Ginger Pear Kombucha Smoothie | Dairy-Free | Nut-Free

I can’t believe it’s the end of the 14-Day Smoothie Challenge on my Facebook page! Today is the last one in the series, and it’s something completely different, because why not? Get ready for this Ginger Pear Kombucha Smoothie! Instead of using nut milk or rice milk or even water, I decided to use kombucha. Have you heard of kombucha before? Thankfully it’s getting more and more popular for good reasons (read more on this below)!

Some of the most popular smoothies from this challenge were the Energizing Morning Smoothie, the Clear Skin Smoothie, the Healthy Key Lime Pie Smoothie, and the Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie.

Also, did you notice ECP got a brand new look today? 🙂 I’ve been wanting to change things for a long time, and it’s finally happened! I got a new header on the blog, some new colours, and a new logo. It’s part 1 of a few changes that will be happening in the next couple of months. Do you like it?

Kombucha

Kombucha is a naturally fermented beverage made with tea. The reason why it has such a good reputation for its health benefit is because of this natural fermentation. We sadly don’t eat enough naturally fermented foods in our modern-day western society, unlike other cultures that typically always include some sort of fermented foods. Fermentation is a way to preserve food without the need for refrigeration, so it’s always been used in the past, but when refrigeration started, it seems like everything else got pasteurized along with it, and natural fermentation disappeared. Natural fermentation happens with bacteria that live in the air all around us. We don’t see them but they’re there, waiting for the opportunity to do their job. Some are bad for us (like certain kinds of mold) but a lot are good for us.

The fermentation process produces natural probiotics. You’ve most likely heard of probiotics in the recent years. It’s one of the latest major fields of study because western medicine has (finally) realized that we know so very little about these bacteria and microbes, and that we absolutely need them to live a healthy life. Without a proper balance of microbes in our gut, we have limited functions. This affects everything from our digestive system to our immune system, to our weight, to our brain and mental health. It’s a really big deal!

Personally, it’s one of my favourite subject to learn more about. I find it absolutely fascinating, and yes, you can often find me reading about research and studies being done on that subject. haha

Kombucha doesn’t really taste like tea, but it has bubbles, and is great for people trying to reduce their consumption of soda. It’s good for us, and comes in such a wide variety of flavours, surely there will be one that you like! Because it’s a natural process, every company has their own recipe and fermentation duration, meaning that every brand will taste different. Some brands ferment their kombucha longer than others, some might add more sugar than others, etc. So if you try one and don’t like it, just try a different flavour or a different brand. It’s a wonderful drink to enjoy on a hot summer day too! Yum!

Enjoy!

This recipe is made with pears, but it would be equally delicious with peaches. Just make sure to buy organic peaches (even if it’s frozen) to reduce your exposure to pesticides and other chemicals, because peaches are very high on the Dirty Dozen list, meaning that they have one of the highest levels of pesticide residues.

Ginger Pear Kombucha Smoothie

Makes 2 servings

• 1 bottle (355 ml / 12 oz) of ginger kombucha* (preferably cold)
• 1 pear, washed, core removed
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/2 organic banana
• 1″ piece of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 Tbsp raw organic honey* (or maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup filtered water
• 1-2 ice cubes (optional)

*Note: Some kombucha are sweeter than others, so you might need to adjust the amount of honey or maple syrup that you add so that your smoothie is not too sweet. Be careful when you open the bottle of kombucha, it might overflow with bubbles. I recommend opening it over the sink. Open the bottle and let it breathe for 1-2 minutes before using it in the blender to avoid overflow.

Blend all the ingredients in a high powered blender until smooth, about 30 seconds. Enjoy!