Immune Boosting Smoothie

I usually make a superfood smoothie every day as they’re not only high in nutritional value and easy to digest, but also incredibly simple and quick to make. You just need to chuck everything in the blender and give it a whiz… for culinary-challenged people like myself that’s a huge plus!

Experimentation is all part of the fun and yesterday I decided to have a go at creating a smoothie recipe that would specifically help boost the immune system and increase energy levels. Barleygrass, ashwaganda and camu camu are all well known herbs for supporting and boosting our immune systems, while Rhodiola rosea is a wonderful adaptogen from Siberia renowned for reducing stress levels and enhancing mental and physical performance. Mesquite powder has a lovely caramelly taste and works a treat for sweetening smoothies and raw desserts – it’s also low-glycaemic and helps balance blood sugar levels.

The combination of barleygrass, raw cacao and mesquite gives it a flavour with a definite hint of ‘mint choc chip’ and it would be fantastic served with ice cubes on a hot summer’s day! Here’s the recipe:

1 ripe banana (peeled and broken into chunks)
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2 tsp barleygrass powder
1 tsp ashwaganda powder
1 tsp camu camu powder
1 heaped tsp raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp Rhodiola rosea powder
2 tsp mesquite powder
1-2 cups pure water (depending on desired consistency)

Add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding water as desired.

I used 1 cup of water (250ml) as I like my smoothies on the thick side, however it solidified very quickly to a mousse-like consistency, so it would probably be better to add more water initially. That said, the mousse would make a great dessert topped with a handful of fresh raspberries or served with a raspberry and raw honey sauce.

I’ll be writing more on the subject of herbs and superfoods in future posts, but in the meantime you can read about their nutritional benefits at the Indigo Herbs website.