No Recipe Cooking: Apple Cilantro Smoothie

Sometimes I see smoothie recipes and I laugh. No actually, it’s more of a cackle. A kind of a you-must-be-joking kind of a cackle. Because let’s be honest, a smoothie is not complicated. It does not need a recipe. You take some tasty things, and then some other tasty things, you put them in a blender, and you press the on button until you get your desired consistency.

But then again, I know that recipes aren’t just about amounts. Recipes are about inspiration.

Think about cookbooks for a second. Chances are that there are a handful on your shelf from which you have only cooked a few recipes. But you love them anyway. They sit there and look at you, begging to be opened, and when you do pull back that cover and flip through the pages, often it’s not the precise measurements that you’re after but an idea. A kick in the culinary pants so to say. The thing to get you out of your brown rice and black beans rut.

That book is what gets you through your next meal, sometimes because of a precise recipe, and sometimes just thanks to an idea that it spawns in your head. “Oh yes, I could mix carrots and ginger…”

No Recipe Cooking: Apple Cilantro Smoothie on Foodie Underground

So maybe I shouldn’t scoff at smoothie recipes. But it’s all to say that smoothie making doesn’t have to be complicated. As long as you are choosing a few good ingredients, it’s pretty hard to mess them up. You are literally just pureeing stuff.

This smoothie happens to be my post-run morning recovery drink. Before I get to coffee that is. It’s fresh and perfect for waking you up. As if the run hadn’t already done that.

If you’re not a cilantro fan, you can switch out for mint, because that works wonderfully as well.

No Recipe Cooking: Apple Cilantro Smoothie on Foodie Underground

Apple Cilantro Smoothie

Ingredients:

Apples

Cilantro

Lime or lemon juice

Water

Preparation:

Rinse and core the apples. You see those red flecks in the photo? That’s because I leave the peel on.

Cut into smaller pieces and place in the blender. Add in a little cilantro and a little lemon or lime juice. You can add more as you go, so don’t go over the top with these two ingredients right away.

Pour in some water, so that the apples are almost covered.

Blend.

Add in more water if you want a more diluted consistency.

Pour into glasses, drink and smile.

No Recipe Cooking: an ongoing series of recipes that don’t actually require a recipe.