January is the best time of year for citrus. Blood oranges are one of our absolute favorite citrus fruits to work with. They have such subtle sweet undertones that balance the acidity of the orange, and the most intense colours ranging from bright orange to a deep purple hue! This smoothie recipe is light and fresh. Using light coconut milk to save a bit on the fat and the bold citrus to brighten the flavor, it’s our take on a vegan Orange Julius. We hope you enjoy this recipe and get invigorated on a cold January day.

We love to use frozen bananas in smoothies.  It’s a great way to use up all the ones sitting in your freezer and it helps make the smoothie nice and cold. If you don’t have any on hand, fresh ones will work fine – just serve the smoothie over ice.

Get your cute paper straws out because this is one smoothie you’re not going to want to miss! Cheers!

Coconut Blood Orange Smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes
Makes 2 large or 4 small smoothies

Ingredients
1 can (400ml) light coconut milk
2 frozen bananas
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice
Pinch of pink salt
Pinch turmeric (optional)

Directions
Place everything in the blender and blend on high for 1-2 minutes.Pour into glasses and enjoy!

This recipe will work with any type of oranges you have on hand!

• Recipe created by MH Food Contributor Erin Girard