Smoothies in South Florida

Fresh First is Fort Lauderdale's first place to earn the recognition of "Great Kitchen" by National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), and it caters to diets and lifestyles of all shapes and sizes. Owned by mother/daughter team Mary and Francesca Siragusa, the restaurant offers a wide variety of organic fare ranging from vegan and vegetarian to wild caught fish to free-range chicken. Everything in the spot is gluten-, corn-, and peanut-free as well as non-GMO. The menu spans from meat-based dishes like the mushroom turkey burger with local mozzarella to raw zucchini puttanesca with sprouted garbanzo beans, sprouted lentils, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, kalamata olives, and scallions in a garlic lemon sauce. Vegan chocolate chip cookies for dessert!

Whoever said vegetarian food was all raw veggies and tasteless tofu was eating at too many corporate chains. For those truly talented in the culinary arts, vegetarian meals can yield incredible variety and fabulous flavors. Enter J's Garden Cafe. This mother-daughter effort in Hollywood offers Haitian-Caribbean fare and a holistic approach to eating. It's not all veggies, either. They offer meat in the form of slow baked chicken, lemon-butter salmon and turkey griot. For the herbivorous, the options include everything from spicy ginger tofu and tabouleh salad to veggie lasagna and coconut black bean soup. There are desserts, too, like pineapple upside down cake. Healthy and delicious can go hand in hand in hand, after all.

South Florida is into juicing, shops popping up here and there touting the benefits of fresh-pressed vegetables and fruits. In Fort Lauderdale, Myapapaya Juicery + Kitchen has led the charge, offering one of the city's first cold-pressed juicery and kitchen. This mom-and-pop, counter-order shop is owned and operated by Adam, Michelle, and namesake toddler Mya Kanner. Adam, a former private chef, envisioned creating a community of health-conscious eaters. It seems he's accomplished his goals -- those juices have become quite the trend. The brightly colored (and tasty) liquids aren't the only reason to go; the food will appease a range of diets, from vegan to gluten-free to dairy-free to ethical. The menu offers a variety of vegetarian, vegan, and all-natural sandwiches, salads, and soups -- but it's the made-to-order cold-pressed juices that people stand in line to taste. That includes the Dreamy Greeny, what is quite possibly the best smoothie on the entire planet. Not your average strawberry/banana/OJ combo, the list of ingredients may sound strange, but the outcome is amazing. Fresh avocado, spinach, banana, house-made cashew mylk, dried dates, and vanilla extract are blended together for an insanely delicious -- and healthy -- treat.