Recipe of the Month - Immune Boosting Raw Smoothie

I might be a little overly ambitious for starting a recipe of the week post (and it may change to recipe of the month if I can't keep up), but I'm going to give it a try.  Mainly because I'm really trying to incorporate more vegetables into my diet and we frequently get items from our CSA share that we don't know what to do with.  This recipe serves 2-4, so I highly recommend reducing the amount of ingredients if you're only making one for yourself.

Ingredients:
-2 apples, cored (I peel them, not sure if that is necessary though)
-2 ripe pears, cored (again, I peel them too)
-1-2 cups of water (preferably filtered)
-2 lemons, juiced
-1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & sliced
-5 kale leaves, rinsed & torn
-1/2 - 1 cup of baby spinach
-chopped or shredded cabbage

1. Blend apple, pear, water, and lemon until smooth and creamy.
2. Add ginger, kale, baby spinach, and cabbage and blend until smooth.
3. Add water for a thinner consistency.  Add an extra pear or apple if it isn't sweet enough for you.

Tips & Modifications: 

*I've never used kale for this recipe because I've yet to find organic kale at a local grocery store.  

*Since the smoothie is room temperature, you might want to add some ice cubes or a few frozen berries to make it cool like a smoothie should be!  

*Don't skip the ginger- it aids your body in easily digesting this raw smoothie.

I know this might not sound like the most delicious smoothie, but I assure you it is quite tasty.  A necessity for the cold & flu season or for an every day energy boost.  The greens offer powerful phytochemicals, the cabbage is a potent food that affects many pathways in the body, ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and the lemon is rich in vitamin C and bioflavonoids.

Image: gameanna / FreeDigitalPhotos.net