While more and more people are opting to live a plant-based lifestyle, it is by no means an easy feat, especially in the kitchen! Many plant-based warriors believe that the trick to staying healthy and feeling satisfied on a plant-based diet is simplicity, and what’s more simple than a smoothie? Smoothies really are a culinary marvel, you can pretty much fit your daily fruit and vegetable requirements into one meal, and unlike with fruit juices, you don’t lose any fibre from the fruits and vegetables.
What’s more, slurping down immune boosting smoothies in winter is a great way to keep colds and the flu at bay! This recipe for a delicious Poached Pear & Rosemary Smoothie was created by The Honest Grazer’s, Linda Engelbrecht for Country Road and is a winter must-try. The antioxidants in pears help to prevent infections and boost the immunity of the body, while the phenolic phytonutrients, anti-inflammatory flavonoids and phytonutrients present in pears help to protect the cells.
The recipe also contains a generous dash of kale and ginger. With high levels of vitamin C, kale is a cold fighting power house. It packs a powerful antioxidant punch and also helps fight off infection and regenerate other antioxidants in the body. Ginger, on the other hand, is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps support digestion while also being rich in immune boosting antioxidants.
Poached Pear & Rosemary Smoothie
“I find poached pears quintessential to cool weather,” says Engelbrecht, “but I wanted to bring it into a different context of a smoothie that is light and fresh. It’s comforting and warming in terms of flavour but still light enough to have in autumn.”
Ingredients
4 pears (3 cooked (skin removed and boiled in plant milk) and then frozen, 1 for grilling)
1/4 cup kale (one large stalk)
4 sprigs fresh rosemary 1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and chopped)
2/3 cup any plant milk 1 tsp honey
1 tbsp hemp seeds
Method
Peel and core pears and chop in halves.
Bring the plant milk to a boil in a saucepan and poach the pear halves for 10-15min or until cooked through but not too soft.
Remove the pears from the milk and allow to cool completely.
Chop into rough chunks and place in the freezer overnight.
Pre-heat oven to 200 C grill.
Thinly slice one pear and places slices onto a roasting pan.
Sprinkle over half the rosemary and walnuts and drizzle honey over.
Grill for 10min until pear slices are sticky and nuts are toasted. Blend the frozen pears with remaining ingredients (kale, almond butter, hemp seeds, ginger and remaining rosemary) until completely smooth.
Top with roasted walnuts and pear slices before serving.
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While you’re in the kitchen, try this recipe for Quick & Easy Butter Biscuits.