This weekend, I picked up some beets from our local farm stand. The farmer mentioned that she usually doesn’t bring beets from the farm, as they don’t sell well, so she was glad to see someone uses them. When I told them I was planning on making smoothies with them, they seemed mildly disgusted. But I was really excited to try out this smoothie from Caroline at Chocolate & Carrots, and I tried my best at convincing them it would be fantastic.
I really love beets, but I never really thought to put them in a smoothie. They always remind me of Quail Man (do you remember the show, Doug?) trying to get everybody to eat beets. Beets are something that I can totally get into throwing into my smoothie, as they make such a vibrant, pretty smoothie, which is rather unlike how most green smoothies look if you add any colored fruit (blueberries, strawberries, etc.).
This smoothie, with hints of chocolate, strawberry, and banana, really doesn’t taste like beets. They add the beautiful hue and some nutrition, but otherwise, they’re pretty much unnoticeable. If you have a high powered blender like a VitaMix or Blendtec, I definitely recommend using it so that the beets are super smooth. I don’t have that kind of blender, so the smoothie wasn’t as smooth as I would’ve liked, but I was perfectly okay with the texture.
This is the perfect smoothie to have for breakfast (or post-workout), packed with vitamins, fiber, and protein (from greek yogurt). I sweetened it a bit with liquid stevia, but you can also use dates! Such a tasty, healthy treat.
Do you ever hide veggies in treats? What is your favorite way to do it?
Red Velvet Beet Smoothie
- 1 medium red beet, raw, peeled and chopped
- about 4 large strawberries (I used frozen)
- 1 overripe banana, frozen
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp + 9 drops liquid stevia (or 3 dates, pitted)
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (Chobani is my favorite)
- 1/4-1/2 cup water
In a high powered blender, combine all of the ingredients (using only 1/4 cup of water to start). Blend until smooth. Add 1/4 cup more water to thin, if necessary, to reach desired consistency. Enjoy!
adapted from Chocolate & Carrots
Recipe by Melinda Novak, owner of cookingalamel.com