FLOATING KITCHEN
Seasonally inspired recipes from 42.79 N, 70.81 W
Orange and Arugula Smoothie Bowl
If you follow me over on Instagram, then you know I’m a daily consumer of smoothies and smoothie bowls. So imagine my surprise when I looked at my posting history from the past several months and realized that I hadn’t shared a smoothie/smoothie bowl recipe here since this Apple Pie Smoothie Bowl during first week of October.
Shocking, right? So I’m here today with this Orange and Arugula Smoothie Bowl to appease the food blogging Gods.
Now, I certainly never want to discourage someone from making one of my recipes, but I feel like I should be up front and say that if you’re a person who isn’t into savory smoothie bowls, this one might not be the best fit for you. Because this smoothie bowl has got some kick!
In this bowl you’ll find a hefty doze of arugula and that classic peppery taste that goes along with it. I’ve also added in some parsley and…wait for it…cauliflower!
Yes, there is cauliflower in here! But let me tell you that you can’t taste it one bit. For real. I would not lie to you about this. Don’t fear the cauliflower!
I got the idea about the cauliflower from a recipe created by Laura that was published on The Kitchn earlier this year. It’s a great way to add more vegetable fiber to your smoothies and smoothie bowls. Admittedly, sometimes my sweet tooth takes over and I tend to fall a little too far on the sweet side of things. It’s easy for my creations to turn into something more closely resembling a milkshake (not that I’ve ever complained about that!). So adding in a handful of cauliflower is a great way to bring the balance back to the vegetable side of things. And if you’re anything like me, you always have some pesky cauliflower florets (or stems that you’re going to toss anyway) in your crisper drawer that need using up.
I’m still crushing hard on Winter citrus, so I’ve got a whole orange in this recipe. And for fun, I made a couple brûléed orange slices for decoration (and I practiced making some strawberry hearts for one of the photographs, since it’s almost Valentine’s Day and I’m a hopeless romantic!). You can use whatever kind of oranges you like, but I’m partial to blood oranges and Cara cara oranges right now, since they won’t be available as readily once Spring rolls around.
To balance the savory ingredients, I used a super ripe banana and some vanilla-flavored yogurt. I didn’t want this smoothie bowl to be TOO savory. Even I have limits.
I’m sharing the recipe for this Orange and Arugula Smoothie Bowl as part of our monthly #eatseasonal recipe round-up organized by Becky from Vintage Mixer. If you’re finding yourself in a cooking rut this month (the internet is basically just a sea of red velvet desserts at this point), then check out Becky’s February Produce Guide for some inspiration. And don’t forget to see what new recipes some of my blogging friends have created this month, too. Just click the links below!
Cheers,
Liz
Ingredients
- For the Brûléed Orange
- 1-2 orange slices
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- For the Smoothie Bowl
- 1 cup loosely packed arugula
- 1 orange, peeled
- 1 peeled banana, chopped and frozen
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I like vanilla flavored)
- 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- To make the brûléed orange slice(s), sprinkle one side of the orange slice(s) with sugar. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the orange slice(s) sugar-side down and cook until lightly caramelized, about 1-2 minutes. Remove the orange slice(s) from the skillet and place on a plate with the brûléed-side facing up. Set aside.
- To make the smoothie bowl, add all of the ingredients to your blender. Blend on high until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Top with a brûléed orange slice(s) and additional chia seeds, if desired. Enjoy immediately.
February Eat Seasonal Recipes
Beet Buckwheat Pancakes by Simple Bites
Citrus and Yogurt Fruit Pizza with Granola Crust by Completely Delicious
Spicy Cashew Spring Greens Soup by Letty’s Kitchen
Cauliflower Chickpea and Crispy Kale Tacos with Orange Tahini Sauce by Vintage Mixer
Lemon Poppy Seed Meringue Cookies by Project Domestication
Meyer Lemon & Thyme Semifreddo by Suitcase Foodist
Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Bread by Joy Food Sunshine
Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup by Foodie Crush
Tilapia with Tangerine Salsa by Healthy Seasonal Recipes
Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad with Orange and Avocado by Mountain Mama Cooks
Beet and Apple Salad with Citrus Honey Yogurt by Flavor the Moments
Meyer Lemon and Honey Lassi by Kitchen Confidante
Roasted Veggie Buddha Bowls with Pesto by She Likes Food
Coconut Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Broccoli and Tahini Sauce by Cafe Johnsonia
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Soup by Food for My Family
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies with Raspberries
Earlier this week, I touched on some pretty heavy topics. And while some of those topics might come up again in the future (they certainly aren’t issues that are going away anytime soon AND I think it important to maintain an open dialog), today we’re going to keep things light and cheery. Because above all else, this is a food blog. And I think it’s important to honor that.
So let’s turn all of our attentions to these beautiful Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies with Raspberries.
When I decided to make this recipe, I was all like “I got this. I’m just going to whip these babies up in no time. Easy peasy.” But boy, was I wrong.
The first batch of brownies I made was so terrible that I had to THROW AWAY THE ENTIRE PAN! Like, completely in-edible. I honestly don’t know what happened. I mean, how badly can a person mess up peanut butter and chocolate that it’s so gross it becomes trash? I don’t know. I made them at 6:00 am, so I’m wondering if in my sleepy haze I completely forgot a major ingredient or something. I never really figured it out.
The second batch was good (and edible), but not great. The texture was a bit odd and I overcooked them slightly (note: those are actually the ones in the photos, so yours will probably look a little less dry when baked). But by the third time, I nailed it. I brought them to the brewery and all my friends gobbled them right up. And I even received a marriage proposal as a result of these Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies with Raspberries. Are you impressed yet?
Spoiler alert: I’m still happily single.
So here are a couple things that I learned during this process. First, I got much better results when I used a big brand name peanut butter (like Skippy or Jiff). The brownies I made with my natural peanut butter didn’t have the smooth texture I was ultimately looking for. If the idea of those big brands really turns you off and you want to use your favorite natural/organic brand of peanut butter, go right ahead. But please be aware that you’ll likely have to add in a little more salt and sugar to make up for the fact that those natural/organic brands usually contain less to start with. The second thing I noticed is that the temperature of the two layers is related to how “pretty” your swirls will come out. The brownie batter should be warm already (since it gets started on the stovetop). But if your house/kitchen is cold, you might want to microwave the peanut butter layer for a few seconds to help loosen it up.
The raspberries were a last minute addition, because it’s almost Valentine’s Day and I wanted to throw in a little bit of pink flare. If you’re one of those individuals that isn’t down with fruit in your brownies, then just skip them. You might not get a marriage proposal, but I can guarantee they will still taste amazing.
Cheers,
Liz
Recipe adapted from my Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
- For the Peanut Butter Layer
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- For the Brownie Layer
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 7 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- For Topping
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving a couples of inches overhanging around the sides. Lightly spray the parchment paper/foil with non-stick spray and set it aside.
- Make the peanut butter layer. Using your hand mixer, cream together the peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extra and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Make the brownie layer. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Turn the heat down to low and whisk in about half of the chopped chocolate. Once it’s melted, remove the saucepan from the heat. Whisk in the sugar. Then whisk in the eggs, bourbon and vanilla extract. Whisk in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. The batter may appear grainy at first, but it will become smooth as you continue to whisk it. Stir in the remaining chopped chocolate.
- Pour about 3/4 of the brownie batter into your prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly. Then spread all of the peanut butter batter evenly over top of the brownie batter. Dollop the remaining brownie batter on top of the peanut butter layer. Then drag the tip of a knife through the two batters to create a swirly pattern. Scatter the raspberries on top.
- Transfer the brownies to your pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes, rotating the pan once half way through baking. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
- Once the brownies have cooled, lift them out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper/foil. Cut into squares.
- The brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Stay in Touch
