Super Smoothies:
Introduction
Bring on the fruit.
first published in January 2014
In honor of January’s tradition of fervent promises with poor follow-through, I chose Super Smoothies: 50 Recipes for Health and Energy by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford as my next cookbook.
It’s not that I’m trying to shed a pile of pounds or benchpress a kettlebell (or whatever). I’m simply a big fan of the Fresh Start enthusiasms the beginning of a year brings. Plus, why not try to cut back a bit on the junk food, eat more fruit, and drink something other than coffee?
Published by Chronicle Books, Super Smoothies features an enticing, royal purple smoothie in close-up on its cover. It’s the kind of photo that makes one want to jump right in and start blendering whatever’s lurking in the freezer. (I say that and yet I’ve had this book for years and probably only tried one or two of the drinks, tops.)
But I’ve had mixed feelings on Chronicle’s products over the years. They often feel like a triumph of style over substance — trend-obsessed and overpriced. (Plus, years ago I tried to get an editing job there and the two young women who interviewed me couldn’t have been less welcoming. It left a bad taste.)
Ready to create a shopping list for my first few experiments, I cracked open the paperback on a recent Friday night. After their brief, completely skippable introduction (“well being of the entire family something something,” “peak of the season produce blah blah blah”), the authors, who look to be identical twins in the back-cover-flap photo, find all kinds of ways to bore the eager smoothie maker. They offer 10 Tips for Super Smoothies (“#3: Use fresh frozen fruits within two weeks” — a commandment I’ve already broken, big time); back-to-back fruit and vegetable glossaries; a list of “binders” (the stuff that helps all those berries and carrots stick together); two more lists, this time of nutrients and additives; and, finally, some preparation hints. I’m sure the 40 pages that proceed the recipes are all very useful for someone, but honestly, I just wanted to make some smoothies.
Once I reached the actual recipes, I felt my excitement fade. Rather than helpful, descriptive titles a la Flavors of Mexico, here one gets Yoga Blend, Flu-Buster, Plum Teethin’ (yes, for babies), Scale-Tipper Sipper and — wince — Cold Flash. That last is in the “For the Gals” chapter of the book (a title that makes me want to drop-kick a Bic For Her pen).
I found a few recipes that sounded good, or at least too strange to skip: one with peaches and blueberries, another with strawberries and red pepper of all things. I entered the necessary ingredients into our household’s shared “Groceries” list and planned to shop the following night.
If all went well, soon I’d be “sippin” and “bustin” (but hopefully not teethin’).