Serves: 5

Smoothies have become the rage among health-conscious individuals. Many of us who have grown up worshiping milk shakes, malts, and blizzards as the ultimate sweet temptation have come to realize that smoothies provide a delicious, guilt-free, healthy alternative. These flavorful concoctions are rich in vitamin C because of the wide variety of fruit they contain, and they can be an important source of protein and calcium when dairy products are added. However, as healthful as smoothies can be, they shouldn't be considered a meal replacement but rather enjoyed as a nutritious snack or a supplement to a meal. On the other hand, when you would like to transform a smoothie into an instant meal, there are a number of nutritional additives, breakfast powders, or protein supplements that can be added to achieve this goal. Just as the mealworthiness can be improved, the health benefits of smoothies can also be enhanced by the simple addition of one or more supplements, such as herbs or extracts. In "Smoothie Basics: Health Benefits of Smoothies," I discuss several of these health-promoting boosters that have the potential to provide a variety of benefits, such as enhanced energy, improved memory, protection against colds, and relief from stress.

I have also discovered how to transform a smoothie into a healthier offering by preparing it with one or more soybean products, such as soy milk, tofu, or soy yogurt. What's amazing is that these soy ingredients are not only good for you, they add flavor to a smoothie as well.

In this chapter, you'll be pleased to discover 30 recipes that were designed to appeal to the most health-conscious among us. Some of my favorites are If I Only Had a Bran, The Glass Is Always Greener, and A Bundle of Soy. No matter which smoothie recipes turn out to be your favorites, you'll experience the satisfaction of knowing that with every sip, you're doing something good for yourself.

From SUMMER SMOOTHIES: more than 130 cool and refreshing recipes. Copyright © 2002 Donna Pliner Rodnitzky. All Rights Reserved.

More Recipes from the Cook'n Summer Smoothies Cookbook:
-SMOOTHIE POWER: Fit and Trim, Filled to the Rim
A Bundle of Soy
A-Buzz and Beyond
Berry Bonds
Bran Prix
Cold Busters
FiberActive
Flax or Fiction
Fruitilicious
Fruity and the Yeast
Ginkgo, Ginkgo Little Star
Ginseng in the Rain
How Wheat It Is
If I Only Had a Bran
It's Not That Peachy Being Green
Mr. Tea
Sammy Soy-Sa
Soy Meets Whirl
Soy to the World
Soy, What's New?
Spirulina Swirl
The Flax of Life
The Glass is Always Greener
The Soy Luck Club
To-fu Manchu
To-fu, or Not To-fu
Triathlon Turbo
Vitamin CC Rider
We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Tofu
Wheat Are Family
Yeast of Eden