The Affordable Secret Ingredient Foodies Are Using To Make Their Smoothies Way Healthier
There's a new smoothie superfood in town. It doesn't cost $20 a bag, or come from the wind-swept plains of the Andes, or have a name that sounds more like a scientific classification than something edible. In fact, you probably have it in your freezer right now.
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Meet frozen cauliflower.
"I started including cauliflower in my smoothies a few months ago," says Jeannette Ogden of Shut The Kale Up. "It doesn't change the taste at all, and it makes it thick and creamy." Jeannette typically uses 1/2 cup of frozen cauliflower with blueberries, spinach, kale, maca, banana, almond milk and coconut meat.
Lee Tilghman from Lee from America stumbled upon cauliflower when she was looking for low-sugar alternatives for smoothies. "You should add some flavors in there to balance it out," she says. "I recommend using cinnamon, spirulina, black or blueberries, greens or sweet potato."
Beyond imparting a super creamy texture, cauliflower massively ups the health benefits of your smoothie. It's rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and folate, and, as a cruciferous vegetable (otherwise known as the family of kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and chard), it contains sulfuric compounds called glucosinolates, which have been found to be protective1 against multiple types of cancer.
Want to try it yourself?
You don't really need a recipe—just toss a handful of cauliflower straight from the freezer (no additional prep necessary) into your blender next time you're making a smoothie (here's our ultimate green smoothie guide to get you started). Or, if you'd prefer, try out the simple blend below.
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Cauliflower Smoothie with Blueberry and Cinnamon
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup frozen cauliflower
- 1/2 cup loosely packed greens of choice
- 3/4 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
- 2 heaping tablespoon hulled hemp hearts
- Generous pinch salt
- Splash vanilla extract
- 1 ripe banana
- Filtered water
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Method
- Add all ingredients to blender and add a cup or so water, then blend until very smooth (if you have a lower quality blender, do the cauliflower and greens with the water first, then add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth).
- Add more water until you reach desired consistency, and serve immediately.
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Liz Moody is an author, blogger and recipe developer living in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated with a creative writing and psychology degree from The University of California, Berkeley. Moody has written two cookbooks: Healthier Together: Recipes for Two—Nourish Your Body, Nourish Your Relationships and Glow Pops: Super-Easy Superfood Recipes to Help You Look and Feel Your Best. She also hosts the Healthier Together Podcast, where she chats with notable chefs, nutritionists, and best-selling authors about their paths to success. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Glamour, Food & Wine & Women’s Health.