Peach, Cranberry, Banana and Orange smoothie

This is a very balanced smoothie - it contains lots of sweet things to support the sharpness of the cranberries. It is also quite thick for a smoothie without yoghurt.

Ingredients

1 peach or half a 410g tin
1 large handful cranberries
1 banana
2 oranges



Cranberries

1. Add the banana, sliced peach and cranberries to the blender.
2. Juice the oranges and add the juice to the blender.
3. Blend until smooth.



Peach, Cranberry, Banana and Orange smoothie

Guava, Passionfruit, Coconut and Lime smoothie

This is a very interesting smoothie. The lime adds a pleasant tartness and the guava and passionfruit make it taste confusingly exotic.

Guavas are a bit like kiwi-fruit - you can either get the tasty bit of out the middle by using a teaspoon or you can peel from the outside and eat what's left. Either works well.

Ingredients



Ingredients

1 guava
1 passionfruit
1 banana
1/2 mango
1 lime
100ml coconut milk
100ml apple juice



Ingredients in the blender

1. Slice the mango and banana into the blender.
2. Cut open the passionfruit. If it is really ripe, the seeds will fall straight out into the blender, if not help them with a spoon.
3. Add the flesh of the guava.
4. Halve the lime and squeeze into the blender.
5. Add the coconut milk and apple juice.
6. Blend.



Guava, Passionfruit, Coconut and Lime smoothie

Melon, peach and raspberry smoothie

Using tinned peaches works quite well for this smoothie as both the melon and raspberries are quite strong tasting and balance the flavour out.

Ingredients

1/2 melon
2 peaches or half a 410g tin
Large handful raspberries

1. Cut the melon into chunks and add to the blender.
2. Slice the peaches and add to the blender.
3. Add the raspberries and blend.

If you use a hand blender (like me), add the ingredients in reverse order. The melon will juice quickly, giving some lubrication for chopping up the other fruit.



The smoothie

Blueberry and Banana milkshake

Blueberry and Banana milkshake

Here is the first variation on the classic banana milkshake. This is a great breakfast shake - a bit like a liquid blueberry muffin.

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small bananas
1 large handful of blueberries
2 tablespoons yoghurt
200 ml milk

1. Slice the banana and add it to the blender along with the blueberries.
2. Add the yoghurt.
3. Top up with milk and blend.



Adding the milk

Classic Banana Milkshake

To my mind there are three classic milkshakes: banana, mango and avocado.

Here is the first of these.

I used ladyfinger bananas, which are very fat and slightly aromatic.



Ladyfinger bananas

Ingredients

1 large or 2 small bananas
2 tablespoons yoghurt
150ml milk

1. Slice the bananas into the blender.
2. Add the yoghurt.
3. Top up with milk and blend.



Classic Banana Milkshake

Remember this recipe well; there will be many variations on this theme to follow.

Melon, Blackberry and Raspberry smoothie

Melons are almost all water, so smoothies made using a melon don't usually need any extra juice adding. This recipe is no exception.

Ingredients

1/2 a small or 1/4 large melon
A large handful of blackberries
A large handful of raspberries

1. Slice the flesh from the melon into the blender.
2. Add the berries.
3. Whizz together.



Melon, Blackberry and Raspberry smoothie

Peach, Raspberry and Pomegranate smoothie

The easiest way to extract juice from a pomegranate is to cut it in half and use a citrus squeezer. I learnt how to do this in Antalya, Turkey where they sell freshly squeezed orange and pomegranate juice on the street.



Juicing a pomegranate

Ingredients

1 peach (or half a 410g tin)
A large handful of raspberries
2 pomegranates.

1. Slice the peach and add to the blender.
2. Add the raspberries.
3. Juice the pomegranates and add.
4. Blend.

Blackberry and Blueberry Milkshake

This milkshake came out a bit more peachy than I really liked, I think that may have been because I was using tinned rather than fresh peaches (we've just come to the end of the peach season here). I'll try it again in the summer.

Ingedients

1 peach (or half a 410g tin of peaches)
1 handful blackberries
1 handful blueberries
2 tablespoons yoghurt
400ml milk



Ingredients

1. Slice the peach and add to the blender with the blackberries and blueberries.

2. Scoop in the yoghurt and add the milk.

3. Blend.

Custard Apple, Lime and Coconut smoothie

Custard apples are one of those amazing fruits that seem to consist entirely of sugar. Last time I made a smoothie using custard apples, I also used peach and apple juice and it was a little on the sweet side even for me.

I've tried to balance the sweetness by using some lime in this recipe, but it is still very sweet. A good one for all dessert lovers.

Ingredients

1 ripe custard apple
1 lime
1/2 a mango
100ml coconut milk



Ingredients

1. Peel and deseed the custard apple and add to the blender.

2. Chop the mango and add.

3. Squeeze the lime into the blender and add the coconut milk.

4. Whizz until blended.



Smoothie

This is a very thick, almost custardy smoothie. I use frozen mangoes, which makes it ice cold and a little thicker.