This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
A classic lunch in a hurry or a nourishing snack after physical exertion, the smoothie adapts to all tastes. Exit tropical fruits, coconut milk and nut butters, here’s how to highlight local flavors.
Frozen berries
Fruit is the base of a smoothie! And in Quebec, we grow a lot of small fruits which lend themselves very well to smoothie recipes. In summer, many farmers freeze part of their harvest to keep it fresh so they can be enjoyed all year round. We get our hands on these little treasures full of vitamins in grocery stores (supermarkets or specialized) or, sometimes, directly from the producer. Do you know ? Frozen fruit is just as nutritious as fresh fruit, since it was frozen quickly after picking. Why do without it?
To put in your basket: frozen haskapberries, strawberries or blueberries from Bleu & Bon, frozen organic sea buckthorn berries from Argousiers du lac Brome, frozen cranberries from Fruit d’or, raspberries or frozen saskatoon berries from Gourmet Sauvage.
For variety during the summer season, you can incorporate fresh local fruits into your smoothie and create combinations with frozen fruits. However, you will need to adjust the proportions of the other ingredients, including liquids, since fresh fruit is full of water and dilutes your concoction.
If you like your smoothie more substantial, consider adding an apple instead of the traditional banana.
Greenery
To add a good dose of vitamins C and A as well as iron to your smoothie, simply add a large handful of dark green vegetables. For a smooth texture, opt, if you can find it, for “baby” spinach or kale. Less tough, they break up better in the blender. And to avoid ending up with a questionable color, incorporate greens into a smoothie with dark berries, such as blueberry or haskap.
To put in your basket: perpetual spinach from AquaVerti farms.
Seeds
Rich in fiber, omega-3, protein and other valuable nutrients, seeds make the smoothie more filling. Good news, we produce delicious ones in Quebec, including those made from flax and hemp. Their subtle taste is completely masked by the fruit and the rest of the ingredients in your shake. So you can add more without moderation! Be careful, however: to assimilate all the nutrients from flax seeds, you must grind them before putting them in a blender.
To put in your basket: shelled hemp seeds and organic golden flax seeds from Tournevent.
Yogurts
Add a little yogurt to your smoothie to improve the texture, but also for its nutrients. Rich in calcium and protein, a touch of yogurt in a smoothie will satisfy your appetite more easily. To avoid increasing the sugar content of your recipe too much, opt for natural yogurt.
To put in your basket: natural yogurt from Laiterie Chagnon, farm yogurts from Boréalait, Greek-style yogurt from Lait Charbonneau, drinkable yogurts from Riverin du Lac.
For sweet teeth
If you’re used to adding a little sugar to your smoothie, consider using maple syrup or local honey.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.