Pear, Kiwi, Berry, Flax Seed Smoothie

From: WI Cheesehead

On Feb 2, 2009

I tried this with fresh strawberries, 3/4 pear, 1/2 banana and added 1 T protein powder and a bit of honey. It was very flavorful, but not cold, so I added some ice and that diluted the flavor, so next time, I'll use frozen berries as stated. Never thought of making a smoothie without added liquid. I used my immersion blender and it worked great! Update: I tried this with homemade kefir (need to find more recipes, as you end up with it every day!) and it came out like a tangy, fruity smoothie.

From: yamakarasu

On Jun 5, 2007

I love the idea of using pear in smoothies! It ended up with a really nice, really thick texture, which I loved. I think this confirmed that I just don't like kiwi in my drinks, lol, so not my favourite combination, but still worth trying. Thanks

From: Karen in Gotham

On Oct 20, 2006

I'm quite new to this community and this is my first post, so "hello" to everyone. I very recently traded in my 15.5-year-old Vita-Mix for an upgrade to the 5000 and couldn't be happier with it--a miraculous machine! Hence, I was delighted that my search for a pear smoothie recipe yielded one developed by another VM owner. I used maple vanilla yogurt and have tried Comice, Bosc, and Scarlett Empress pears; all were great. I've always liked CC Pollen (you can store it in the freezer, BTW), so I used that along with Wyman's frozen blueberries; I like these because they're wild rather than cultivated which they claim makes for more "blue power," as well as a more complex flavor profile. I also added a slice of peeled fresh ginger because I suspected it would complement the pear (it did), as well as a quarter-teaspoon of cinnamon; research indicates that twice this amount taken daily is good for normalizing blood sugar levels (except for Type 1 diabetics). I removed the pear's core and stem, but left the seeds because they contain minute traces of cyanide which kills cancer cells. I also did some research and found that both varieties of flax seeds available in my area (NYC, black and golden) are nutritionally identical, so it really doesn't matter which one you buy. I don't know that one tastes different than the other or if it even matters in a recipe such as this one. Substituting a cup of vanilla soy milk for the yogurt is also good and results in a slightly thinner recipe. This is a really delicious and incredibly healthful way to start the day--thanks, Rita!

From: Roosie

On Jan 26, 2005

Yuuuuuum. I was really surprised at how well the kiwi and pear go together- I never would have thought! I used frozen organic raspberries for the berries (I think that maybe this is what is in the picture... unless those are lychees?). I left off the bee pollen, but I might try it with sometime because I can buy it from the bulk bin at my health food store. I had to add a little milk to make this drinkable- as it was it was quite thick, and I wanted it to be more drinkable than pudding-like, but I did use a thick yogurt too. I would think the flax probably has a nice role in the thickness of this, which I enjoyed, and its nice to get the nutrition of the flax too. I don't have a vitamix, so I ground the flax in my coffee grinder first. Really yummy and creamy- just delightful. I am not a big fruit person, but I'm trying to add more to my diet and I find it easiest in utilizing my blender to make great smoothies like this one! Note that this does make a LARGE serving, I was able to fill a 12-oz glass full almost twice (it was more like 1 and a half times). I've got a ton of kiwis in the frige and I will definitely want to make this again! One of the better smoothies I've tried so far. I'm looking foward to trying it with blueberries as ellie_ did and strawberries too! Thanks Rita!