Vegan Carrot Ginger Smoothie

2 cups fresh carrot juice

½ Tbsp or 1 Tbsp freshly minced ginger

1 cup silken tofu or 1/2 cup raw cashews

½ avocado

½ cup ice

2 Tbsp agave nectar, a pich of stevia or ½ whole chopped apple

pinch of Celtic sea salt

Throw all the ingredients in your blender and puree until smooth and creamy.

I absolutely love the combination of carrots and ginger. I love the contrast between the natural sweetness of the carrots and the mild spicy heat of the ginger. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene that can help combat cancers by boosting the immune system.

I have juiced the carrots to make this smoothie more palatable to most people. However, if, like me, you have a high-speed blender such as a Vitamix, you can throw a few carrots in whole with some filtered water and puree until well combined. You can also juice the ginger with the carrots. But I used my porcelain ginger grater and threw the whole ginger in to get the most out of the ginger flavour.

I have used tofu or raw cashews to thicken and flavour this smoothie. If you want to make this smoothie nut free or soy free, you could thicken this smoothie with a whole avocado. Organic tofu is a wonderful way to thicken vegan smoothies. But soy is a little controversial. Some studies suggest that organic soy products like tofu contain pythonutrients (isoflavones  like genistein and safonins) that can inhibit that tumour growth, and contain powerful anti-carcinogenic properties. Then other studies suggest soy contributes to cancer. I will let you and your medical advisors decide if soy is a responsible choice for you and your health. I only include a little bit of soy in my diet. But do not overload on it because of the estrogenic properties. I find adopting the “Everything in moderation” philosophy creates nice dietary balance for me. If you decide to include soy in your diet, always purchase organic tofu that does not contain genetically modified soy beans.

I am a food combiner and do not combine fruits and root vegetables. So I used a little stevia or agave to sweeten this smoothie. But you could always throw in half a whole cored apple unpeeled. This tastes delicious too.