Look at that bad boy!! That’s a humongous Brandywine that came out of our garden. I have no idea how it didn’t break the vine on which it was growing. State Fair material, don’t you think? But this fine specimen would never have lasted until September, and anyway, I had plans for it. A savory smoothie plan, to be exact.
Bloody Mary Green Smoothie
Serves 2-4
5-6 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup parsley*
1/2 cup English cucumber (no need to peel if organic)
2 dates, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped, plus additional small stalks for garnish
1 tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
2 tsp. horseradish (not horseradish sauce)
1 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lemon
handful of bibb lettuce or try arugula
*fresh basil and/or cilantro would be nice, too
Put all of the ingredients (except the celery reserved for garnish) into a blender and process until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately.
My favorite hot beverage transitions right into summer with a cool, creamy version that also features another favorite: chocolate. Kale included at no extra charge.
When it comes to smoothies it seems like green gets all of the attention. Don’t get me wrong, I think a proper green smoothie is a sight to behold, but every once in a while, I want something lighter and brighter staring back at me in the morning.
For months a friend of mine had been extolling the virtues of a daily cup of hibiscus tea. He told me that drinking it regularly could lower one’s blood pressure and some studies have shown that consuming the tea could help fight cancer – in particular brain and skin cancer. I finally broke under the strain of his sales pitch and asked him where I could pick up some. Not long afterwards a big box arrived in the mail. He sent me three pounds – three pounds – of hibiscus tea. I had my work cut out for me.
Pear & Parsley sounds like a big American retailer’s idea of a quaint British shop (or should that be shoppe?) opening soon in a mall near you that sells soaps, pretty tea towels and cocktail napkins printed with every conceivable form of “Keep Calm and (fill in the blank).” But in fact, it’s just another kind of green smoothie. When one has committed to consuming a green smoothie (or two) each day, one also has to commit to trying different ingredients so as not to get bored of the usual smoothie ingredient suspects (not that there is anything wrong with my good friends, kale and oranges). I especially like this combination because it isn’t too sweet and it’s very refreshing.
You knew this was coming, right? What’s the first, most logical thing one would create with peanut milk? Exactly. Nothing earth-shattering here, folks, just the usual rock-solid-delicious smoothie suspects paired with their new friend, 
The Incredible Hulk (as a smoothie rather than a juice) and Sweet Potato Nachos from Unprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal Weight, by Chef AJ. Today is your last chance to enter the 
Sometimes after dinner on summer evenings, when the days stretched into 9 pm, mom and dad would herd us kids into the burgundy-colored station wagon and we’d drive the 15 miles or so over to Mentor and what passed in those days for a mall. Malls were special places back then. Rarities. Imagine: people actually enjoyed spending time in them. We’d walk past the shops, but rarely went into them. We weren’t there to shop. It was all about dessert. We were there for either Baskin-Robbins or Orange Julius, both of which were tucked away in one of those “side streets” that malls have; the dead ends and backwaters. Where the neglected step-children of the “anchor” stores were.
