Citrus fruits always remind of edible sunshine, and Satsuma mandarins are among my favorites. They're easy to peel, and their flavor straddles the line between sweet and tart. I think it awfully nice of them to come into season during the darkest days of the year.
Their season coincides with the last of the persimmons. These mild, low-acid fruits pair well with the sharper flavor of citrus, and also with warming spices. I like to bake them into spicy tea cakes, galettes flavored with citrus zest,and crisps laced with tart cranberries and candied ginger.
I'd been pondering what to make for breakfast when the grapes for my favorite green smoothie ran out. Inspired by Green Kitchen Stories' exquisite post on monochromatic smoothies, I decided to blend together a bunch of orange foods into this creamy drink that tastes like an exotic Orange Julius.
I started with homemade cashew almond milk (which is approximately 1 million times more delicious than the shelf stable stuff and requires only nuts, water, a sturdy blender, and a nut milk bag). To this I added frozen slices of ripe Fuyu persimmon, Satsuma mandarin segments, a banana, and a couple of dates.
To flavor the smoothie, I went a little wild. I reached for the fresh turmeric root I've been keeping around to put in ginger tea and this soup and added some to the smoothie. Then I added a bit of vanilla bean and some fresh ginger.
I handed a cup to Jay. "This could be weird," I warned. But it surprised us both by tasting decidedly not weird. In fact, it tasted awesome.
This smoothie is sweet and creamy with a milkshake-like consistency. Tiny dots of vanilla bean seed add their friendly flavor. The ginger adds a kicky warmth, the turmeric earthy notes and a host of health benefits. The persimmon, satsuma, and banana all blend together, tasting vaguely tropical, and the dates add natural sweetness and body. We've been drinking them every day.
To me, it tastes like an Orange Julius for grown-ups: quaffable sunshine that happens to be healthy.
Wishing everyone a bright and sunny new year.
More Smoothie Recipes:
Fall Greens Smoothie
Huckleberry Smoothie
Hibiscus Berry Smoothie Bowls
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this tangerine smoothie recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Persimmon and Tangerine Smoothie with Vanilla, Ginger and Turmeric
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups cashew almond milk (below)
- 1 ripe banana
- 2 soft dates, pitted and chopped
- 1 1/4 cups frozen Fuyu persimmon slices
- 1 1/4 cups frozen seeded tangerine segments (such as Satsuma)
- 1/2 teaspoon packed finely grated fresh turmeric root (or 1/4 teaspoon dried, ground turmeric)
- 1 teaspoon packed finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 inch vanilla bean, chopped (or a splash of vanilla extract)
Cashew Almond Milk
- 1 cup whole "raw" cashews
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- water, as needed (preferably filtered)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend on high until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour into glasses and serve.
Cashew Almond Milk
- Combine the cashews and almonds in a 1-quart jar and fill the jar with water. Let soak 8-24 hours. Drain the nuts and rinse them well, then add them to the blender with 4 cups of water. Blend on high until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a nut milk bag and into a large bowl, squeezing the dickens out of the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. (Reserve the nut pulp for making crackers or brownies.) Add the remaining 6 cups of water to the nut milk (or add less water for a richer milk). The nut milk will keep, refrigerated, for up to 4 or 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Persimmon and Tangerine Smoothie with Vanilla, Ginger and Turmeric
Do yourself a favor and look for Fuyu persimmons and tangerines that are seedless – it will make the fruit preparation go a lot faster. I like Satsuma mandarins as they are reliably sweet and easy to peel, but other varieties will also work, as probably will navel or Cara Cara oranges. Peel the tangerines and separate them into segments. Cut the persimmons into large chunks or wedges. Freeze both on a rimmed baking sheet, then place them in bags or containers for storage.
Makes 1 quart (1 large or 2 medium servings)
2 cups cashew almond milk (below)
1 ripe banana
2 soft dates, pitted and chopped
1 1/4 cups frozen Fuyu persimmon slices
1 1/4 cups frozen seeded tangerine segments (such as Satsuma)
1/2 teaspoon packed finely grated fresh turmeric root (or 1/4 teaspoon dried, ground turmeric)
1 teaspoon packed finely grated fresh ginger
1 inch vanilla bean, chopped (or a splash of vanilla extract)
Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend on high until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Pour into glasses and serve.
Cashew Almond Milk
1 cup whole "raw" cashews
1 cup whole raw almonds
water, as needed (preferably filtered)
Combine the cashews and almonds in a 1-quart jar and fill the jar with water. Let soak 8-24 hours. Drain the nuts and rinse them well, then add them to the blender with 4 cups of water. Blend on high until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a nut milk bag and into a large bowl, squeezing the dickens out of the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. (Reserve the nut pulp for making crackers or brownies.) Add the remaining 6 cups of water to the nut milk (or add less water for a richer milk). The nut milk will keep, refrigerated, for up to 4 or 5 days.
Suzuki says
Since I didn't have time to make the nut milk, I used plain kefir. I also left out ginger and added hemp and chia seeds. Pretty to look at and quite tasty!
Thanks for breakfast!
Alanna says
Aw! You're very welcome, Suzuki! Kefir, hemp and chia sound great here - I'll have to try that!
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Here's to 'deliciously not weird' and 'exotic Orange Julius' sips! Love, love this healthy smoothie recipe, and your blog, girl. Appreciate all the tips, too. Cannot wait to try! Thanks for sharing!
Alanna says
Haha - thanks, Stacy! What a sweet note. Thank you for reading. :)
Jules says
This is fantastically different! Love the turmeric! I didn't make my own milk, just used almond milk and threw in some cashews. Also didn't have persimmon so just used tangerines. Yum yum yum! Can't wait to make it for my husband :)
Alanna says
Thanks, Jules! I'm so glad you gave it a try. Those modifications sound spot on. Thanks for reading and for the lovely note!
Joelle says
Yum! Brian even asked me to make a second batch. You also inspired me to make more nut milk. Over the weekend I made some raw cashew/roasted hazelnut milk. So good for hot cocoa and the nut pulp went in our oatmeal.
Alanna says
Cousin! You are blowing my mind here. Cashew/roasted hazelnut milk hot chocolate sounds insane! Like warm nutella!!! And I never thought to put nut pulp in oatmeal - thank you, thank you, thank you. And I'm so glad you guys are liking the smoothie, too!
Hilary McMahan says
We made both the nut milk and the smoothie, and both were incredibly delicious! Thank you! One question--can you use the cashew-almond pulp the same way you'd use regular almond pulp? Any suggested uses?
Alanna says
Hi, Hilary! I'm so glad you guys like the nut milk and smoothie! You can definitely use the pulp for any almond pulp recipe. I make these brownies: https://www.bojongourmet.com/2013/12/baked-almond-pulp-brownies.html, and the almond pulp crackers from Elena's Pantry. My cousin also suggested putting it in oatmeal. And I've seen recipes for muffins and granola that I've been meaning to try. Let me know what you come up with! I'm always looking for new uses for it, too.
[email protected] says
How could this possibly be weird!! It looks AHH-MAZING! I have to try it, I actually can't wait. Yum!
Alanna says
Aw, thank you Julia! I hope you love it. :)
Neeny says
I discovered your blog a few days ago (clicked on an image for this recipe on Google images).The first thing I've got to say is that I LOVE your photos! I hope I can be that good in the near future. This recipe does look really yummy, I love smoothies so I can't wait to try this! Thanks for sharing! :)
Alanna says
Thank you Neeny! I just got the ingredients to make this again myself. Please let me know how you like it!
GlassDharma says
Wonderful combinations. We will share this recipe on our Facebook & G+ pages. Thank you for choosing reusable straws! :) #plasticisdrastic
Alanna says
Thanks for making them - the best!!
Katherine says
Delicious as promised. I cut the persimmon into slices (big circles) and my Ninja had a rough go of it. So maybe smaller bits next time. And juicier tangerines - mine were extremely dry :(
Alanna says
Darn, I'm sorry to hear that! Let me know if you try it again with those changes.