Green. It signals go. Americans spend greenbacks. Gardeners have green thumbs. Performers wait in green rooms. The green movement is changing the way we think about the environment. We turn green with envy. And why, oh why, is it that the grass is always greener on the other side?
It’s the eye-color of monsters. Those with superpowers, like the Green Hornet, the Green Lantern, the Green Giant, and the Incredible Hulk happen to prefer it. My favorite Powerpuff girl, Buttercup, wears green while she fights crime in Townsville. In my early years, I preferred green candies and green Slush Puppies. Today, I love fried green tomatoes!
Green is the color of the heart Chakra, and I once had someone tell me, “under your heart is the prettiest shade of green.” That was interesting. Kermit told us It Ain’t Easy Being Green.
Do me a favor. Look around and count how many shades of green you see. I recently counted 20 shades of green just from my viewpoint in the front yard! I then learned the color green “occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye” than any other color, hence “the human eye is most sensitive and able to discern the most shades in that color.”
This Coconut-Kale smoothie gets the green light. Smoothies, particularly green smoothies, have been popular posts on the internet as of late. Jumping on the bandwagon, I turned to a recipe I have had hanging on my refrigerator for the past few months.
The smoothie’s green color is daunting. My grandfather refused to eat anything blue. This was not overwhelmingly problemeatic as aside from blue cornmeal, blueberries, and blue buttercream roses, one encounters blue in very few foods. Prior to trying this smoothie, I had an aversion to green drinks. Green vegetables, fine. Green drinks, not so much.
Though I sometimes post my failed attempts recipes under the guise of learning experiences, I will never post a recipe that I would not feed to my family or share with my friends. So when I promise you this Coconut Kale smoothie is good, I promise that it really is good! I have enjoyed a few of these smoothies for breakfast, and as you can see here, I have also enjoyed one with a dollop of ice cream like a smoothie shake!
I used a banana more on the green (of course) than on the ripe side (I prefer bananas that are just barely yellow), and I was happy with the sweetness it provided. If you are like me and inevitably end up with bananas that turn from yellow to brown before you can enjoy them, you may save these ripe bananas for baking. Since it’s too hot to turn on the oven, throw one of those overly ripe bananas into a smoothie instead. Go for it!
- 1 large banana, frozen
- 2-3 kale leaves (including stalks)
- 1 cup coconut milk (or coconut water)
- 6 ice cubes
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional: agave syrup or honey for sweetness
- Combine all ingredients in a blender.
- Blend for 35 seconds or until ice is blended smooth.
- If desired, sweeten with a bit of agave syrup or honey.
Confused as to why there is ice cream in the picture and not in the ingredient list to make it??
Never mind! just read that you said you enjoyed it with a dollop of ice cream! “I have enjoyed a few of these smoothies for breakfast, and as you can see here, I have also enjoyed one with a dollop of ice cream like a smoothie shake!”
That’s a good point, Caitlin. I should have made a note in the recipe about the ice cream. Updating now, thanks!