Green Piña Colada Smoothie

By sandycon

Ingredients

• Serves 3 to 4
• 1 young Thai coconut ( or a 13.5-oz can of coconut milk)
• 1 banana
• 1 16-ounce bag frozen organic pineapple (unsweetened)
• 1/2 bunch of collard greens, stems removed (4-5 large leaves)

Details

Servings 3
Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

First, open the coconut by taking a sharp knife and trimming away the soft skin from the top. (See instructions and photos here showing how to open a coconut.) The shell of the coconut is round, so you want to fully expose that hard, rounded top. Holding the coconut firmly, use a cleaver or chef's knife to whack into the dome. Turn the coconut and repeat whacking until you have cracked the shell around all edges. You should be able to now peel or pull of the top of the shell. Be careful not to spill out any of the water from inside the coconut.

Pour the water from inside the coconut into the blender. Add the banana, frozen pineapple, and collard greens. Scoop out all the white pulp from the coconut with an ice cream scooper and put in the blender as well. (If you're not using a whole coconut, add the coconut milk now.)

Start at the blender's lowest speed setting (usually "crush ice") and work your way up to the highest setting until the smoothie is well blended. Add cold water if the mixture is too thick and blend until desired consistency is achieved.

Pour the green smoothie into juice glasses and enjoy. I like pouring the drink in the young coconut shell itself for a more festive treat. Store leftovers in an air-tight container or thermos in the fridge or freezer.