I’ve been eating more vegetables for January. I’ve never really been one for New Years resolutions, but this year I decided to take part in Jumpstart15 and Veganuary. I’m so glad that I did. I’ve been squashing vegetables, squishing vegetables, juicing them, pureeing them, chomping on them raw. I always know that eating more veg will make me feel better, but after hitting the cheeseboard with too much gusto over Christmas it has been great to go back to my beloved veggies. No calorie counting, and not dieting. Just eating vegetable smoothies in the mornings, soups for lunch and making sure it’s all vegan.
I’ve been a vegetarian for years, but now I’ve gone completely vegan for January. I really thought that it would restrict what I eat more than it has. I’ve had my usual smoothies and soups and for dinner we have had Moroccan chickpea and squash stew, hearty bean and kale soups, adzuki bean and spinach chilli, wholemeal pasta with cauliflower alfredo sauce… I’ve swapped out the sneaky bites of cheese that I sometimes had for snacks and have a steady supply of veggies to dip into hummous. Treats? I have dark chocolate, dark chocolate covered rice cakes (I LOVE these) and there are plenty of vegan biscuits in the shops should I so desire. Almond Dream kindly sent me some samples vegan almond-milk ice creams that are delicious. I often have nut milks in the house, store-bought or homemade in the blender, but I haven’t found one that I like in my coffee so I’ve started to have it black. I’ve been trying to start my days with hot water, lemon and ginger and also to remember to drink more water. So far, going vegan has been quite easy. Wait, there was that blip in a cafe the other day when I forgot and had a cappuccino that wasn’t vegan. But I forgive myself.
My beloved Froothie Optimum high-speed blender has been making it so easy to stick to my healthy eating for January (yes, I know it’s only the 11th!). Smoothies in seconds. Perfect before work. Plus it whizzes vegetables into soups and even heats them up.
I had a load of cranberries left over from Christmas that I didn’t quite get around to making cranberry sauce out of. Instead of letting them go to waste, I dropped them into my morning smoothie. The tartness contrasts well with the smooth sweetness of the beet and the warmth from the ginger. This is a zesty, tangy and earthy smoothie that the whole family really loved. It’s beautifully vibrant and quite filling.
- ½ a raw beetroot
- 60g (½ cup) raw cranberries
- 1 orange, peeled
- ½ banana
- 2 dates
- 2cm cube of fresh ginger, peeled
- ½ cup water
- handful of ice
- Whiz all in a high-speed blender until smooth. Serve immediately.
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This recipe is part of Shop Local by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary, because I got the beets at my local farm shop, Extra Veg by Michelle at Utterly Scrummy and Helen and Credit Crunch Munch from Fuss Free Flavours and Fab Food 4 All.
Mmmm yum! I love these photos too, they’re very mad scientist scientific I think, haha! Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipe with #ShopLocal, and all the best for the rest of Veganuary and Jumpstart15!
THanks Elizabeth. I love a bit of mad scientificness (word?) 🙂
Lovely idea. I have a whole pack of cranberries left. Was going to make a cake. I might drink this with the cake!
Perfect way to use up cranberries – cake and smoothie!
That potion looks extraordinarily healthy! 🙂
Janie x
And delicious, Janie!
That’s a fantastic colour, I imagine drinking something so bright and beautiful lifts the spirits too.
It lifts the spirits and stains the teeth – like my beloved red wine 🙂
What a great flavour combo. I never do anything with cranberries as a rule, so never thought of adding them to smoothies. I am loving your test tube/vial thingies! Fab! Linked to you on my latest blog post 🙂
Thanks Jac! I adore my new crazy scientific glasses – a welcome Christmas pressie.
Sounds like a lush and very healthy smoothie:-) Plus I love pink so even better:-) Thank you for entering #creditcrunchmunch:-)
Pink drinks rock!
I love the idea of beetroot in a smoothie! Absolutely stunning colour. I love your presentation too – very scientific! 😉
Thanks, Becca. No veg shall go to waste when there’s a blender about!
I have some cranberries left, I may just have to make this. Thanks 🙂
Whiz them up! Soooo yummy.
OOOH this looks more appealing than snot green smoothies !
Ha! I love my snot green smoothies, too!
Not something I would make myself but I would love to try it. I would probably be surprised and really enjoy it. Love the photography too.
It’s so easy and tasty. Worth a try!
I would never think of using cranberries in a juice recipe, but I suppose as a berry they make sense. I’m not that much of a fan.
I really like cranberry juice, generally. Even better in a smoothie 🙂
Oh I LOVE the way you’ve presented this – sounds tasty too.
Thanks, Emily. I love my new science glasses.
I haven’t this kind of smoothie yet. I’ll have do to it, I bet it tastes great, besides it’s very healthy.
Healthy and yum, my favourite kind of breakfast.
Kate,
I’ve got so many beets from my farm share that I throw them into EVERYTHING I think I can get away with. I love the color of this smoothie and the addition of cranberry. Brilliant!
Thanks Kirsten. The sharpness of the cranberries is great with the smooth earthiness of the beets. 🙂
Love this smoothie combination! Using beet with cranberries (and oh yes, date and banana definitely needed for sweetness!) is vibrant and delish I bet. And those serving beakers are too adorable!!
Thanks Alisa. I really love my beakers!
This is gorgeous! I still have some frozen cranberries, so I think this is on the menu this week. Good luck with Vegan January. I did a 3 month vegan stint and several one months. LOVE all those veggies.
Thanks Sabrina! Veggies rock. 🙂