Rise and shine! A super pretty, super tasty, super green avocado, kale & ginger smoothie with chia seeds and fragrant lime.

In the winter, when early morning are usually dark, quiet and cold, I long for comforting, warming oats with stewed fruit, nut butters and fragrant spices; or hearty, saucy eggs served with thickly sliced bread. And then, there are also those days when all I crave are bright smoothies, filled with all the goodness and freshness, served in big round glasses. Sometimes they are dark pink or pale yellow, most often though they are green: pale and smooth or deep emerald, thick and frothy.

I change the fruit and vegetables depending on what’s available and what I feel like, but almost always, there’s some ginger and kale in there. I always have both in hand, as I love ginger’s peppery taste and intense aroma and kale’s dark green colour, slightly bitter taste and lovely texture. This super green, super tasty version was concocted with the help of my sister, using some of our favourite beauties: kale and ginger of course, buttery soft avocado, a crunchy red apple , an almost black banana for sweetness, a good squeeze or fragrant lime (I go through periods of utter obsession with lime, much like with other things, but citruses have a tendency to constantly make me swoon) and a sprinkle of chia seeds.

Blend blend blend with water, serve and drink immediately, preferably standing in a dim kitchen, watching the morning light grow a little stronger minute by the minute- I swear this smoothie makes everything just a little brighter.

Super green avocado, kale & ginger smoothie

WHAT (serves 2)

1/2 ripe avocado

1 ripe banana

1 red apple, washed, cored & cubed

60g kale, washed, chopped, hard stems removed

10g ginger (1 thumb), peeled & roughly chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chia seeds

juice from 1/2 lim

3 cups water

HOW

Place everything in a blender and whizz until smooth.
Pour into two large glasses and drink up.