[.ca] Smoothies: 50 Recipes for High-Energy Refreshment (ISBN 0811816486)

yummy!!:
This is a great smoothie book not too many weird ingredients and the drinks are very tasty and healthy, I'm glad I purchased this-it gets a lot of use!!

Smooth Move!:
I first purchased this book hoping it would help me get more produce into a picky eater. Not only did it work beautifully to that end, but I have given it four times as a gift. The recipes are divided into 'wholesome mergers', which include some dairy products, 'no-moo blends', which don't, 'decadent medleys', which are more desert-like and calorie laden, and a few 'drunken concoctions', which, of course, include alcohol. The book has great visual appeal, lip-smacking pictures, and a vintage flavor. There are a couple of invaluable smoothie lessons that I picked up from this book. One is to freeze the fruit beforehand, in a single layer on a cookie sheet, then store it in a container. Once you have an idea of what your favorite smoothies call for, you can always have the ingredients on hand. I now always break older bananas into pieces and toss them into baggies in the freezer. Although some smoothies ingredients call for advance planning, there are plenty that I can make from basic on-hand ingredients: for instance the Smoothie a la King (named for Elvis) made with bananas, vanilla frozen yogurt, peanut butter, and milk; and the Smoothie Classico, made with frozen strawberries, bananas, and orange juice. This week, with what I had on hand, I also made the Pea-Pine-Fu, featuring peaches, pineapple, and tofu; the Sweet Cherry-ot made with peaches, cherries, cherry juice, and raspberry sorbet; and the Jitterbug, made with coffee, bananas, vanilla frozen yogurt, and the hazelnut syrup I had leftover from the last time I made this one! One drawback, as mentioned by other people, is the number of differing ingredients needed for different smoothies. If you want to make three different smoothies in one week, you may need three different juice flavors. If you don't have unlimited space in your fridge (as I don't) you may need to do a little creative substituting such as juice flavors, sorbet flavors, and soymilk for cow milk, etc. But hey! Smoothies are an art, not a science! It's easy once you get the basic smoothie idea. Basically, however, I've learned scads about smoothies from this book, and every smoothie I've made has been absolutely delicious. I don't think I have any other recipe book from which I have made over 1/2 the recipes!

Great ideas.:
I bought this book two weeks ago and haven't stopped using it yet! Unlike previous reviews, I find that the ingredients are easy to find, especially if you have a local farmer's market to hand which can make fruit shopping quite inexpensive. Also, take the advice of the authors and freeze the fruit as it is in the height of season. That way, you save on expense and can enjoy the flavorful tastes of summer any time you want! My favorite recipes from the book are the Nectarine Nelly (orange juice, nectarines and mango) and the Cherry Pop (soda, cherries and ice cream, etc.). In addition, many of these recipes can be adapted to your own tastes and the book includes many options--even for those who prefer soy products over milk products. All in all, there's something for everyone here!

A perfect blend...:
The food court near my seminary has recently opened a 'smoothie bar', and the bookstore manager has taken a fancy to it; hence, for my birthday, part of my gifts included this book on 'Smoothies'. In it are 50 fancy recipes for smoothies -- blender-produced fruit drinks that can be decadent, nutritious, or both! Gone are the days when one simply pushed a banana and milk in a blender. In this book are complex and intricate ideas for wonderful treats. The book begins with a basic introduction to smoothies. Smoothies are for everyone, and there are appropriate smoothies for almost any time of day and any kind of taste. The nutrition and food/fruit guide at the beginning gives an overall view of things you need to know; particularly with regard to the fruit, preparation is important. Smoothies generally assume frozen fruit -- freezing in a certain way can lead to much greater convenience at the 'smooth' end. Similarly, the guide to different kinds of milk, juice, etc., and equipment for use is very handy. Beyond this, the primary part of the book is organised into four sections, according to different kinds of smoothies. **Wholesome Mergers** These are for the health-food fans. Peaches, plums, nectarines, mangos, even rhubarb make an appearance in this section. There are sixteen recipes in all. Even the so-called 'Bad Boy' here is a healthy feast of boysenberries and blueberries. **No-Moo Blends** As the name would indicate, these smoothies are made from anything but standard dairy milk -- soy, rice, yogurt, tofu, anything but milk. Smoothies made with tea, with juices, with non-dairy products will be appreciated by vegetarian/vegan types, but also by others who won't know they're not supposed to like them! **Decadent Medleys** Here is where you can go wild with frozen yogurt, ice cream, chocolate additives, and the like. These are not just smoothies -- these are high-end, satisfying desserts. As the authors state, it takes tremendous willpower, upon making two servings, not to eat both servings yourself! Cheesecake, mocha, cappuccino -- anything sweet and decadent will do. Here is even a root-beer float like none other! **Drunken Concoctions** From the Tropical Teaser to the Sunset Sipper, these smoothies are just the thing for parties and small gatherings of good friends. Wine, rum, brandy, Grand Marnier, and more are used here, to no small effect. The average smoothie takes only about ten minutes to make, given proper pre-planning and storage of the ingredients. The authors recommend storing and labelling in one-serving amounts, for ease of use later. These are 'designer' smoothies -- they are not for the timid; the ingredients can be hard to come by (one needs a good quality grocer nearby). Yet these are delightful, unique treats, unlikely to be found even in the fanciest of restaurants and smoothie bars. The book itself is a work of art, with stunning photography, innovative and modern graphic layout designs, full-colour format and sturdy, moisture-resistant pages (the better for the guide to be used in the kitchen). This makes a good recipe book and an interesting coffee-table book.