Introducing Vegan Glow + Pink Power Detox Smoothie Recipe

After years of drooling from the sidelines, this marks my first year participating in Vegan Mofo which challenges participating bloggers to write about vegan food for the entire month. [For more details, see the Vegan Mofo website.] Colour me excited.

I considered all kinds of random themes for September, but in the end I decided on something I know I could put my heart and soul into. Even though my sweet tooth voted for “DESSERT MONTH!!”, my head decided otherwise. Vegan Glow will showcase wholesome, vegetable-heavy vegan recipes that will leave you feeling energized. The recipes will be similar to my own style of recipe creation, but they’ll be kicked up a few notches. Given that it’s back to school and work season, I’m aiming to share as many quick and easy recipes as I can.

In other news, I now have a “thing” for making rather pathetic “glowing” suns in Photoshop. Oh dear.

What can you expect to see on Oh She Glows this month? Well, I have several recipes lined up from raw recipes and juices/smoothies to healthy desserts and energizing fall-inspired soups. And who knows what else. I sure don’t.

I hope you are hungry because it’s going to be a great month!

Up first, I’m sharing this power smoothie that I’m obsessed with lately. Power smoothies are what I call the mega dose, nutrient-packed smoothies of the bunch. You know that’s how I roll. This one surely is up there on the list of health drinks. I’ve been drinking it for breakfast several mornings a week and it makes me feel incredible. Best of all, it makes just shy of 4 cups…aka one big ass smoothie. I like big smoothies and I do not lie. All you other bloggers can’t deny…

Seeing as we’re just coming off a holiday weekend, I figured this was a good “back on track” smoothie to kick off the new month. Let’s do it up.

Here are a few reasons to chug this down, from a nutritional standpoint. I’ll talk more about the flavour in the headnote below.

Beet – cleanses the liver, purifies the blood, anti-inflammatory, source of iron

Avocado – helps lower blood pressure, lubricates joints, anti-inflammatory, loads of healthy fats, high in fibre

Strawberries – high in antioxidants, rich source of vitamin C, benefits digestion

Celery – acts as mild diuretic, promotes feeling of fullness, rich in B vitamins and fibre

Lemon – antibacterial properties, aids digestion, high in Vitamin C, detoxifies and alkalizes, mild diuretic

Virgin Coconut oil – fights viruses, fungi, and bacteria, metabolism booster, healthy MCT fats, increases good HDL cholesterol

Apple (optional) – helps balance blood sugar levels, helps lower cholesterol, aids digestion

[Source: Healing Foods, DK Publishing 2013]

Convinced yet?

[Just an update – We’re still having issues with the new recipe uploader not displaying in Feedly. Hopefully we’ll have a fix for this soon! Thanks for your understanding.]

This recipe directly below is an updated version (April 23, 2016). The original recipe follows.

Pink Power Detox Smoothie

Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, no bake/raw, nut-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

★★★★★
4.9 from 14 reviews

Yield
3 1/2 cups (2 servings)

Prep time
10 minutes

Cook time
0 minutes

Total time
10 minutes

Beet, strawberries, avocado, and lemon unite to create one kick-butt, surprisingly delicious, bright pink smoothie! This smoothie is lightly sweet and creamy, while packing in the detoxifying power of beet and lemon. If you're not a beet fan you might be wondering if you can taste the beet. The answer is yes you can definitely taste the beet! However, I think the beet flavour is balanced quite nicely in this smoothie (keep in mind this is coming from a beet fan).

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250 mL) water*
• 1 cup (150 g) frozen strawberries
• 1/3 cup (45 g) chopped fresh beet**
• 1/4 cup (50 g) avocado
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lemon juice
• 1 large sweet apple (200 grams), roughly chopped
• 5 to 6 large ice cubes
• Liquid sweetener, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth. Taste and add liquid sweetener, if desired.

Tip:

• * For a sweeter smoothie, try using coconut water instead of water.
• ** You might want to steam the beet until tender before blending if you don't have a Vitamix or other capable blender.  I just blend it raw because I know my Vitamix can handle it.

Nutrition Information

(click to expand)

Serving Size 1 3/4 cups (435 mL) | Calories 130 calories | Total Fat 4 grams
Saturated Fat 0.5 grams | Sodium 25 milligrams | Total Carbohydrates 26 grams
Fiber 6 grams | Sugar 15 grams | Protein 2 grams
* Nutrition data is approximate and is for informational purposes only.

Pink Power Detox Smoothie

Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, no bake/raw, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

Yield
4 cups

Prep time
10 minutes

Cook time
0 minutes

Total time
10 minutes

Beet, strawberries, avocado, and lemon unite to create one kick-butt, surprisingly delicious, bright pink smoothie! This creamy & thick smoothie is not overly sweet - it's more on the tart side thanks to juice from a whole lemon. If you prefer sweeter smoothies, I suggest adding an apple to the mix or your preferred liquid sweetener. I also suggest using a small to medium sized beet, anything larger and the earthy beet might overpower the other flavours. Consider gently steaming the beet until tender before blending if you don't have a Vitamix or other capable blender.  I just use the beet raw because I know my blender can handle it. Best to be safe than sorry if you are unsure!

Ingredients

• 1 cup water or coconut water
• 1/2 medium avocado, pitted
• 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 cup strawberries (frozen preferred), hulled if necessary
• 1 small/medium beet, ends trimmed and roughly chopped*
• 1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons or so)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 4 large ice cubes
• 1 apple ( if sweeter smoothie is desired - optional), cored and roughly chopped

Directions

1. Steam beet if necessary before starting. See my tips in the headnote.
2. Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth. Adjust sweetness if desired, adding an apple or liquid sweetener to taste if needed.

Tip:

1) If you are not a beet fan, try adding a handful of leafy greens instead of the beet and include the optional apple. 2) Smoothies shown in pictures does not include apple. Yield may be slightly higher with an apple added in.