Non-alcoholic Superfruit Sangria Smoothie

Yes, I’ve been hoarding lots of new smoothie recipes for my upcoming smoothie book, but I just HAD to share this one with you immediately. It is fabulously, amazingly, indisputably the best smoothie I have ever had. Seriously! You must get yourself these ingredients and try this before the summer grapes and peaches go out of season. Yowza! Yeah. Hell, yeah.

I was originally going to juice all these fruits to have an actual sangria consistency. Sadly, my juicer wasn’t happy with those grape skins. I tried using them fresh and frozen and it just wasn’t happening. I have an AWESOME juicer, too. It’s a Breville, one of the best on the market. If you’re looking for a top notch juicer, check out Williams-Sonoma’s collection here: JUICERS. No, I’m not an affiliate but they sure have some amazing products and offer a wonderful selection!

I’m actually happy that the juice thing didn’t work out this time because now I have this phenomenal smoothie to add to my collection and to share with you 🙂

In the past I would have just grabbed a bottle of grape juice off of the supermarket shelf to make a non-alcoholic sangria. But the benefits of fresh juice so outweigh anything you could buy in a bottle. Bottled juice has been heated and pasteurized, killing off the fruit’s natural enzymes. The antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are literally lost in the process. But that’s not all… many juice companies use an ingredient called citric acid to extend the shelf life of their product. You would naturally think this citric acid comes from citrus fruits like lemons or limes, but it doesn’t. The ingredients most food manufacturers use to create citric acid are genetically engineered corn and sugar beets, by synthetically fermenting the glucose from these crops in a laboratory. Food labels can be deceiving, so don’t be fooled. Buy yourself some organic fruit and juice your way to better health!

Back to the smoothie… One more quick note about grapes. Please, please, PLEASE make sure you buy organic. Grapes are one of the most heavily sprayed fruits and and are laden with insecticide residues. Most health food stores have organic grapes now. I got some at my local Whole Foods last week. I went back today for more… thankfully they were still there in abundance. I am making this again!

Ingredients:

4 cups frozen black seedless grapes
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 cups sliced fresh peaches (not frozen)
1 TBS pomegranate juice concentrate (I use Jarrow brand, hands down THE best one out there. I use it in many of my smoothies. It adds a huge dose of antioxidants and a nice tart richness to any smoothie. Find it in health food stores or online at Amazon or VitaCost.com)

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, only freeze half of the grapes. It may not be as smooth but it will still be so tasty.