PEAR, VANILLA, LUCUMA AND RAINBOW CHARD SMOOTHIE

Livin' La Vida Lucuma...

So happy to be (finally) sharing another recipe with you after so long! Hope you have been getting some via Instagram and Facebook, as I have been posting on there relatively regularly. I do apologise for the lack of email posts since the 1st September, gosh how time flies! I have been so busy working on Goldfinger Factory in terms of getting investment-ready and so much exciting stuff happening over the last few months that I can't wait to tell you about. I've had to re-focus and prioritise and it's been truly fantastic to be laser-focused on a goal and not get too distracted doing a million things at once (my specialty)! But I have missed you guys!

Just a quick update on recent happenings in the world of Bain-Marie... As most of you know, after the successful Bain-Marie pop-up this summer, we partnered with Black Box Coffee at Goldfinger Factory to continue delivering the ultimate cake and coffee experience and also kept the Bain-Marie smoothies on the menu! Very excitingly, we are preparing the launch of the next pop-up after a renovation of the kitchen, so stay tuned Londoners, something very exciting is about to open at Goldfinger Factory at the end of the month and I can't wait to share more news about this!

Also on the exciting NEWS front. Guess what? We are now running the People's Kitchen, a community feast designed to tackle food waste, encourage the community to come together to learn about cooking and most importantly provide the community with a delicious nutrient-dense meal every third Sunday of the month. The October one was such a triumph with such a wonderful team of volunteers and such beautiful homegrown produce from Perry Court Farm #betterthanorganic and beautiful pastries and breads from Gail's Bakery, all food that would have ended up in landfill. If you would like to join the next one, please do it's on Sunday 15th November. Anybody interested in volunteering, please just show up at 3pm. No cooking skills required, just a willingness to learn or share skills. It's such fun afternoon/evening! 

Until then, here is a delicious green smoothie recipe using two local and seasonal ingredients that I love this time of year: Pear & Rainbow Chard. This is such a simple recipe and that the whole family will love. Creamy, naturally sweet and full of greens. For those of you who don't know what rainbow chard is, it is a magical and beautiful vegetable with its rich, dark green leaves and a rainbow of reds, purples, yellow in its stalks and veins.  The awesome nutritional content in chard (and other vegetables for that matter) is visible in its vibrant colours, providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. In UK and USA, you can find an abundance of rainbow chard at your local farmers' markets at this time of year.

And what about that funny "L" word, some of you say, what is lucuma? Lucuma is lusciously sweet fruit indigenous to Peru with golden yellow flesh known as the "Gold of the Incas" and "Nature's Caramel" for its naturally sweet qualities. Its nutritional profile is also awesome as its high in carotenoids, iron, niacin and boasts strong anti-inflammatory properties. It's very rare to find a sweetener with such amazing nutrition. Outside of Peru, you can't find the fruit whole, but dried as a powder. My favourite brands are Of The Earth and Naturya. Go to the Ingredients section of the blog for links on where to buy healthy goodness.

So once you've got all your ingredients, simply blend all ingredients in a blender and you've got yourself a yummy breakfast on the go. To bulk it up, you can add some chia seeds, hemp protein powder or flax to get an extra hit of protein! Pears and rainbow chard should be available in abundance at your local farmers markets and in your Abel & Cole or Riverford Organic Boxes at this time of year.

Would you like to win your first Abel & Cole box for FREE? Here's how! Make one of the recipes from the blog and tag me @bainmariefood in it with the hashtag #positivelydelicious and I'll choose my favourite image and announce the winners on the 1st December. 

Lucuma lovin, 
Mari

Pear, Vanilla, Lucuma and Rainbow Chard Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 small pears or 1 large pear, cored not peeled

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder

1 teaspoon of lucuma power

large handful of rainbow chard

250ml (1 cup) of plant-based milk (my favourites are almond or coconut milk)

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on smoothie setting or highest setting until smooth and creamy.

2. Enjoy!