Hello everyone!!!  I have not shared in a while…There are times when I feel I may be annoying.  Although we have had a very mild winter here in OHIO I have been in a mood boosting smoothie mood.  Today I am moved to share one of my new favorite spices, turmeric. 

Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family. I love ginger.  Now turmeric is native to India and often used in Indian cuisines, where it is a common ingredient in curry. You can buy it fresh, or dried and ground into a powder, the last being easy to find. It has an earthy, nearly gingery taste.

While all herbs and spices have some health advantages, turmeric really leads the way! Most of the health benefits stem from curcumin, the compound in turmeric that gives it a bright yellow hue. It’s powerfully anti-inflammatory and has been shown to reduce risk of heart attack, diabetes, and cancer and may also be beneficial for arthritis pain.

One last thing – is you may find I have added avocado on this list, this helps the body absorb the curcumin in turmeric because avocados are full of healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids. Trust me you will not taste the avocado, so even if you’re a little weirded out, keep in it there!

TURMERIC SMOOTHIE

2 mangoes, peeled and chopped, preferably frozen

2 Cara cara oranges, peeled

2 cups of unsweetened almond milk

1 ripe avocado

1 raw carrot, chopped

¼ cup raw cashews

¼ cup of shredded un-sulfured coconuts

3 fresh turmeric roots the size of your thumb in length

1 fresh lobe of ginger root

INSTRUCTIONS

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Tumeric Smoothie

Here is another one of my favorites…be blessed.

Raw turmeric milk recipe:

Process the following ingredients in a blender:

2 cups of almond milk

2 dates, pitted

1 tbsp of raw honey

1 inch of fresh turmeric root (1/2 tsp. of powdered turmeric to substitute for 1/2 inch of fresh turmeric root)

1/4 tsp of Ceylon cinnamon

3 whole fresh cloves (3 whole cloves = 1/4 teaspoon ground)

Make sure ingredients are organic.  I drink this over a 3 day period usually...I like to make sure the turmeric has a chance to marinate.