For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, January means winter. Cold temps. Plenty of soups and casseroles to keep us warm. This is the time of year when we start dreaming of fresh fruits and our summer gardens. Heavy tomatoes on the vine. Fresh herbs sprouting from window boxes. Cucumber vines trailing around the yard. Ripe, plump strawberries glistening in the fields, ready to be turned into all kinds of delicious treats. Can you picture it? It’s nice, right? What if I told you it was possible to have a Strawberry Garden Smoothie with the tastes of summer, in the middle of winter? It’s true!
My friend Ally, from Ally’s Kitchen has been working with Dole Packaged Foods in order to create some fantastic recipes! You’ve already read about the Pineapple Serrano Hummus and the Healthy Green Smoothie, but today, I’m sharing a Strawberry Garden Smoothie that will bring your tastebuds straight to your front porch on a sunny summer day!
The frozen sliced Dole Strawberries completely make this smoothie! It doesn’t get watered down by using ice. The strawberries do the chilling for you. If your Pineapple Juice and cumber are cold too, you’re golden. The only sweetener in this Strawberry Garden Smoothie is a small dash of honey. Talk about healthy! With just a bit of fresh basil, it brings everything together on your tongue! Not only is this smoothie fun to have now, in a few months, when all those fresh herbs and veggies ready to harvest, you’ll be able to enjoy this again!
I like how that works!
Strawberry Garden Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dole Frozen Sliced Strawberries
- ¾ cup Dole Pineapple Juice chilled
- ¼ cup cucumber peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor.
- Cover and blend until smooth.
- Serve immediately!
On January 1, I hope you’ll tune in to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade where Dole Packaged Food’s float, “Soaring Over Paradise,” explores the world’s rainforests. The float includes four waterfalls, a zip line that travels through the rainforest canopy and a flock of Macaws that appear to take flight over the floral gardens. If you watch early enough, you’ll get to see Ally on TV too!
Have a safe, blessed and Happy New Year friends! I look forward to sharing a delicious and healthy 2016 with all of you! See you in January!
Lawsy, I can just TASTE this now, Sara! It’s just lush and luscious!! You’ve got an amazing creaminess in the texture and the photo just jumps at me!! Love it, littl’ sis! Thank you!! xoxo