It may well be spring here in the Southern Hemisphere but I have it on good authority that our beloved mandarins are in season until October - and we mustn't rest on our laurels on the cold fighting front quite yet.
Today I introduce you to one of my fave cool climate smoothies, the Spicy Mandarin Smoothie, a cold and flu fighter from the pages of my eBook A Nourishing Morning. The hero of this dish is of course Vitamin C, for all of it's cold fighting properties.
Before we jump into the recipe today, I would like to talk pith. Pith you ask? Why on earth for? Isn't that the bitter tasting white stuff we spend many minute removing, prior to eating a mandarin or orange?
Let it be known, there is much goodness in pith.
From my readings I have learnt that pith has almost the same amount of Vitamin C as the flesh. Not only that, but it contains pectin, a dietary fiber with the potential to lower cholesterol, stimulate your immune system and act as anti-ulcer agent. Studies have shown that the bioflavonoids (antioxidants) in pith can assist in limiting the growth of cancer cells. It also contains hesperidin, which protects the heart by lowering blood pressure.
Needless to say, definitely don’t remove the pith from the mandarin here, just whack it all in, blend and consume.
Serves 1:
2 small mandarins, peeled, pips removed
1 cup coconut water
½ cup full fat coconut milk
1 heaped dessertspoon ground flaxseed
1 heaped teaspoon raw honey
1 heaped teaspoon maca powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and serve immediately.
If you're looking for some more smoothie inspiration I've a plethora to offer, go nuts with this selection.
Don't forget to let me know how you get on with the recipe. You may also like to pin it to your healthy food board for safe keeping.
You can purchase my Organic Raw Maca Powder here.
