Pear Smoothie With Spinach, Celery and Ginger

This began as a “clean out the refrigerator and (aging) fruit bowl” smoothie. I salvaged some spinach that had seen better days and finally used up the last of the pears I’d bought a few weeks ago for another set of recipe tests. I went out to my garden and grabbed some bolting arugula and some mint. I’ve been drinking kefir, a fermented milk product much like yogurt but thinner and tangier, so that went in, giving the smoothie a pleasantly acidic edge. The two ingredients that the drink needs in order for it to taste like something other than a bland green drink are the half banana and the ginger. If you let your bananas ripen completely, then freeze them, they’ll contribute not only flavor, sweetness and texture but also ice to your smoothies.