by A. L. Sugden

Created on: August 06, 2008

When creating art, there are a few basic guidelines the artist follows while he uses his creativity. The art of making a smoothie is no different. You don't need a recipe collection to make hundreds of smoothies: you only need one recipe and a little imagination.

The one recipe you need for a smoothie is simply what makes a smoothie work. To make your smoothies unique, just add flavors. I'll give you the basic recipe here and some examples of how to use it at the end of the article.

Here's what you need to make any smoothie:
2 Parts Soft, flavored food
1 Part Texture
1 Part Liquid

SOFT, FLAVORED FOOD
Notice the list did not demand fruit. Who needs fruit in a chocolate or coffee smoothie? A smoothie is not a smoothie because of the fruit, it is a smoothie because it's smooth. To help the smoothness, you'll need a soft, flavored food like ice coffee or fruit or yogurt. This is your main event: what do you want your smoothie to taste like?

TEXTURE
Some kind of texture is recommended for most smoothies. A smoothie can be too smooth. Texture can simply be stiffer fruit like banana or pineapple, or it can dry and crunchy like gronola bars, or it can be decadent like chocolate chip cookies. All you need is a little something to give your smoothie a backbone.

LIQUID
Liquid is the bonding agent. It brings harmony between your soft foods and your texture. It also helps your blender make all the ingredients smooth. This can be fruit juice or coffee, or milk. You might be able to find more liquids that work well by experimentation. Just remember, for a thick smoothie, go easy on the liquid.

Now that you've had your art lesson, you're ready to let your imagination run wild. A lot of smoothie artists are freestyle and refuse to use exact measurements. My example recipes use recommended measurements for those who don't want to freestyle.

A HEALTHY SMOOTHIE

1/2 cup blueberries (Soft, flavored food)
1/2 cup strawberries (Soft, flavored food)
1 single serving of low fat yogurt (Soft, flavored food)
1 medium banana (Texture)
1 cup orange juice (Liquid)

A COMFORT SMOOTHIE

1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream (Soft, flavored food)
2 chocolate chip cookies (Texture)
1 cup milk (Liquid)

A COFFEE SMOOTHIE

2 cups icecream (Soft, flavored food)
1 cup ice (Texture)
1 cup cold coffee (Liquid)

The list of ideas could go on and on. All you need is some sort of soft flavored food, a little texture, and a little liquid, and you can make any smoothie you want.

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