So, while sitting in the waiting room at the dentist's yesterday I happened upon a Lancaster County magazine; in it was this smoothie recipe; and being as it used so many things available from Twin Springs I just had to try it out. I'm actually drinking a glass of it right now, and I got Lyn to have some to get her astute opinion; I'll pretty much eat or drink anything, except English "Steak and Kidney" pie. Lyn, however is pretty particular (to say the least), and so I had to run it by her tastebuds.
Her take on it was that it called for too much Cinnamon, so I have cut the amount from 1 tsp. to 1/2 tsp., but as with any smoothie recipe this is just a base, or starting point from which you can add your own touches. *As far as the ginger goes the recipe calls for ground dry but I always have some ginger root in a bag in my freezer and use that instead. I put the whole pieces of root in a good thick plastic bag, and make sure it is good and wet, as the ice can simply be rinsed off and will help to keep it fresh.
For me the use of the blueberries I have frozen from the summer is a blessing as I don't do baked goods, pre diabetic, you know, and I'm always on the lookout for a way to get the huge nutritional boost of anthocyanins that the berries hold. For a rundown on the health benefits of blueberries try clicking on this link. I guarantee you that it has more information than you ever wished to know about this "powerhouse" fruit.
This recipe actually called for only 1/4 cup of blueberries, and as you'll see I've upped that to 1 full cup. Hey, they couldn't be any better for you. High amounts of anti-oxidants have even been shown to lower the incidence of Alzheimers, not to mention the aches and pains of Rheumatiod Arthritis as well as other forms of inflammation.
Ingredients
1 Nice Big TSFF Apple, quartered, a GoldRush perhaps, though I just used an "over the hill Gold", and it turned out great.
3/4 Cup of TSFF Apple Cider
2 Tbs. of TSFF Apple Butter
1 cup of your frozen TSFF Premium Gourmet Blueberries, or some pitiful store bought sub.
1 Tbs. of Local Maple Syrup (Heck, even that can be had at "Our Own Markets".)
1/2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon (a good starting point, you may want to up it a bit?)
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger, or about 2 tsp. grated fresh ginger, see above*.
While the recipe called for 1/2 cup of ice I thought it was fine not using any as I had upped the frozen blueberry anyway. Mine wasn't so slushy, more like a milkshake, sans milk.
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
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