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How To Make Smoothies With Dried Fruits
Smoothies are a favourite in Singapore’s sunny weather. They are a blend of powerful antioxidants, vitamins and proteins that gives you boosts of energy and eye candy due to their pretty colours as well. Find out how you can make an almond apricot smoothie in this article.
Here are 5 tips to make your smoothies super delicious
1. Get a good blender
The blender is the most important equipment when it comes to making smoothies. Ensure that your blender is in good condition and the blades are sharp enough to cut through any of your frozen dried fruits, because they can be rock hard. An old blender does the job for very soft bananas, yoghurt and orange juice however, they are not desirable for cutting through thick chunks of frozen dried fruit.
2.Cut the dried fruits into smaller pieces
To give the blender an easier job, it is recommended that you cut the fruits into smaller pieces. This allows the fruits to blend in with the other fruits much better as well.
3.Choose high-quality ingredients
A smoothie consists of its ingredients and there is not much variation to how a smoothie will taste except the combination of fruits, how well it is blended and the ingredients itself. Choosing high-quality ingredients will give you the sweetness desired for the day.
4. Blend in the dried fruits first
A tip is to blend in the dried fruits first with the liquids, so that the fruits will have ample space to be blended properly. If other ingredients are added as well, the blades may not be able to reach and cut all parts of the fruit, resulting in uneven bits and pieces of fruits.
5. Soak the dried fruits
Soaking the dried fruits in liquid allows them to soften, which makes them easier to blend. If they are not blended properly, your smoothie may have chunky bits and pieces in them. A way to soften the dried fruits is to add them with the liquid ingredients into the blender, then store the blender in the refrigerator to soak for a few hours. Another way is to also soak the dried fruits in the smoothie liquid for just 20 minutes before blending.
Apricot almond smoothie
Try this delectable blend of apricot and almonds, which gives of a sweet and nutty taste. This smoothie is also highly nutritious, containing two nutrient dense ingredients. Apricots are a good source of iron, calcium, protein, fiber, potassium, and magnesium. Potassium helps in muscle growth and aids in the functioning of organs, nerves, and cells. Magnesium on the other hand has calming properties and helps with insomnia. Apricots also have high amounts of vitamin A that is essential for cell growth and the immune system.
Almonds, on the other hand, are one of the healthiest nuts. Almonds have relatively high concentrations of vitamin E. For every 100 g of almonds, there are 25.63 mg of vitamin E present. This amount is around half of a person’s daily requirement of vitamin E. Vitamin E is crucial for the support of the immune system as it helps to reduce oxidative stress and damage to the immune cells. Almonds also lower blood sugar levels for people with diabetes and promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut. Lastly, almonds contain magnesium and phosphorous which are beneficial for muscle and bone health, respectively.
What you need:
- 4 dried Turkish apricots (soak the apricots in boiling water for 15 minutes to soften)
- ½ frozen banana
- ¾ cup of almond milk
- 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom
Steps:
- Add the dried apricots and almond milk into the blender and blend until they are smooth, with no bits of apricots left.
- Add in the frozen banana, almond extract, vanilla extract, and cardamom into the blender and blend until they become a smooth puree.
- Pour your smoothie out into a cup and you may sprinkle some garnishing on it. Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or nuts would make for good toppings. There you have your apricot almond smoothie. Enjoy!
We hope that you will enjoy the almond apricot recipe as much as we do. It is a refreshing yet healthy A-list drink that is filled with many nutrients necessary for our immunity and daily functions.
