Green Chia Seed BlastRaw Vegan Smoothie Packed With Healthy Fats

This rich and delicious smoothie blends
green veggies and fruits with healthy fats.

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Green Smoothie
This is one of the tastiest green smoothies I've ever made. It was inspired by the Green Machine that I had at VegeNation in Las Vegas last month. I started with their main ingredients of kale, parsley, cucumber, avocado and grapes, and added some healthy fats to provide omega-3 and omega-6, monosaturated fats, as well as medium chain triglycerides.

Do Not Fear Fat!
Fats are critical to your diet. For one, they help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins. A recent study showed that "the presence of fat in a meal with which a vitamin D-3 supplement is taken significantly enhances absorption of the supplement." That study showed an average increase of 32% absorption. Other fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, K and E, also benefit from the presence of fat in the diet.

Fat also improves carotenoid absorption and improves the conversion of beta-carotene into vitamin A. 

I added chia seeds, avocado, and coconut butter to this recipe. Chia seeds are a wonderful source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Avocado contains healthy monosaturated fats, such as oleic acid. Coconut butter contains medium-chain triglycerides that are readily used as energy. Besides their health benefits, these foods provide a nice, thick texture for the smoothie and the coconut butter adds another level of deliciousness.

One serving of Green Chia Seed Blast smoothie provides approximately 1 entire gram of both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in a 1:1 ratio.

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Green Chia Seed Blast
Raw Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]

Requires a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec.

Freeze the grapes the night before.
Allow 30 minutes to hydrate the chia seeds.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup room temperature water
1 cup loosely packed parsley
1 cup tightly packed kale, ribs removed
1 tablespoon raw coconut butter
1 cup cold water
1 large avocado, peeled, pit removed
1 large English cucumber, peeled and sliced
3 cups frozen grapes

Directions
Place the chia seeds in 1 cup of room temperature water. Stir vigorously and set aside until the chia seeds are completely hydrated, stirring occasionally - about 30 minutes.

Wait until the chia seeds are completely hydrated.

Place the parsley, kale, coconut butter, hydrated chia seeds, and cold water into the blender. Process until the greens are well chopped.

Add the avocado, cucumber, and frozen grapes to the blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutrition
Per serving: 205 calories, 10 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 960 mg omega-3 and 996 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber, and 24 mg sodium.

Make Dried Parsley Flakes In 2 Minutes

Dry garden parsley before it freezes and enjoy all winter!

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Storing Herbs
If you go to the store to buy parsley, basil, or some other herb for a recipe, you usually use a tablespoon and, quite often, the rest goes to waste. Well, in two minutes you can turn parsley into parsley flakes and save them for later use. 

And if you are growing herbs in your garden, they will soon freeze so it's time to start drying those too.

Parsley
I use a lot of dried parsley when I cook. It's a nutrient powerhouse. One tablespoon provides 8% of your daily requirement of both iron and manganese. It is also is a very good source of fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, riboflavin, calcium magnesium, and potassium and a good source of vitamins E and B6, niacin, folate, phosphorus, zinc, copper and selenium. 

Parsley grows easily in the garden.

Microwave
There are several ways to dry herbs. You can use a dehydrator, let them dry in the sun, place them in a warm oven, etc. But a technique that I think works the best is to put them in the microwave.

OK, I can hear you screaming from here as some of you feel very strongly about microwave cooking. So let me tell you how I personally feel about microwave ovens.

* I have never personally cooked a meal in a microwave oven. I think the results are inferior to other forms of cooking.

* I use them to rapidly heat up or defrost food using ceramic and glass vessels and I NEVER cover them with plastic wrap or any kind of plastic material that could leach into the food.

* I never stand in front of a microwave oven when it's in use - not because I am convinced scientifically that it's bad but just in case. 

* Since drying herbs takes only minutes, I believe that this technique preserves their nutrients.

Drying Parsley
Start with dry parsley. If I'm getting it out of my organic garden and it's fairly clean, I just shake it off. If you purchase it and want to wash it first, make sure it's completely dry before you start.

Place a paper towel on the bottom of your microwave. If you have a turntable, place the paper towel on the turntable. 

Remove the large stems from the parsley and place small clumps across the paper towel in a single layer.

Ready to be microwaved.

Close the door and microwave for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes.

Test the parsley to see if it's completely dry. If not, set it for another minute.
Remove the parsley. If it's still warm, let it cool a bit. 

Dried parsley before removing the small stems.

Holding the small stems, pull the parsley off into a dish. Leave the flakes large or grind them into smaller flakes by rubbing them between your fingers. It's best to leave them larger and crumble them later when needed.

Place in a jar and store in your spice cabinet. Notice how the parsley retains its bright green color using this technique.

You can use this same technique with other herbs. The time may vary with each herb and with your particular microwave so experiment with small amounts until you get the formula down to your liking.