Last year, I couldn’t get enough of chia pudding. This year, my new obsession is the chia smoothie. Cold, creamy, and easy-to-prepare, this healthy breakfast beverage is packed with big, bright flavors.
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My Orange Carrot Chia Smoothie starts with a base of hydrated chia seeds, 2 tablespoons of seeds in 1 cup of orange juice. This base is then blended with chopped carrot, almond milk ice cubes, almond butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and freshly squeezed lemon juice. The chia seeds thicken the drink while adding major nutrients, including fiber, protein and calcium. The texture is smooth and silken, and the taste is reminiscent of an orange creamsicle. A well-balanced, incredibly delicious orange creamsicle! I actually debated calling this drink the Orange Creamsicle Chia Smoothie. Or the Easiest-Way-To-Down-A-Bunch-Of-Carrots Chia Smoothie. The carrot flavor hangs out in the background, adding just the right amount of vegetal sweetness. It’s seriously tasty. Continue reading for the recipe.
The flavors for this recipe were inspired by my weekly Specialty Produce Farmer’s Market Box (FMB). I’ve been getting these boxes since July of last year, and I just love the random assortment of gorgeous produce available each week. Here’s a photo of last week’s box:
http://instagram.com/p/yLGWT3mDxW
Contents included:
Broccoli – Life’s a Choke Farm
Medjool Dates – Wynola Flats
Endive Romanesco – Coastal Organics
Meyer Lemons – Polito Farms
Red Hydro Romaine – Sundial Farm
Purple Carrots – Black Sheep Produce
Yellow Onion – Jaime Farms
Cara Cara Oranges – Lee Farm
Amarosa Fingerling Potatoes – Weiser Family Farms
Green Kohlrabi – Kong Thao
I also got some Vanilla Blood Oranges from their Farmer’s Choice program. The citrus in the box was particularly inspiring: Cara Cara Oranges (a mix of an orange and a grapefruit), Meyer Lemons (a mix of a lemon and a mandarin orange), and Vanilla Blood Oranges. For this recipe, I hydrated the chia seeds in a mix of these three juices, but I also tested this recipe with just one juice. All variations were delicious, so I would recommend that you use whatever citrus you have on hand.
If you only have boxed orange juice (vs. freshly squeezed), you may want to omit the honey here, because boxed juices can be a bit on the sweet side. Adjust flavors at the end by adding more honey or lemon juice.
Normally, I make my chia smoothies with part frozen fruit to cool down the drink without watering down the flavor (ice cubes do that). For this chia smoothie in particular, all the produce is fresh, so I decided to freeze the almond milk component. Each batch gets eight 1 oz. cubes (1 cup of almond milk) made with this ice cube mold
. Perfect temperature. No flavor loss. I like to make these flavored ice cubes in big batches, so I can always have them at-the-ready for my morning smoothies.
Orange Carrot Chia Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 cup orange juice (I used a mix of orange and meyer lemon juice here, but just orange works well too)
- Scant 2 cups (8 ounces) peeled and sliced carrots
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Small pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup (8 ounces) almond milk ice cubes
Instructions
-
Place chia seeds and orange juice in a small bowl, whisking to combine. Let sit for 20 minutes, whisking occasionally,
-
Add the hydrated chia seeds with juice to the container of a blender along with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Taste and add more honey or lemon juice as needed.
I like to enjoy one smoothie immediately, and save the other one (in the fridge) for an afternoon snack. Be sure to drink both smoothies within 24 hours. Flavors will get muddy after that.
If you live in San Diego, and you’d like to order your own Specialty Produce Farmer’s Market Box, check out options here. I’ve also got 2 other recipes on Kitchen Konfidence that use produce from my weekly FMB:
Rainbow Chard Soup
Fig Cakes with Vanilla Glaze
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Averie @ Averie Cooks says
This just looks so healthy and yet hearty with the carrots and almond butter and honey and I love the color! Makes me want one now!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Averie. It’s super healthy!
June Burns says
That looks fab! So creamy and colorful, I’m sure it tastes great too 🙂
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks June 🙂
Holly - FMITK says
I’ve never done anything with chia seeds. Now I’m inspired!
Brandon Matzek says
You need to try them out! Such an interesting ingredient. They’ve got major nutritional value with minimal calories, and they can be used to thicken things.
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
this is one luxurious looking smoothie..i love the idea of orange and carrots together.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Dixya :)!
Salt & Wind says
This is absolutely beautiful! Those purple carrots are gorgeous. I’ve had my fill of chia oatmeal & pudding and this is an awesome way to utilize chia seeds!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Aida! Definitely a tasty alternative to chia pudding.
Billy says
so much yes to those almond milk cubes. and obvs this smoothie.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Billy ;)!
Caroline says
How have I not found you earlier? Your blog is gorgeous! I can’t wait to spend some time browsing! THIS smoothie sounds delicious. I love the combination of carrots and orange. I think the orange balances out the earthiness of the carrots perfectly. Pinning now!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks so much Caroline! Glad you like Kitchen Konfidence.
The Food Hunter says
The color of this drink is amazing. Nothing like fresh squeezed!
Brandon Matzek says
I agree! Love freshly squeezed citrus juice.
[email protected] says
Aren’t the colored carrot bunches the most beautiful! I love using the carrot tops and making pretty photos with them. And this smoothie, I am all over it.
Brandon Matzek says
Yes, the colors make me smile 🙂 Thanks Fabiola!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
I need to grab some chia seens! I also need to look into a local service that does Farmer’s Market Boxes!
Brandon Matzek says
You should definitely check it out. These weekly Farmer’s Market Boxes have really helped me grow creatively!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Unbelievably pretty! Great idea to make the almond milk cubes. And I do the hydrated chia, too, only I hydrate in water in a jar and keep it in the fridge.
Brandon Matzek says
Great idea Dorothy! How long do they last in the fridge?
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
Looks so fresh, and i love that you used rainbow carrots 🙂
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Gerry! They are quite pretty 🙂
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
I need to have more chia seeds in my life. This looks like a great way to start. Such a great color too!
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Erin!
She Rocks Fitness says
Love adding chia seeds to my smoothies…I’m also currently liking adding hemp hearts. This smoothie looks refreshing, healthy, and of course beautiful. Love the color!
Brandon Matzek says
Oooo, I’ll have to give that a try! I think I saw them at Costco.
Martha @ A Family Feast says
What a gorgeous smoothie! We have a bag of chia seeds in our cabinet and all of the other ingredients too! I think I just found lunch!
Brandon Matzek says
Excellent! Thanks Martha 🙂
Kristina says
I am all about the blood oranges right now… and smoothies are my mid morning JAM 😉 I will have to try this one, thank you!
Brandon Matzek says
I just got a really good bunch of blood oranges. Such a deep color. Definitely give this a try!
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa says
Smoothies are my jam and since it’s total flu season right now, this vitamin-C packed recipe is right up my alley. I love adding chia to my smoothies since it helps to make them thicker (with a little added protein). So good!
Brandon Matzek says
Yes!! This smoothie is packed with flu-fighting goodies. I managed to dodge the flu this season (so far), and I’m thinking it’s because of all the smoothies I was drinking. Thanks!
Ashley (QLCC) says
What a gorgeous juice! Looks tasty, too 🙂
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks Ashley!