vitamin C. And if you want it sweeter… just add a banana! (Or go the raw-honey-or-cane-sugar route…)

But for Weight Watchers aficionados who have become readers of my site… sans the banana and you’ll have a nice low-point drink, here. And it’s filling!

I did indeed take mine to the gym with me. And as there was still a bit leftover from the two bottles when I returned, I blended the rest up with from powdered super-greens and super-herbs, and a bit of powdered cordyceps and other medicinal mushrooms, for a serious energy & immune system booster.

Twas wonderful.

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If you have key limes around, use those for an even more fragrant limey flavor! You can increase the amount of lime I’ve used, but as it is here, it’s not too powerfuly… it’s a delicate, mild, soothing dish. This would also be great with Orange Blossom water!!!

This makes a great quick dessert or even breakfast, or a light supper when the weather is hot. It’s creamy, cool… and you can freeze any leftovers like ice cream.

However… I must say, I was hard-pressed to get my share of this. Both of my parents and my youngest son scarfed it up before I could stake my claim!

This is so not just for the “raw” crowd.

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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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So refreshing… like Essence of Watermelon, but with a creaminess that must come, almost inexplicably, from the mango!

Add a wee bit of Citron vodka and, well… let the festivity start.

Gorgeous in a lovely glass. So fresh. Eezy-peezy. I mean… what more could you ask for?

There’s enough here for two blenderfulfuls, and the recipe involves making the mixer separately so you can make it as strong or as weak as you’d like. Shoot, leave out the alchohol altogether and do the virgin thing… whatever floats your boat.

Just… enjoy.

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Okay, so this isn’t really a “pie” in the sense that there’s a crunchy or flaky crust filled with something… but this is a fresh version you can make on-the-spot, with zero dehydration, and it is all raw, all living… and absolutely scrumptious.

When I made this, I thought I was full and didn’t have room for more food. Buuuut… dang this sure went down easily!

The Vanilla-Walnut “crust” is like a thick, slightly salted pudding, and it offsets the juicy mango bits that have been coated lightly with a Vanilla-Honey glaze. Together… it tastes a bit like fresh mango and vanilla cake batter. I mean… for a vanilla whore like me… really. That’s just nuts.

Make for two for dessert… or just for yourself for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

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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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After this recipe, it might become a fave for ya.

This recipe is sweet, crunchy, filling, and substantial. A great one for anyone watching their weight, that’s for sure. You’ll be so surprised how well watermelon and broccoli go together when treated this way!

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I could eat this every day, for any meal. In fact, if you would kindly rummage a plate up for me now, I’d be quite pleased, thank you.

It’s lusciously juicy, creamy, crunchy, sweet… with a bit of good salt to perk things up all the more. And completely pedestrian. No exotic superfoods here or rarified flavorings. There is no reason you couldn’t keep the ingredients for this brilliant combination on hand most of the year. Though ripeness of mango and avocado certainly does make a difference!

Some of these raw-yummy combinations seem so brainless, but I ask you… have you ever had this before? It’s a revelation how certain simple ingredients, lovingly combined, can yield such fabulous results!

Mangia bene, my dearies. This recipe is a keeper!

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