SUMMER SMOOTHIE AND CARDAMOM BUN

  During hot days of summer I fancy some more fresh and light foods. And raw foods. Today was a hot day, and this is what I whipped up:

A smoothie made with nectarines and wild edible greens, plus cardamom & raisin bun. All on the healthier side of choices, of course. =)

A delicious way to eat my fruit and veg.

I simply love buns. But they take quite a bit of time to make, so the bread machine to the rescue it is! A device I got for a present many years ago. I don´t use it like all the time, but it is handy when I don´t have the time to bake "properly". I figure it is better to eat home made, whole wheat bun (no matter if it is made with a bread maker) instead the other option, which is store-bought, made with white flour, cow´s milk, and eggs, in any case. The more nutrients and less additives, the better.

The recipe for the summer smoothie:

any seasonal fruit/berry, as much as you want, combination or single (I used four small nectarines)
any desired flavouring, such as lime zest, cardamom, mint, ginger, etc. (I used none, but would have added mint, had I had any =)
wild edible greens/weeds (I threw in some willowherb)
(little honey if needed)
water

+ Combine all in a blender, adding enough water to reach the desired consistency.
  This smoothie can be either thick or thin, depending on preference and ingredients used.

The recipe for the bun:

3 dl soymilk
50 g vegan margarine
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 dl sugar
5 dl whole wheat flour
11g (1 bag) dried yeast
1 dl raisins

+ Pour in the wet ingredients, then the dry, except for the raisins. Start the machine using the regular/most common program. When the machine is nearly done kneading the dough, throw in the raisins. This will keep them from being mashed into bits.
  Enjoy the great aroma until you hear the "beep", which gives you the permission to start munching. As much as you want, this is not fattening. It has lots of fiber, so it will keep you full until you have used up the calories in it.

  After having this today, I immediately started thinking about other versions of the smoothie. More like flavoured waters, which have been so popular these past years. How about cucumber & lime flavoured water? Or strawberry & peach? The options are unlimited.