Flower Power Hibiscus Smoothie

July 31, 2009

I have a confession to make that may not be too surprising since our Herb of the Month for July is hibiscus. I have been drinking lots and lots of hibiscus tisane. I think I’ve got a case of Hibiscus fever, and I believe I’ve passed it on to our neighbor Sophia.

One morning I left, at her doorstep, samples of dried and powdered Hibiscus for her to try. When she found her surprise gift, she didn’t waste any time and sun-brewed the dried petals the very next day, and has since turned into quiet a Hibiscus tisane connoisseur.

All the enjoyment of brewing and drinking hibiscus tisane has left behind a lot of the used pedals. While looking at all those used brewed petals, Sophia came up with an idea. She shared this great idea with me and I want to pass it on to you. These petals retain their deep rich red color even after they have been used, so why not reuse the petals as potpourri! How clever is that! Reuse and recycle ~ love it!

The Hibiscus fever continued on as I set my sights on experimenting with the powdered form of this gorgeous showy flower — three smoothie recipes later. Each is totally different and quiet delicious, and today I want to share with you one of these recipes called Flower Power Hibiscus Smoothie.

So what do we have in this smoothie mix? Hibiscus powder of course, and hemp seed milk, which offers an alternative to dairy and soy milk, provides a source of protein, and adds a nutty flavor to the mix [Sources: Manitoba Harvest and Nutiva]. We also have orange, lemon, banana, lucuma, and a bit of coconut oil - blended together these ingredients create a pretty shade of liquid pink, and a big burst of luscious flavor. This is my fourth time making this particular smoothie and I know it won’t be my last.

Flower Power Hibiscus Smoothie

Lucuma powder is a natural alternative sweetener that I choose to use this time around. You can also use one large pitted dates or agave for added sweetness. Some like it more tart than sweet, so feel free to omit these suggested sweetener. Besides the fresh squeezed orange juice on its own adds a good amount of sweetness to this smoothie.

If you don’t have hibiscus powder on hand, substitute the 1 cup of pure water with 1 1/2 - 2 cups of hibiscus tisane. If you don’t have hemp seeds on hand, feel free to use a nut of seed milk of your choice, and keep in mind each has it own flavor and texture and end result of this recipe will be slightly different.

1 cup hemp seeds
1 cup pure water
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 banana
1 tablespoon hibiscus powder
1 tablespoon lucuma powder or sweetener of choice, optional
1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil

First place the hemp seeds in a high-speed blender and the water and blend until liquified. Strain the hemp seed milk through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, set aside. Rinse out the blender container and place on its base. Pour the hemp milk into the blend and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Serves 2

Reading: Flower Power Hibiscus SmoothieTweet This: Send Page to Twitter

-->

Comments

7 Comments so far

shernell on August 1, 2009 Saturday, 2:07 pm
Hello Ingrid !

I love using hibiscus aka sorrel it is a wonderful flower with many flavors that all unite into one. Fruity,sweet,tangy and a bit sour it is my number one summer drink. I love the idea of using it in a smoothie.

Hibiscus is fabulous. Hope you will try this recipe. Thanks Shernell. :-)
Deanna on August 1, 2009 Saturday, 10:15 pm
I made my version of this delicious drink. My daughter called it Hibiscus Power…..it was delicious. I didn’t have any oranges, so I substituted a few goji berries, coconut oil and agave. It was very refreshing. My daughter had a baby 4 months ago and decided she wanted to try raw….it’s been great for her and the baby. (She is nursing) Also….my 4 month old grand baby enjoyed the hibiscus too. We let her taste the remnants and she wanted more….smile. Thank you for having this website. I have tried several recipes and now have incorporated them in my lifestyle and my daughters. Enjoy Your Week & Again……..Thank You!

Hi Deanna - your version sounds lovely. I’m going to try it! I am so happy you like the recipes here. Thank you and I hope you and your daughters continue to add more and more of these recipes into your lifestyle.
Nicole on August 2, 2009 Sunday, 5:29 pm
Mmmmmm, sounds yummy! I wish I lived next door to you so you could give me little presents;)

Hi Nicole - if we lived next door to each other, it would be a fabulous fitness and holistic diet and lifestyle extravaganza. ;-)
Eleanor Moyer on August 3, 2009 Monday, 7:09 pm
Boy, now I am having visions of Hibiscus, Lavender and Rose Smoothies with Orange, Watermelon and Apples. Sign me up for the give away please, I too am in love with Hibiscus!
quick free recipes on August 6, 2009 Thursday, 6:29 am
I think it was the name of this particular smoothie what attracted me to read more. It certainly looks and sounds very nice indeed.
Kristen's Raw on August 6, 2009 Thursday, 11:04 pm
Goodness! That looks so pretty and delicious!
Lori - Pure2Raw on September 12, 2009 Saturday, 10:30 am
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and letting my know on twitter. It looks and sounds yummy! I can not wait to try it! I love my lucuma!

Get The Raw Epicurean Report free monthly food news in your inbox

For Email Marketing you can trust

Receive the latest raw vegan recipes and related posts via email alerts | RSS subscription

Let's connect via Twitter

Join our fabulous community

Herb of the Month

Rose is the featured herb for February. We'll highlight its benefits, showcase it in raw vegan recipes, and at the end of the month a reader's name will be drawn from the comments, and our sponsor