From the Blender: The Californian Smoothie

By
Jamie Feldmar
Jamie Feldmar
Contributor
Jamie Feldmar is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, and cookbook author. The former managing editor for Serious Eats and senior editor at Tasting Table, her writing has appeared in Saveur, Lucky Peach, The Paris Review, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and more.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated Aug. 09, 2018
The Californian Smoothie

This rich smoothie is thickened with creamy ripe avocado. Frozen raspberries and strawberries provide most of the flavor, though you'll get a little caramelly sweetness from the dates that are blended in.

Get the Recipe »

[Photo: Robyn Lee]

. Robyn Lee

We're sharing a new juice or smoothie recipe every weekday in January. Got a favorite juice or smoothie combo? Tell us about it in the comments section! Looking for more smoothie and juice ideas? Start here...

The Californian Smoothie
This rich smoothie is thickened with creamy ripe avocado. Frozen raspberries and strawberries provide most of the flavor, though you'll get a little caramelly sweetness from the dates that are blended in. Get the Recipe » [Photo: Robyn Lee]. Robyn Lee

For as far back as I can remember, I've always been biased toward smoothies with a reddish hue. Maybe it's some Eve-esque subliminal thing, but whenever I see that ruby color, my brain reads it as: "you are about to drink something particularly enjoyable." So I figured, double the red berries, double the deliciousness, right?

Right! This smoothie involves both frozen strawberries and frozen raspberries, which lend a sweet, tangy note along with the all-important redness. Ever since our own Carolyn Cope declared that dates are the smoothie sweetening queen, I've been wanting to use them in a recipe, and this seemed like the perfect time to try them out. Dates always make me think of California, which in turn reminds me of avocados, so I went with them to add creaminess (and no, you really can't taste the avocadoy-ness —it's pretty much completely obscured by the berries). Almond milk was my liquid of choice, and with a quick hit of honey for sweetness, I had myself a rich, thick smoothie that would have made the Mamas and the Papas proud (and maybe these guys, too).