This morning, I stood in my little tropical kitchen looking out into the garden as I skinned raw peanuts, readying them for roasting and grinding into peanut butter. It crossed my mind that some people would think that what I was doing was a waste of time, that they had better things to do, like playing video games or text messaging their friends, than to stand there rolling peanuts between their fingers. Why not just buy already shelled, skinned and roasted peanuts to make the peanut butter?
But I was happy watching the sun play through the tree branches and cast shadow images of birds and leaves on the palm tree trunk in front of the kitchen window. I listened to the waves rustle (crash or thunder would be an exaggeration today: the waves are small) against the sandy shore of the bay. The early morning sounds of Easter crowds arriving at the beach floated through the fence as my fingers loosened the crepey crinkles of peanut skins to expose the vulnerability of the creamy-white peanuts inside. The moment was full and satisfying, and I was grateful for my simple activity and unbeatable surroundings; why would I want anything more?
Besides, packaged peanuts can be way too salty and contain questionable oils and other sneaky ingredients.
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This afternoon, I’ll pop those peanuts into the oven until they are golden and then run them through my wonderful Omega juicer
During my peanut-skinning reverie, I decided to throw together a green smoothie for breakfast. I considered my inventory of produce on hand and opted for a combination of guanabana–or soursop–pulp (which I had liberated from its skin a couple of days ago and had stored in a sealed container in the fridge), papaya, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, swiss chard from the garden, and fresh basil leaves. I tossed in a tablespoon of organic coconut oil, plus a ration of 100 percent natural and pure vanilla-flavored pea protein isolate I had inherited from a friend (thanks, Victoria!).
The combination couldn’t have been better. The vanilla pea protein powder transformed an already killer smoothie into an even more creamy, tasty, and nutritious breakfast that will keep me going for hours.
Creamy Protein-Enhanced Smoothie
(all measurements are approximate)
3/4 cup guanabana pulp, seeds removed*
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (I’m sure orange would work just fine)
6 leaves of Swiss chard, chopped, no stems (use 10-12 leaves of baby spinach if you don’t have chard)
2 large sprigs of fresh basil, leaves only
1/2 to 3/4 cup diced ripe papaya
1 T organic coconut oil
1-2 T pea protein powder
water as needed to give the consistency you want to the smoothie
Simply blend everything together until smooth, adding water (or more juice) to thin as desired.
* Guanabana seeds are mildly toxic and should not be ingested. The easiest way I know to remove the seeds from guanabana pulp is to press the pulp through a sieve, adding a little water, if necessary, or soaking the pulp and seeds a bit before pressing. The alternative is to mash through the pulp and pick each seed out with your fingers, which is quite a bit more tedious. However, the wonderful taste of the fruit makes practically any effort worthwhile.
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See Jamaica Gleaner, “Soursop Seeds are Toxic,” for more info on the guanabana or soursop.