Shake it, baby
I love fruit shakes, fruit juices, and other such drinks. It’s one thing I miss the most in the Philippines: the proliferation of fruit drink stands. You can’t walk 10 minutes in a mall without bumping into one of these things when you’re there!
Sadly, this is not true in Singapore. Oh, there are plenty fruit stands in the food courts and hawker centers, but it’s just not home.
And so, my blender is seeing a lot of action. Last weekend I bought bananas, apples, oranges, lemons and strawberries, mostly to snack on and cut up for dessert. However, what I’m using them for the most now is for making fruit juices and shakes! I have at least one a day for the moment.
It’s crazy easy to make myself a nice, worthy drink, and cleanup of the blender is pretty easy. I usually put in two different kinds of fruits, a cup or two of water or milk, and some honey. Sometimes I add in some ice cubes.
And after, I rinse off the blender body to remove most of the visible fruit/food particles and slush, then I put in about a cup or two of water, a bit of liquid soap, and blend the mixture. Since I don’t usually put sticky stuff in my drinks, this is usually enough for cleanup. Then I can use the diluted, frothy mixture to do the rest of my dish washing! :D
Here are two of my favorite drinks:
- Banana-tomato shake
This was a bit of an “accident”. I was making a grilled egg mayo sandwich and I wanted tomatoes in it. But obviously, one whole tomato is too much for one sandwich, so instead of popping the tomato back in the fridge, I tossed the remaining half into the blender with a banana. A cup of milk (I use low-fat pasteurized milk), about a teaspoon of honey (I never really measure, my honey container has this twisty top), and then I blend them all together.
The result is a creamy banana shake that is not too banana-ey. There is no strong tomato taste, but you occasionally encounter bits and there is a slight tartness to the drink, an edge that wouldn’t have been there with just the mushy banana. It also looks pretty good! Creamy beige with a touch of pink and spots of red.
- Apple-orange juice
Perfect as a pick-me-up for the mornings. I squeeze the juice out of an orange and put that into the blender. As for the apple (I use a Fuji apple), I sometimes leave the skin on, when I don’t have as much time to peel it–it makes the juice look pretty nice, what with small specks of red. I just cut it into smaller pieces and take the core out. They all go into the blender.
Then a cup of water, a teaspoon of honey, and I blend away. I haven’t tried using milk, as I think the citrus and milk together just won’t suit my stomach. It’s perfect as a healthy breakfast drink though, very bright and perky.
I’m doing some more experimentation with a couple other fruits, although I admit I sometimes wonder if I’m crazy to try some combinations out. :x