Kiwi spinach smoothie with gond katira | Glutenfreewhisk

 Green smoothie, maybe a trend once but I am making or having this green smoothie for the first time. I have had fruit smoothies, peanut butter chocolate smoothies but not anything this green. I am not big on eating raw vegetables and I still am not hence I have blanched my spinach first. Also, the oxalate in spinach really causes discomfort and me having a sensitive overall system, I decided to have it blanched. Although, if you are fine with eating raw vegetables choose baby spinach. This green smoothie really tastes good, trust me when I say this because I myself am not a vegetable smoothie person and I really enjoyed it. I have made it with two fruits kiwi and pomegranate, maybe that helped but that green color just attracted me towards it. It is kind of fruit smoothie with 1 leafy green vegetable and not a vegetable smoothie. So yeah, it deserves a try. A lot of people use kale as well, but I don't have kale available around me and spinach is the best pick because I like spinach.

This is a vegan kiwi spinach smoothie with gond katira as I have used fresh homemade coconut milk and I have soaked my gond katira in coconut water. Although, the idea of adding gong katira was last mind but I am happy I added it because the health benefits of this plant gum are tremendous. Gond katira is tragacanth gum in English and it has cooling properties and is anti-inflammatory. Because of its cooling properties it is great for your digestive system and overall gut health. And because it is anti-inflammatory it is great for joint, skin or any other inflammation in your body. It is easily available in market and yes, it is different from the regular gond (edible gum) that we use to make ladoo and panjiri in winters. Both are obtained from different plants and are great for your health. In addition to digestive health, joint health, liver health, gond katira is also great for skin health. Thus, adding them both in your diet on a regular basis will do wonder for you.

While blanching the spinach make sure you are not overdoing it. Because spinach leaves are really delicate and they cook or become soft really fast. I am blanching for merely 30-40 seconds and am immediately transferring them to a bowl with cold water and ice for a cold shock. This is done to immediately stop the cooking of the vegetable and for the green leafy vegetables to retain their natural green color and not turn dark.

I have already shared two amazing kiwi fruit recipes where I have mentioned the benefits of kiwi fruit. These are rich in vitamin C and are great for your gut as they are fibrous and are also great for your skin health. No wonder these green smoothies are so much in demand because they really do wonders for your skin. And if you choose to start your day with them then there is the satisfaction of starting your day healthy. For other kiwi fruit recipes, you can check honey walnut kiwi cucumber salad, which is oil free, healthy and so refreshing that you will have it again and again. Or if you are a dessert lover like me, the try this kiwi sorbet with hemp seed masala sprinkle on top that makes this recipe for desi yet so international. These two ingredient sorbets are like a new obsession because they are so rich and creamy and can be fixed with minimal effort and some patience.

If you are looking for some gond katira and want to order online, then you can check Attar Ayurveda 200 gm gond katira or go vegan gond katira. I got my gond katira from a local shop in my city.

A lot of people love bananas in their smoothies and if you are looking to gain healthy weight then adding banana will be a great option, but I do not eat banana and I am skipping it. Although, the body that a banana provides to a smoothie, in my no banana anti-inflammatory kiwi spinach recipe it is provided by soaked gond katira. You can add any fruit of choice here like I am using pomegranate seeds. You can use banana as I have mentioned or even green or red apples. This vegan green smoothie is a must try healthy detoxing breakfast recipe for weight management.

If you are always thinking what new to eat for breakfast or if you are looking for healthy late afternoon drink that is not tea or coffee, then this healthy smoothie recipe is for you. Do give it a try and indulge.

INGREDIENTS -

1.5 fresh kiwi, chopped

10-12 spinach leaves, blanched for just 30-40 seconds

2-3 gond katira gum soaked in 30-40 ml fresh coconut water

80-90 ml coconut milk

Honey, to taste

6 tbsp pomegranate seeds 

METHOD -

1. In a blender jar, add blanched and cooled spinach leaves. Followed by chopped kiwi fruit, pomegranate seeds and soaked gond katira in coconut water.

2. Now add coconut milk, honey to taste, and blend everything well. You can increase or decrease the quantity of coconut milk as per the consistency that you are looking for.

3. Pour this vegan green kiwi spinach smoothie in tall glasses and garnish it with pomegranate seeds and a kiwi slice on the rim of the glass and indulge.

Note - This recipe makes 2 tall glasses of green kiwi spinach. Gond katira is optional if you don't have it available. But if you are using it soak it at least for 3-4 hours.

Check the full recipe on YouTube (Gluten_free_whisk) - Kiwi spinach smoothie with gond katira recipe.

Kiwi spinach smoothie with gond katira | Glutenfreewhisk