I found kale in Spain, yay! I was dying to try it, but I couldn't find it here and when I did it, I was the happiest girl in the world. I was afraid about the taste because some people say it's too bitter, but I love it! I think it's one of my favorite leafy greens now. I've only tried it in smoothies, but there are dozens of recipes I wanna make. This apple kale green smoothie was the first recipe I made when I bought it and it's really amazing.
I've used organic apples, they taste so much better and also are healthier than store bought. If you can't afford to eat 100% organic, there are some fruits and veggies that you should buy. Read this post to figure out which are the 12 fruits and veggies with the most pesticides, it's very interesting! If you can't buy organic fruits and veggies don't worry and don't avoid them, they are really nutritious and we need them to be healthy. Besides, animal products contain pesticides too, and they are really bad for our health.
You don't need to use red apples to make this recipe, you can also use any kind of apples you like, although maybe you'll need to add more dates, it depends on the sweetness of the apples.
If you can find kale in your area, you should try it. It has a bitter flavor, but you can make delicious smoothies with this super healthy leafy green and eating kale is so beneficial for your health: it's rich in iron, calcium, vitamin A, C and K; it's filled with powerful antioxidants, is a great anti-inflammatory food and is also great for cardiovascular support.
If you can't find it, don't worry! You can use any leafy green instead, my favorite is spinach because it doesn't have an intense flavor and the smoothies are sweet and with a delicious fruit flavor.
I've used homemade quinoa milk to make this smoothie, but you can use any kind of plant milk you like or even you can use water to get a lighter smoothie. I usually have a huge green smoothie for breakfast and I use water instead of milk, but at the beginning I used to add milk because the smoothie taste sweeter. You can start adding milk and then you can substitute it for water.
You can add ice too, but I didn't do it because it's fall, but if you're in spring (lucky you!) you can add some ice and make your smoothie more refreshing. Spices also work really well, I love cinnamon and nutmeg, but you can use your favorite.
The lemon juice is optional, I added it to prevent the apples oxidize, but if you like sweet smoothies, you can remove this ingredient or add more dates. I love to use dates in my smoothies, they are really sweet and healthy, but there are a lot of sweeteners you can use, or even you don't need to add any sweetener.
Green smoothies are my favorite way to eat raw fruits and veggies, they are super easy to make, are ready in less than 5 minutes and taste really good. There are hundreds of smoothie recipes and all of them are delicious. If you don't know how to use kale, I recommend you to make this apple kale green smoothie and if you can't find it use spinach or any other leafy green.It's really important to eat raw fruits and veggies, they are full of nutrients and you'll feel better if you include them in your diet, I promise!
Apple Kale Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups homemade quinoa milk
- 2 red apples
- 1 kale leaf or 2 cups spinach
- 4 dates
- The juice of half a lemon, optional
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Serene Lee says
It is yummy and a great way to start the day.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Serene! Yes, it is 🙂
Dave says
Don't forget to take the pits out of the dates! I didn't and they made quite a racket in the blender..l also just used Almond milk...MMMMmmm!
Iosune says
Hi Dave! Almond milk is great 😉 Have a nice day!
Sunny says
Hi! Just found your marvellous blog with the fantastic recipes, and oh how happy and excited I am to read that there are other dedicated vegans not too far from me! 🙂 I currently live in Zaragoza, and for months and months have I been searching in vain for 3 simple things: kale, parsnip, and nutritional yeast. Any advice as to where these could be found (which supermarket chain / healthfood store / village market / ...) would be greatly appreciated.
Iosune says
Hi Sunny! Thank you so much 😉 We live in Málaga (in the south of Spain). We find the Kale in local markets and also at El Corte Inglés. It's hard to find nutritional yeast here in Spain, that's we usually use brewer's yeast, which is easier to find (we buy it at El Corte Inglés too or Mercadona). You can find nutritional yeast in some health or vegan stores (we call them herbolarios in Spanish). We don't use parsnip, but I think you can also find it at El Corte Inglés or some local markets... Have a nice day!!
Y says
I didn't have Kale so I used spinach. I put 2 dates instead of 4 because the apples are already sweet and I didn't want it to be too sweet. I also used water instead of plant milk which I already do with other smoothies and it tasted delicious. I will have to make it again but with Kale next time.
Iosune Robles says
So glad you liked it 🙂 Have a nice day!