The Ecopolitan + Green Smoothie Recipe

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd let you know what's occupying my time lately. Since I got back from foraging, I have been staying at the Ecopolitan restaurant in the Twin Cities, where I am receiving treatment from the doctor who owns it, Dr. Adiel Tel-Oren. He is an M.D., a retired chiropractor, a nutritionist, and a professor at the University of Natural Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a number of other degrees and certifications. If you're wondering about his name... it is Israeli. He also has clinics in Israel, Italy, and California-- He gets around!

So, while I have been here, I have been receiving various therapies and eating 3 meals a day at the Ecopolitan organic, vegan, raw food restaurant. You can read more about it here: http://www.ecopolitan.com/healthyfood/the-restaurant/129-healthy-restaurant-gold-standards Since I'm in the recovery process, my choices are limited to green smoothies and salads, but they are incredibly good! Since I also have discovered I have a number of food sensitivities (46, in fact), I can't really order straight off the menu. So, I get to do the "Custom Salad" and "Custom Smoothie." My smoothies are always Green Smoothies.

What is a Green Smoothie, you ask? Well, basicly, it's just a fruit smoothie with a handful or two of leafy greens. Options include kale, arugula, spinach, lettuce, parsley, cilantro, mustard greens... really whatever you have. Freshly foraged greens are even better! Frozen fruit helps make the smoothie cool and refreshing-- a good reason for picking berries in the summer and freezing them for fresh tasting smoothies through the winter months ahead. Here's an especially delicious smoothie I had the other day:

Frosty Kiwi-Pear-Cilantro Green Smoothie:

2 frozen pears

2 fresh kiwis

1 handful (or 2 if you're brave!) fresh cilantro

Blend, add water to thin if necessary, and enjoy!

A Delicious Pumpkin Smoothie

Photo Source

So, I really wasn't ready to think about fall just yet... But since I'm on this 4-day rotation diet, and therefore limited to what I am allowed to eat each day, I resorted to using some canned pumpkin yesterday evening to make a rather filling smoothie for dinner. It turned out quite delicious, so I thought I'd share the recipe. I adjusted ingredients "to taste," but here's the general recipe:

Creamy Pumpkin Smoothie

1/2 cup canned organic pumpkin
1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup ice cubes
1 Tbsp of honey or maple syrup (I used 1 packet of Sweet Leaf stevia)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp maca powder, optional (used to build the adrenal glands)

Combine ingredients in a blender and BLEND. Add additional water to thin as necessary, and adjust the other ingredients "to taste." Try cinnamon, cloves, ginger, or pumpkin pie spice, if you like. (Serves one)

Enjoy!