Green Smoothie: Cold-Fighting Orange & Ginger
Surrounded by sick people or feeling under the weather? Whip up this Orange Ginger Green Smoothie full of immune-boosting ingredients.
A Green Smooth with Cold-Fighting Power
This green smoothie features vitamin C-packed oranges, broccoli, and immune-boosting ginger to help fight off winter colds. A particularly nasty chest cold is making its way through our house. My daughter was the first to succumb, and I have spent the last few nights listening to my husband wheeze in his sleep. So far, I’m the lone holdout—knock on wood.
I’ve been fortunate in the cold department this winter. Working remotely helps, but my family members like to bring germs home. I credit my seemingly strong immune system to following a plant-based diet, but as I listened to my daughter and husband hack and rasp, I thought a little something extra might be in order. I developed this green smoothie recipe as a tasty way to get some additional immune-boosting nutrients.
What’s Needed
A high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, is the secret to a creamy smoothie. Frozen broccoli florets are quite hard, so you need a powerful machine to break them down.
About the Ingredients
- Plant Milk – I use rice milk or unsweetened soy milk. Rice milk has a consistency similar to skim milk and adds an extra touch of sweetness. Soy milk is slightly thicker and makes a creamier smoothie. Both work well, but feel free to use whatever plant-based milk you prefer. However, you may want to avoid regular milk if you are sick. Some believe dairy products can be mucus-forming, which isn’t ideal if you are already stuffy!
- Banana – It may go without saying, but the riper the banana, the sweeter the smoothie. A perfectly ripe banana has brown speckles and is easy to peel.
- Frozen Broccoli Florets – The recipe calls for 1 cup of florets, but that doesn’t mean you have to break out your measuring cup. The amount you can grab in your hand should be fine. It’s okay to eyeball it. I do recommend using frozen broccoli instead of fresh. Frozen fruits and veggies create a cool creaminess without adding ice cubes. It might just be me, but I can’t stand the sound during blending or the wateriness ice adds to a smoothie.
- Orange – Oranges come in all shapes and sizes. The recipe calls for half an orange. But if it’s a small orange, use the whole thing. Or, if you don’t mind a thinner smoothie, go ahead and use an entire large one. Again, it’s not an exact science.
- Hemp Seeds – If you don’t have hemp seeds, you can use whatever nut or seed you do have. Just remember flax and chia seeds have a thickening effect. So, if you use them in this recipe, you may want to halve the amount.
- Ginger – There are differing opinions about which is healthier: fresh or ground ginger. I believe the healthiest ginger is the form you are more likely to use. For me, that’s ground ginger. I always find fresh ginger to be a bother.
Orange Ginger Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup plant milk (I use fortified organic rice milk or unsweetened soy milk)
- 1 banana small
- 1 cup frozen broccoli florets
- 1/2 orange medium, peeled
- 1 Tbsp. hemp seeds
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a high-speed blender in the order they are listed.
- Begin blending on low and increase to highest speed.
- Blend on high for approximately 30 seconds.
