Persimmon Spinach Smoothie
Let's talk about my blender situation.
I'm hard on blenders. Really, terribly abusive. I've had the same bright orange KitchenAid blender since I was about 22, and the poor girl is in bad shape. We've done a lot of fixes and repairs, but the truth is, my eight-year-old blender just isn't made to go through the kale-blending, soup-pureeing, ice-chopping daily abuse I put it through. In fact, a few months ago, some part in the blade assembly broke again, and she's been sitting in basement purgatory waiting for me to decide if she's going to be fixed again or going to go to the landfill ever since. We've had a good run, but my blender was made for folks who want to make the occasional blended margarita, and as much as I love the occasional blended margarita, I use my blender for a lot more than just that.
I've seen the big ole fancy high-speed blenders demonstrated at Whole Foods, but as much as I love a good kitchen appliance that can blend a cell phone without losing step, I gotta draw the line at dropping $500+ on an appliance that isn't really necessary in my life. I'm just way too cheap frugal to spend that kind of money. It's the same way I feel about organic red bell peppers. Would I love to buy them? Yes. But I cannot justify $4 a pepper, regardless of how pesticide-free they are.
ANYWHO. This sordid tale of my blender-related life is all to inform you about my frame of mind with I walked up to the Ninja booth at the Healthy Living Summit a couple of weeks ago. They had this beautiful, incredible, high-speed blender (the Ninja Ultima) sitting out, and right next to it, a sign saying they were giving away five blenders to HLS attendees-just as long as you snapped a photo with the blender and posted it on Instagram. I was, quite shamelessly, all over that.
And I found out the next evening-I won! I never win raffles or giveaways or things like that, so I was SO pumped. I was at dinner with Lauren, Gretchen, and Amy, and I totally flipped out.
And immediately started thinking about all the amazing things I was going to whip up in my new, shiny blender. So many options! No longer would I have to pre-smash ice. Or only blend things a cup at a time. Or drink a gritty smoothie. Oh, the possibilities!
I really wanted to put my new blender to the test, so I decided to start off with a green persimmon spinach smoothie. Green smoothies can be tricky because if you aren't careful, you might find yourself chewing your smoothie a lot more than drinking it. No one wants to chew a smoothie.
I know a lot of folks use bananas as the base for smoothies, but we don't eat a lot of bananas in our house, so instead, I make sweet, tangy persimmons the base of this persimmon spinach smoothie. If you've never had a persimmon before, it's one of the sweetest fruits on the planet, it's soft, and has a slightly citrus-y flavor. It's incredible delicious. And we're very lucky that they grow wild right in our backyard. But if you don't have your own persimmon tree, many grocery stores carry them (albeit a totally different variety than what grow around here).
The Ultima totally rocked this persimmon spinach smoothie. The thing that impressed me the most was the speed. With my old blender, it took me a good 3-4 minutes worth of blending to make sure there aren't any spinach chunks, but with the Ultima, it was ready to go in just a few seconds. And the added ice? Absolutely no problem. It was smooth, creamy, and totally delicious. I'm a big fan.
I am so thankful to Ninja for being an HLS sponsor, and giving away their awesome blenders to attendees. And if that wasn't cool enough, Ninja also decided to giveaway more blenders to two friends of the winners. Which means not only did I win an awesome blender, but so did the amazing Coach Krissie (because it was the least I could do to pay her back for all the awesome she brings to my life).
📖 Recipe
Persimmon Spinach Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup persimmon puree
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 1 cup nut, soy, or cow's milk
- Handful of ice cubes
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in the carafe of a high-speed blender. Blend on high until very smooth. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
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I would totally rock out a green smoothie like you, or finally make the roasted butternut squash recipe I've been dreaming about ever since the first Fall-ish day hit here!
With the cooler temps, I'm ready for soup!! i'd probably try a new pumpkin soup recipe 🙂
If I won I would make sure to find some persimmons so I could make this recipe! I've never had them before, but they look yummy!
I'm not going to lie, I've been dreaming about my butternut squash soup for a few weeks now and it's finally the time to start making it... it requires the use of a tough blender and I'm pretty sure a NINJA is up for that job! 😉
I would make an apple pie green smoothies I've been digging lately--spinach, kale, parsley, 1/2 banana, 1/2 apple, cinnamon, dash of vanilla extract, coconut milk and almond butter. Deeeelish!
I will finally make Butternut Squash Soup!
I would make banana soft serve!! I'm trying hard to eat better and my love of ice cream is proving hard to overcome. My friend has a ninja and I am OBSESSED with our banana soft serve nights 🙂 I'd make green smoothies, too, since I'm sick of chunky ones made in my black Friday special $15 blender.
I would make a pumpkin smoothie! Or some tomato sauce! Or leek and potato soup! The possibilities are endless!
I would probably make a smoothie first, but after that I would love to make a pesto or a nut butter. My current blender can't process all the heavy duty stuff and I would love to try some more adventurous blends in the kitchen!
I'd probably make margaritas to celebrate!
I would make my very favorite tomato sauce! Onion, tomatoes, basil, olive oil and garlic thrown in a blender and then poured over hot pasta. Mmmmmmmm
I'd make a green smoothie!
I'm with Julie - thinking a nice corn chowder. The timing is awesome, because my blender just bit the dust after many years of loyal service.
Although mine has lost a bit in the power over the years and I had to basically stop making smoothies altogether. The ice just never broke up properly.
I would make a smoothie!
Definitely corn chowder. I have frozen corn from the summer's CSA and from my parents' garden. We love corn on the cob but can never keep up with the "harvest." This year I got wise and froze the extra.
holy crap! you're the luckiest. i, too, abuse my blenders with kale and ice. i've broken many handles of wooden spoons trying to jam ingredients down into the blades to make it finally grab the kale after 5 minutes of blending... terrible. the ninja is the one i've been dreaming about! the first smoothie i will make will definitely be super bright green: kale, spinach, bananas, fresh orange juice, yogurt, spirulina, maybe some oats if i'm feeling crazy.
enjoy your beautiful new toy!
I would make a smoothie! I lost the lid in our move, I have yet to use it. Not to mention I would try and make hummus, peanut butter... The possibilities are endless!
I'll bet that thing would make an awesome salad dressing! I've been dying to create a recipe for a pumpkin cider vinaigrette for my fall salad (baby spinach, roasted butternut squash, apple, pear, walnuts, craisins, roasted red onion, sauteed mushrooms), so that's what I'd first use it for! And then I'm make a coconut mango smoothie with my last coconut Chobani and some leftover diced mango I have in the freezer.
Awesome!! I'd make my newest favorite smoothie - chocolate almond milk + bananas + fresh cherries + peanut butter + ice. =)
I am using my mom's 30-year old (gold colored!) blender and a Magic Bullet, so this would be a wonderful addition to my kitchen!
The Bullet made 100x ita its weight in smoothies this summer, but now that it's cool I'd love to blend up a hot, squash soup. Thanks!