Cherry Smoothie Recipe
You've caught me in the middle of a cherry bender, and in this case I've tripled-down on all things red - cold-brewed hibiscus water (easy to make), blood oranges, and plump, sweet cherries. They come together in a fantastic cherry smoothie.
Two days from now I'll be en route to Hong Kong. It's a quick trip to one of the world's great cities, and I'm excited to have quite an adventure planned. We'll be in Hong Kong, before driving to see Near & Far at the printer. It's a part of the bookmaking process I don't know as much about, and I'm excited to better understand some of the related minutiae. I'm not sure what sort of internet connection I'll have outside the city, but I'll try to post a few pics to my Instagram account while I'm there, and publish a couple more comprehensive posts when I get back (favorite places, visiting the printer, etc). In the meantime, please enjoy this cherry smoothie. You've caught me in the middle of a cherry bender, and in this case I've tripled-down on all things red - cold-brewed hibiscus water (easy to make), blood oranges, and plump, sweet cherries. I've caught terrible colds on the last couple of long flights I've been on, so I'm hoping that if bolster my vitamin C intake with the cherries, orange and hibiscus. xo -h
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Cherry Smoothie Recipe
Cherry season is fleeting, this smoothie is also delicious if you need to swap in alternative fruit - strawberries, raspberries, or a blend of red fruit/berries is delicious.
1 1/2 cups sweet cherries, pitted
1/2 cup hibiscus water* or water
1 banana, peeled
1/3 cup almond or coconut milk (or other nut milk)
1 (blood) orange
1 heaping tablespoon almond (or nut) butter
1 cup cubed pineapple
Combine all the ingredients in an upright blender and process until uniform. If the smoothie is too thick, carefully incorporate more hibiscus water, slowly, through the feed hole on the lid with the motor running. Pour into glasses and enjoy.
Serves 2-3.
*I cold brew hibiscus water quite a lot. Place 1/4 cup dried hibiscus leaves (also called jamaica) in a container with 4 - 6 cups of cold water. Let steep until the water is sufficiently hibiscus flavored 2 - 6 hours depending on your preference. Sweeten if you like, and enjoy - or use as a vibrant, tart component in other recipes.
Prep time: 5 minutes
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Comments
Hi, where do you find Hibiscus/Jamaica?
Thanks,
Melina
Is it possible to use rice milk? I am unable to have nut/soy/coconut milk , I was just going to substitute like usual but it specified nut milk and I wasn’t sure if the nut milk added something that rice milk would not.
HS: Hi Melissa, I typically don’t love rice milk, but you can absolutely use it, or any other nut or seed milk you think will taste great.
Hey, great inspiration for the summer. Thank you. Bought some cherries today at the market 🙂
You’re obviously enjoying that all-things red thingy of yours, lol! Well, this somewhat red cherry smoothie is definitely a winner. I love that it’s simple, it’s healthy and of course it never hurt that it’s pretty, right? Love the idea of using hibiscus water, too.
Thank you for this delicious addition to my smoothie repertoire, easity adaptable to what I had on hand (tangerine juice instead of blood orange, milk + a spoonful of coconut oil).
Thank you for this healthy unique cherry smooth idea. This is the first time I have heard of a cherry smooth. I am not sure why it is not common, since there are so many health benefits for consuming cherries. Tart and sweet cherries provide excellent health benefits. They are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Tart cherries provide a good source of vitamin A and melatonin (a sleep hormone that aids in sleeping). Deep red pigment cherries are known from flavonoids which are powerful antioxidants that help fight free radical and cancer. Cherries are well known to help reduce painful inflammation in the body such as arthritis and gout.
Oh cherries ! I love you with all my being, I could have 2 of these right now ! Beautiful !
This sounds delicious! I’ll go check out my fridge to see if I have at least most of the ingredients.
I am cherry lover and this dish looks so yummy that i can’t wait to make it.It is very smooth and perfect drink for summers.
I will definatly try this one 🙂 Love having smoothies for breakfast! Have a great stay in Hong Kong, enjoy the time! Greetings from Südtirol, Italy 🙂
This is a seriously special cherry smoothie. I’ve not brewed hibiscus water but I love this pairing with cherries. Hope it boosted your Vitamin C levels for the trip over. Looking forward to pictures and stories from your time there!
Lovely recipe Heidi – as always! I will stock it up with many others to try when summer arrives here in the Southern Hemisphere in about 4 months time…
As a seasoned long-haul flier, I just wanted to share my solution to the colds you always pick up when travelling is tea tree oil: take a tiny bottle of the essential oil in your hand luggage, and use it either dripped on a tissue or handkerchief or use the bottle and just take a great big inhale of the vapour every now and again! It’s an antiseptic and antibacterial I believe, but whatever it is, it works – I’ve not got sick whilst travelling since I started using it! 😀
Yum! I hope you have a great trip. Wish I could hide in your suitcase.
Hong Kong is also my home. Hope you have a chance to eat at http://www.grassrootspantry.com/ It is the best, ask to talk with chef Peggy Chan.
Also, the tea museum mentioned above has a restaurant that serves great vegetarian dim sum – Lok Cha Tea House – http://www.lockcha.com/teahouse/?lang=eng
Hi Heidi
How exciting that you are coming to visit HK, my home. Re internet access don’t worry there this is one of the most wired up cities in the world and you have access everywhere even out in the country parks. I hope you get to try the some of the wonderful food Chefs here in HK are putting out. Of course good old Chinese dim sum is a must but do try out Some of the new veg, vegan, health food places. Finally, though quite hot we are currently relatively pollution free so try to get out to the country parks they are beautiful and you will be surprised at how green HK actually is when you get out of the city, and it takes no time at all.
Enjoy your time here
Angie
I have been using a saline solution prior to each flight to help not catch colds on flights.
Enjoy your trip to Hong Kong – fantastic! I LOVE my Colleen Hennessey bowls.
HS: Miss you K! xxoo
What blender do you use for smoothies and do you also have a personal blender and which one? I love your recipes.
HS: Thanks June – I have a Vita-mix. Blanking on the exact model (I’m not at home)…but I can check if that is helpful.
I love cherries. Still around a month to wait in the UK until we get them properly in season – and the brightest, juiciest, best ones come from Kent. My husband just came home with two bags of imported cherries (Spain, I think) and the flavour was such a disappointment. Local is always best. However I did manage to bring out some taste in them by baking a gorgeous cherry clafoutis and eating it with clotted cream! Have fun in Hong Kong Heidi!
Lucky you, Hong Kong is a magnificent city. if you get a chance grab a ferry and get out to one of the Islands, the harbour is spectacular. fast and easy way to get into natural settings. Also, if you are into tea culture try to visit a tea house or the K.S. Low teaware museum. beautiful examples of Yixing teapots.
Good luck on the flight. I have a friend who got sick on every long flight he took and in desperation started wearing a surgical mask, which worked. He thinks it’s the recycled air on planes that makes him sick. But tanking up on vitamin C is a good idea and usually delicious! Thanks for the interesting ideas.
I love cherries, especially when they are bursting to life this time of year. Smoothies look like the perfect vehicle for getting my cherry fill too! Have a wonderful trip Heidi!
Such a well-timed post for me – I was in an Afro-Caribbean shop yesterday and saw bags of pink leaves called ‘dried sorrel’ which confused me as I thought sorrel was green. Your comments about hibiscus/jamaica reminded me of these pink leaves, so I’ve just looked it up and it turns out that hibiscus is also known as ‘the sorrel of the Caribbean’, which is great as it means that I now know where to buy hibiscus to brew my own agua de jamaica based on your instructions! Thank you! Here’s the wiki link if you’re interested – I didn’t realise it was such a globally used plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roselle_%28plant%29
Heidi., Curious….just wondering.
Are there not any printers, bookmakers in the states? It would be nice to give the work to someone local. ann
HS: Hi Ann – My understanding (and I’m hoping to get a better grasp on this) is there are good number of factors that go into deciding where a book is printed – the technical spec, price point, color vs. b/w, type of paper, release date, number of books printed, etc. So, for example, if you want 50,000 copies of a book, full-color, on un-coated paper made either tree-free or from paper made from a sustainable source, at a certain trim size, you might have a different set of printer options versus 10,000 copies, b/w, with color inserts, etc, etc, etc. Also, clearly, there is a lot of price competition in the book market.
You never cease to inspire. Have a lovely time in Hong Kong. A friend of mine has a cooking studio there, I think you’ll like it.
I LOVE cherries, get them while you can! Using infutions instead or water for a soothie base is something I do often – keeps thing interesting on the smoothie front. Love the idea of red on red. I bet this would be fantastic with frozen cherries or raspberries as well. Safe travels!
mmm cherries! been on a smoothie bowl binge of a sort and this is now on my list of recipes to try. and hope you’ll enjoy hong kong – only been there twice in the last couple of years, love the vibe of the place.*great* foods too!
HS: Hi Chika – yes! I’m excited 🙂
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