Vitality Drinks
Fruit, whether cooked or raw, can be transformed into a smooth sauce by puréeing. It also makes a healthy breakfast or snack that is bursting with flavour when used in a smoothie.
Making smoothies
To serve four, you will need: 4 passion fruit, 150ml (¼ pint) low-fat yogurt, 4 bananas, 225g (8oz) grapes
1 Halve the passion fruit and scoop the pulp into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients. Crush 8 ice cubes and add the the blender.
2 Process until smooth and pour into glasses. Serve immediately.
Pureeing in a blender
Some fruit can be pureed raw, while others are better cooked. Wait until cooked fruit cools
1 Blend a spoonful of fruit until smooth, then add another spoonful and blend. Add the rest of fruit in batches.
2 For a very smooth puree, pass through a fine sieve.
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
150g (5oz) full-fat natural or soya yogurt, at room temperature
1–2 tsp thick honey
2–3 tsp bee pollen grains or equivalent in capsule form (see Health Tip)
Serves 1, makes 200ml (7fl oz)
1 Using a sharp knife, cut off the peel from one lemon, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Chop the flesh roughly, discarding any pips, and put into a blender. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon and add to the blender.
2 Spoon in the yogurt and whiz until smooth. Taste and sweeten with honey as necessary. Stir in the bee pollen, then pour into a glass and serve immediately.
Strawberry and Camomile
Comforter
Hands-on time: 5 minutes, plus infusing and cooling
5cm (2in) piece cinnamon stick
175g (6oz) strawberries
150ml (¼ pint) freshly pressed apple juice or 2 large dessert apples, juiced
Serves 2, makes 600ml (1 pint)
1 Put the teabags and cinnamon stick into a small heatproof jug and pour in 150ml (¼ pint) boiling water. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes, then discard the bags and cinnamon stick. Leave to cool.
2 When ready to serve, remove the hulls from the strawberries, then wash and pat dry the fruit with kitchen paper. Put into a blender.
3 Pour in the apple juice and cold camomile tea and whiz for a few seconds until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses and serve.
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
2 medium oranges
1cm (½in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
150ml (¼ pint) freshly pressed apple juice or 2 dessert apples, juiced
150ml (¼ pint) freshly pressed carrot juice or 3 medium carrots, 250g (9oz), juiced
mint leaves to decorate
Serves 2, makes 600ml (1 pint)
1 Using a sharp knife, cut a slice of orange and put to one side for the decoration. Cut off the peel from the oranges, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Chop the flesh roughly, discarding any pips, and put into a blender. Add the ginger.
2 Pour in the apple and carrot juice and blend until smooth. Divide between two glasses, decorate with quartered orange slices and a mint leaf and serve.
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
225g (8oz) raspberries, thawed if frozen, juices reserved
1 medium orange
2 tsp thick honey
Serves 1, makes 300ml (½ pint)
1 If using fresh raspberries, remove the hulls, then wash and pat the fruit dry with kitchen paper. Put two raspberries to one side for decoration and put the rest into a blender. If the fruit has been frozen, add the juices as well.
2 Peel the orange, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Chop the flesh roughly, discarding any pips, and put into the blender. Add the honey and whiz until smooth, then pour into a glass, decorate with the raspberries and serve immediately.
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
200ml (7fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
200g (7oz) natural yogurt
125g (4oz) mix of frozen berries, such as blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrants
15g (½oz) rolled oats
2 tbsp runny honey
Serves 2
1 Put all the ingredients into a blender and whiz until smooth. Pour into two tall glasses and serve.
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
1 large ripe banana
125g (4oz) silken tofu, well chilled (see Save Money)
175ml (6fl oz) unsweetened soya milk, well chilled
2 tsp thick honey
a few drops of vanilla extract
Serves 2
1 Peel the banana and slice thickly. Put into a blender.
2 Drain the tofu, mash lightly with a fork and add to the blender.
3 Pour in the milk and add the honey with a few drops of vanilla extract. Whiz for a few seconds until thick and smooth. Pour into a large glass and serve.
For the Slice – Pineapples and Mango
Mangoes
1 Cut a slice to one side of the stone in the centre. Repeat on the other side.
2 Cut parallel lines into the flesh of one slice, almost to the skin. Cut another set of lines to cut the flesh into squares.
3 Press on the skin side to turn the fruit inside out, so that the flesh is thrust outwards. cut off the chunks as close as possible to the skin. repeat with the other half.
Pineapples
1 Cut of the base and crown of the pineapple, and stand the fruit on a chopping board
2 Using a medium-sized knife, peel away a section of skin, going just deep enough to remove all or most of the hard, inedible 'eyes' on the skin. repear all the way around.
3 Use a small knife to cut out any remaining traces of the eyes.
3 Cut the peeled pineapple into slices
Hands-on time: 5 minutes
1 small mango, peeled, stoned and chopped (see here)
2 tbsp oats
4 ice cubes
Serves 2
1 Put the yogurt into a blender. Put a little chopped mango to one side for the decoration, if you like, and add the remaining mango, the oats and ice cubes to the yogurt. Whiz until smooth. Serve immediately, decorated with chopped mango.
