Don’t let its sting scare you away! Nettle is a great addition to smoothies and packs a powerful nutritional punch!
Ingredients
1 cup
Nettle
(or about a handful)
1/4 cup
Coconut milk, sweetened
1/2 medium
Banana (s)
1/4 fruit
Pineapple
(cut in chunks)
1/2 cucumber(s)
Cucumber
(optional; peeled and cubed)
1/2 avocado(s)
Avocado
(optional; for a creamier smoothie)
Instructions
Harvest the stinging nettle plants carefully with gloved hands. You can either clean them and use them immediately, or let them wilt overnight to reduce the sting factor while working with them.
Rinse the nettle plants under running water or soak them in the sink.
Once clean, remove excess water with a paper towel or a salad spinner. If using a larger plant, remove any large stems.
Add the coconut milk to the blender, followed by the clean nettles leaves.
Finish by adding the fruit chunks and blending all of the ingredients together until smooth (once they are well blended, the nettle plants will no longer sting).
Notes:
Use caution when working with nettles as it has a stinging effect on bare skin.
Nettle will no longer sting you if you: cook it, crush the needles, let it wilt, dehydrate it, or blend it into a sauce/paste/smoothie.
Nutritional Highlights
Stinging Nettle is high in antioxidants and has been used for hundreds of years to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia.