PEAR SMOOTHIE WITH SPINACH, CELERY AND GINGER

Pear Smoothie With Spinach, Celery and Ginger image

This began as a "clean out the refrigerator and (aging) fruit bowl" smoothie. I salvaged some spinach that had seen better days and finally used up the last of the pears I'd bought a few weeks ago for another set of recipe tests. I went out to my garden and grabbed some bolting arugula and some mint. I've been drinking kefir, a fermented milk product much like yogurt but thinner and tangier, so that went in, giving the smoothie a pleasantly acidic edge. The two ingredients that the drink needs in order for it to taste like something other than a bland green drink are the half banana and the ginger. If you let your bananas ripen completely, then freeze them, they'll contribute not only flavor, sweetness and texture but also ice to your smoothies.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Time 2m

Yield 1 generous serving

Number Of Ingredients 12

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Ingredients

1/2 cup washed spinach leaves (baby or bunch)
1 ripe pear, peeled, quartered, cored and cut in chunks
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 quarter-size slice fresh ginger, peeled
A handful of baby arugula
1 to 2 tablespoons mint leaves (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon chia seeds
1/2 banana (50 g), frozen if possible, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar
1 cup plain kefir or yogurt
1 or 2 ice cubes

Steps:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed for 1 minute, or until smooth. Serve at once.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 330, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 56 grams, Fat 9 grams, Fiber 9 grams, Protein 11 grams, SaturatedFat 5 grams, Sodium 151 milligrams, Sugar 39 grams, TransFat 0 grams