Blueberry Cherry Acai Pom Smoothie and Friends

Just because it’s Fall doesn’t mean I stop drinking smoothies.

A Rainbow of Fruit Smoothie Treats

I have been making smoothies for breakfast since I was a teenager. They have evolved dramatically since the fruit and ice cream versions of my high school years. In the past decades, a high anti-oxidant frozen berry version has garnered the attention and awe of many guests at my place. I have been asked for the recipe more than once.

I recently chipped the bottom of the glass jar to my blender. It leaks so I had to improvise or do without my morning smoothie delight. I got out my stick blender, AKA immersion blender, to do the job. I found that I could make the smoothie much thicker than with a regular blender because it didn’t need as much liquid. I could press down on the ingredients to blend them instead of relying on gravity in the blender. Using the blender, I often had to stop and loosen stuck pieces of frozen fruit wedged in the blender blades. I call these sorts of discoveries Happy Accidents.

 When I asked David Bishop, the photographer, to shoot my favorite smoothie for my book, he said he would like to shoot a smoothie series. I came up with another three tasty, healthy and eye catching recipes, using the same principle and technique as my Blueberry Cherry Acai Pom Smoothie, with the theme of color and garnish for variety. Most of the ingredients are found in any grocery store these days. If you can’t find some of the fruits in frozen form, you can freeze them yourself. Cut ripe fruit into one-inch chunks and spreading them on a waxed paper lined tray in the freezer for about an hour. When they are sufficiently frozen, so that they won’t stick together, store them in sealed plastic container or plastic zipper bag until you use them. I find it helpful to label and date anything I put into my freezer.

My fruit smoothies are not just the domaine of breakfast fare. With the protein elements, they can be a snack or any meal accompaniment. Experiment for yourself to find your favorites, your friends’ and the whole family’s.

For the recipes for my smoothies you can follow below, or use your favorite ingredients. In any season, use whatever is available. As for the instructions, they are basically the same for any of my smoothies or your own renditions.

A Plethora of Fruit Choices

Blueberry Cherry Acai Pom Smoothie

• ½ cup of pomegranate juice

• ¼ cup of Wild Maine frozen blueberries

• ¼ cup of frozen pitted Bing cherries

• ¼ cup of almond milk or plain yogurt, optional

• 2 ounces of semi-thawed frozen Acai pureé

• 2 tablespoons Maca powder, optional

• 2 tablespoons unsweetened Cacao or cocoa powder, optional

• ½ teaspoon of Spirulina powder, optional

Mango Papaya Apple Smoothie

• ½ cup of organic cold pressed apple juice

• ½ cup of frozen mango chunks

• ½ cup of frozen papaya chunks

• ¼ cup of almond milk or plain yogurt, optional

• 2 tablespoons Maca powder, optional

Strawberry Raspberry Cranberry Smoothie

• ½ cup of natural cranberry juice

• ½ cup of frozen strawberries

• ½ cup of frozen raspberries

• ¼ cup of almond milk or plain yogurt, optional

• Agave nectar, honey or Stevia to taste

Kiwi Honeydew Coca Smoothie

• ½ cup of coconut water, virgin no heat process if possible

• ½ cup frozen kiwi chunks, peeled of course

• ½ cup frozen honeydew chunks

• ¼ cup of almond milk or plain yogurt, optional

• 2 tablespoons Maca powder, optional

Directions for any Smoothie

1. When using a stick blender, place the ingredients in a tall narrow flat-bottomed quart container.

2. Put the liquids and/or yogurt in first, then the powders.

3. Add in the fruits and other ingredients, and blend with the immersion blender.

4. For conventional blenders, follow the same suggestions, using the proper blender jar.

Tip: You may want to add the frozen pieces in a bit gradually if they are really hard or give them some time to soften just a bit before adding and blending.

A Jubilant July Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow

Part 1: Red, White & Blue Sangrias

Photos by Michael Marquand

Recipes by Marilinda Hodgdon

Welcome to our Southern Maine picnic, inspired by the glorious fresh bounty of July by the sea. We begin with sparkling fruity Prosecco and Lambrusco Sangrias to sip with fresh oysters on the half shell, adorned with a colorful mignonette sauce, stunning Crostini appetizers of fresh pea pureè topped with local lobster claws and lemony Amontillado Hollandaise sauce. The main course is scrumptious cheesy Portobello burgers crowned by pickled red onions, avocado mash and baby arugula. Garden fresh grilled vegetable sides of asparagus, fennel and leeks are accompanied by Moroccan spiced corn on the cob. The finale to the feast is homemade Maine blueberry cheesecake ice cream popsicles with a do-it-yourself dark chocolate magic shell coating.

In this post, I am introducing my Red, White and Blue Sparkling Sangrias with their descriptions, ingredients and preparation directions. Each subsequent blog post will feature the next course of the meal. Part 2 showcases the picnic’s appetizers, toasted by these sensational sangrias.

Red, White and Blue Sparkling Sangrias

Sparkling wines are so very festive and refreshing. I am particularly fond of Prosecco, a white Italian favorite from the Veneto region. It is not too sweet, not too dry, and not too expensive. Perfect for fruity summer sangria. I added Lambrusco, a light and bubbly red Northern Italian wine, to balance the party’s colors, flavors and personal pleasure.

I paired the Prosecco with strawberries and ripe nectarines. The Lambrusco is paired with ravishingly beautiful freshly picked raspberries and blackberries. The nectarines are cut to bite sized pieces and skewered with small strawberries to adorn the white wine glasses. The raspberries and blackberries are whimsically skewered to bejewel the red wine glasses. Remaining fruit medleys from each group bathe in their own separate saucers of cognac to macerate for an hour or two.

The skewers and macerations can be done ahead, covered and refrigerated, until ready to serve. I used one pint of each berry and 4 nectarines for one bottle each of the bubblies. For the maceration, use just enough cognac, or your favorite unsweetened spirit, to cover the bathing fruity beauties in their shallow bowls.

When serving, add a small ladle of the red or white maceration concoctions to the bottom of their designated glasses, and garnish with a skewer of the same fruits. Fill each glass, upon request, with the desired fizzy flavor.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Picnic at Coastal Maine’s Mead Meadow featuring freshly shucked Maine oysters on the half shell, adorned with colorful mignonette sauce, and stunning local Lobster Crostini appetizers of fresh pea pureè topped with lemony Amontillado Hollandaise sauce.

A special heartfelt thanks to Angela Olsen Matthews and her husband, Peter Matthews, at Mead Meadow for their thoughtful and gracious generosity and hard work in hosting our scrumptious and serene summer picnic. You can visit Angela’s Instagram page @MeadMeadow

About Mead Meadow

We were invited to historic Mead Meadow, in picturesque Kittery Maine, to shoot our delightful summer outdoor meal. This water front paradise is a restored 140 year old farmstead, originally a 20 acre estate, was called Mead Summer House. Included: the main house, a horse and buggy carriage house, which is now a guest cottage, a boat house and the original well. The lovingly restored buildings are now nestled on 4 acres of manicured grass surrounded by wild and cultivated flowers, raspberry bush stands, shrubbery and original trees. The garden shed was torn down and its beautifully weathered old New England stones have been transformed into a spacious patio surrounded by potted herbs and flourishing flowers, with a bucolic view of the rear grounds and cove.