Get a brand new, kidney-friendly recipe* delivered to your inbox each month, courtesy of Jessianna Saville, MS, RDN, CSR, LD, CLT, a member of the Ed Center Advisory Council and Founder & CEO of the Kidney Nutrition Institute.

The weather is starting to heat up as we approach summer, which makes our May recipe an excellent choice for those days when you want to sip on a cool treat: Alkaline Green Power Smoothie.

Recipe developed by Clarissa Paimanta, RD

Ingredients
Makes 1

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened rice milk
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free yogurt
  • 1 cup baby kale
  • 1 apple core removed and diced
  • 2-4 ice cubes
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
  • Optional: 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except coconut oil into the blender. Blend until smooth, adding more rice milk as needed to blend and achieve desired consistency.
  2. While the blender is running, open the cap in the lid and slowly stream in your melted coconut oil. This prevents the oil from clumping. Add maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.

Notes

Variations:

  • Higher Calorie: Substitute coconut milk for rice milk or add ¼ of an avocado for extra calories and creaminess. Note that this will add on more potassium.
  • Higher Potassium Variations: Use spinach instead of kale; substitute 1 frozen banana for the ice cubes.
  • Higher Protein: Add chia, flax, or hemp seeds before blending.

Tip: We used baby kale in our smoothie as it is more tender, easier to blend, and less bitter. However, you can use curly kale, lacinato kale, or dinosaur kale too, if that’s what you have on hand. You may want to remove the stems though, as they can be tougher to blend and can be astringent.

*Always check with your nutritionist before incorporating new foods or recipes into your diet to make sure it is right for you.