Wine Smoothies

So, it’s Labor Day. If you have the day off, and if you imbibe alcohol, you might want to try some wine smoothies.  You might note that neither of these recipes contain bananas which many smoothies do.  That’s because I really, really HATE bananas.  I know, it’s a weird thing, but I don’t even want them in our apartment because I can still smell them, even though I’m not going to touch them with a ten foot pole and my husband likes them.  Also, Mary Kate is allergic to bananas, so really it’s all about her, and not my irrational hatred of them.  So feel free to use these recipes as a starting point and then experiment on your own, adding other fruits or ingredients that you might enjoy. I also use frozen fruit, because (a) if it’s frozen, it’s always on hand; (b) I don’t have to plan ahead; and (c) you don’t have to use it up before it goes bad or do any prep work.  Using the frozen fruit creates more of a daiquiri effect, but I’m cool with that.  But if you want to use fresh fruit that works great too.

Sangria Red Wine Smoothie

• 2/3 cup of red wine (A Merlot or a Shiraz would be nice, but don’t get anything expensive, it’s going to be blended with fruit. It’s time for that $6.00 bottle from the grocery store to shine.)
• 1/2 cup of fruit juice of your choice (I used Chiquita strawberry-kiwi because that’s what I had in the refrigerator on hand, but any fruit juice would work.  Orange juice would be really nice to continue the sangria theme.)
• 1 Tablespoon of lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons of sugar, agave syrup, or honey, whatever sweetener you’d prefer.
• 1 cup of frozen peaches
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 2 servings.  Or one really big serving as shown above, if you don’t want to share, and you don’t need to go anywhere for a bit.  You may also want to strain out the seeds from the raspberries and blackberries, but I don’t bother.

Peachy Keen White Wine Smoothie

• 2/3 cup of white wine (A Riesling or a Pinot Grigio would be nice. You could use Chardonnay, but I find it too oak-y for my taste. Again, don’t get anything expensive.)
• 1/2 cup of fruit juice of your choice (I used Chiquita strawberry-kiwi because that’s what I had in the refrigerator on hand, but any fruit juice would work. Apple, Orange or White Cranberry would be lovely too.)
• 2 Tablespoons of sugar, agave syrup, or honey, whatever sweetener you’d prefer.
• 2 cups of frozen peaches

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 2 servings.