Wild Blueberry and Rose Water Smoothie

Disclaimer: By posting this recipe, I am entering a contest sponsored by Wild Blueberries of North America. I am eligible to win prizes, but all opinions are of course my own. #wildyoursmoothie

I have a confession to make.  I didn’t really know anything about wild blueberries until somewhat recently.  The little that I did know goes back to my childhood in the form of blueberry muffins. I remember the cute cans of blueberries that came with the grocery store blueberry muffin mix, but I didn’t realize those  deliciously tiny blueberries were wild blueberries!

Wild blueberries aren’t just like any regular ‘ol blueberry. These smaller berries are bursting with more flavor and pack twice the amount antioxidants!  With high amounts phytochemicals called anthocyanins, purple fruits like wild blueberries are an amazing food for heart health. Other than  fly to Maine and pick them off of a bush, where can you get wild blueberries?? I went on to the Wild Blueberies website to find out where these gems are sold because they’re not as widely available as regular frozen blueberries. Luckily, Sprouts right around the corner from my home sells them!

I love Middle Eastern flavors.  Ingredients like sumac, cardamom, pistachios, burberries, orange blossom and rose water are such a welcome deviation from the usual flavors of the American diet. When trying to decide what type of smoothie to make with my wild blueberries, I knew I wanted to pair them with an exotic ingredient like rose water.

What the heck is rose water? Rose water is made by steeping rose petals in water.  While you can definitely make it at home, it’s so much easier to buy it.  The process creates the most amazing fragrant floral aroma which pairs perfectly with wild blueberries.  I often open the bottle of rose water when I’m in the kitchen just to get a whiff! Beware though!  Rose water and orange blossom water are super duper strong.  If you use too much, your dish will end up tasting like soap.  A small amount goes a very, very long way.  Since I live in an area of Los Angeles with a high concentration of Persian folks, I can easily find rose water at my local grocery store. If your supermarket doesn’t carry it, you can find it at ethnic markets and probably also at Whole Foods.

This is the type of smoothie when you’re in the mood for something cold, refreshing and bursting with flavor.  I promise you that after you try wild blueberries once in your smoothie, you’ll use them all the time!

Wild Blueberry and Rose Water Smoothie

Print Recipe

The rose water in this smoothie adds a beautifully floral note to the sweet-tart blueberry flavor! If you want to make this smoothie vegan, try using any alternative milk beverage such as almond or coconut milk.

• Author: TastyBalance Nutrition
• Yield: Approximately 1 cup 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup Wild Blueberries
• 1/2 cup lowfat milk
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon rose water

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

Keywords: smoothie, blueberries, breakfast, snack, vegetarian, gluten free, nut free, low sodium