Healthy, Tasty Vegan Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
Free of gluten, eggs, dairy, meat, nuts, and added sugars. A mouth-watering new take on an childhood favorite....

Most all of us love an orange creamsicle. Or the ultimate was an Orange Julius. When I first started working on this recipe, so many adults responded with "Orange Julius was practically a food group for me growing up!" Me too.
Sometimes, it is easy to forget just how delicious a simple orange can be. Add in some creaminess along with a little more tang from some non-dairy yogurt and no one will even notice that you also slipped in a serving of greens. They may even forget it is good for them!
When the kids at Jefferson Middle School made this smoothie, the first comments were pretty funny. "Ummm.... I am not sure if I want to try that. There is salad in it?" These questions were quickly replaced with: "Is there any more of that smoothie left?"
Just one warning: it might be a good idea to peel and freeze an extra orange. Maybe two. Especially if you have hungry teenagers around the house. The frozen oranges are apparently just too delicious for them to resist.

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie ​​
Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 large oranges ​​
1c strawberries (optional)
1 1/2c frozen unsweetened, plain non-dairy yogurt ​​
1/4c fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2c unsweetened non-dairy "mylk"​​
2c Power Greens
1/4c vegan protein powder (vanilla flavored)​​
1c ice cubes​​​​​​​​​​

DIRECTIONS:
1.) Peel & section oranges. Clean strawberries and slice in half. Place fruit in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze at least two hours.
2.) Blend soaked dates and "mylk" until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, except ice, and blend until smooth.
3.) Add ice and blend until smooth. Add more "mylk" if necessary.
This recipe was created as a part of the Jefferson Middle School, Spring 2018 class. Made possible through sponsorship by the San Gabriel Educational Foundation with generous support from the San Gabriel Valley Medical Center Foundation Funds.