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.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Pink Power Detox Smoothie
Yield
3 1/2 cups (2 servings)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
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
- 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)
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Pink Power Detox Smoothie
Yield
4 cups
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
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
- Steam beet if necessary before starting. See my tips in the headnote.
- 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.
I Love Big Smoothies too, i do i do! And the colour of this smoothie is gorgeous…nice to try one that’s not green (or worse….brown!) . Just have to restock my lemons and celery then load up my Blendtec for some awesome deliciousness! Can’t wait to try this recipe – thanks, and looking forward to more!
What a gorgeous color! I absolutely love when a smoothie doubles both as a delicious drink and a nutritional powerhouse of energy. I’ve never tried adding a beet to my smoothies before, so that is definitely on my list now!
This looks delightful! I love the addition of beets! And you can’t beat that bright pink color!
Beautiful! I’ve never added beets to my smoothie, but I absolutely must after seeing this.
Yum! I make something very similar with blueberries and lime. I’ve never tried adding celery, that sounds like such a good nutritional boost! Love beet smoothies, so gorgeous.
Oh lord. This looks so good! I love that you’re focusing on healthy, quick and easy recipes for this.
Just found your website a couple weeks ago. I’ve tried a few things to date and love all of it. I can’t wait to try this detox smoothie! Thanks for recipe! And I am looking forward to your cookbook!!
I love the vibrant color of smoothies and juices that use beets. I feel healthier just looking at them! ;) I’m hoping you’ll be sharing some new juice recipes as I just bought a juicer a few weeks ago and am trying to find new, healthy, and delicious recipes!
Keep those suns coming! I love doodles like that, I think they’re fun and they make me happy! This smoothie looks like just the thing I need after a long weekend of wine and Romanian food…
I’ll need a detox smoothie after a month spent baking and eating cupcakes. Yours does look delicious, besides beetroots are one of my favorite vegetable. Outstanding pctures and awesome blog!
I’m excited to follow your month of cupcakes! You are so darn creative….love :)
Beets are one of my favorites! You’re right, very nutritious and “cleansing” to the body. Great recipe Angela :)
I was actually looking for health related content to share. Then I came across your blog. AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT!
One of the best blogs I’ve seen! Kudos! :)
Thanks so much, I appreciate it :)
Is the beet raw and peeled? Or is it cooked and peeled? I’ve got some beets in the fridge and want to make this but want to see if I need to cook anything or not. Looks amazing :)
whoops, my bad, I should have read the recipe more clearly. thank you, Angela! :)
ok, you’ve convinced me. Time to get back into making smoothies!
The color of that smoothie is amazing! Sounds pretty delicious too!
I dont have a Vitamix (yet) and I’d love to make this as a breakfast smoothie before going to work so steaming the beet is out of the question. That being the case, could I juice the beet and celery with a high-powered juicer and then add it to the rest of the ingredients in the blender?
I can’t see why not! That sounds like a great idea to me. Or you can steam/cook the beet the day prior or even cook a batch of beets so you have some on hand. enjoy :)
Okay, I am in love with that hot pink color! I can’t wait to see what other smoothies you have in store this month!
Yum! So good and incredibly healthy. Just wanted to note…
Avocados freeze beautifully! Immediately dice the remaining half, place in a freezer bag and toss into the freezer. Next time you need avocado for your smoothie, it’s ready to go right into the blender.
Yes I do that too when I have leftovers…it’s a great option rather than letting them brown in the fridge. :)
Ooh I am so excited for all these recipes coming up Ange! This smoothie sounds awesome. As soon as I saw the word ‘pink’ I thought, “I hope there’s beets in there!!” Now I just need to go grocery shopping!
This looks gorgeous. I admit, I’m often a grab-and-go kind of gal in the mornings. Do you think this would hold up well if made the night before?
Can’t wait to see the rest of the amazing treats coming this month!
I haven’t tried it, but I think it should be fine overnight. Be sure to put it in an air-tight jar and fill it right to top if possible. Let me know how it goes!