Beet, Berry + Blood Orange Smoothie

Oh blood orange season, how I love thee! If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am obsessed with blood oranges, to put it mildly. Beets… well, I like beets. I wouldn’t say we’ve reached the level in our relationship where I would use the word love, but I like them. I appreciate them. They are earthy, sweet when roasted and chock full of vitamins and minerals. They are particularly delicious in a salad with bright citrus and creamy avocado. I roasted a lot of beets just the other day for that very purpose — a beet and blood orange salad with avocado, fennel and sweet potato (it was delicious, and I should probably share that recipe soon!). I had leftover beets, so I decided to blend them into a smoothie with more blood orange, and the result was this sweet-tart, slightly earthy, slightly spicy and very creamy smoothie.

I know there are a lot of beet haters out there, which I totally understand — the taste of dirt can simply be too much to look past. However, I would venture that even beet haters will love this smoothie. The flavor of the beets is offset enough by raspberry, orange and ginger so that it fades to the background, only detectable as a subtle earthiness. This is a creamy smoothie, with plenty of almond butter, ground flax and almond milk to round out the flavors and make for a very filling and nourishing smoothie. I also add vanilla bean powder, which complements the beets’ sweet earthiness, and a small pinch of salt.

Give this smoothie a try, and you may just turn into a beet liker (I’m being realistic, here). Either way, you will be a lover of this smoothie. Enjoy the rest of the week! xo Maggie