Papaya Peach Summer Smoothie with Dark Chocolate Kiwis

An ultra rich, creamy smoothie bowl with a tropical twist - a delicious blend of papaya, peaches and almond milk. Topped with fresh fruit and dark chocolate covered kiwis for even more decadence. 

Coming back from a week in New York where the sun is high in the early mornings, and the locals are soaking in the last minutes of sunlight before the warm nightfall, I intended to keep that summer spirit alive even in gloomy San Francisco.  Talk about a difficult feat. The weather here has been weird, like really weird. Spurts of afternoon sunshine and warmth coupled with damp, humid fog in the mornings. With weather not on my side and still wanting to hold onto any resemblance of ‘summer’, I’ve opted to live through it with food. Specifically smoothies. Branching out of the typical berry smoothie, into something a bit creamier, richer and more tropical – enter mangos delicious and underrated counterpart, the papaya.

Papayas are a wonderful fruit with butter like consistency and a subtle sweetness. A delicious fruit full of nutrients aiding in skin beauty with skin tightening vitamin C and A. When blended alongside peaches and almond milk, this smoothie becomes creamy with a beautiful tropical twist. Extending the tropical experience at home a bit more, I simply dipped kiwis in dark chocolate! A little bit of green with a little bit of indulgence. These two simple recipes have helped cut the gloom of the city and relish the summer through tropical foods.

Serves: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients for the Papaya Smoothie Bowl:

- 1/2 a papaya

- 1/2 cup of frozen peaches

- 1/2 frozen banana

- 1/2 cup almond milk

- 1/4 cup water (more if you like it thinner)

- small handful of rolled oats

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)

Ingredients for the Chocolate Covered Kiwis:

- 2 kiwis

- 1/2 bar of dark chocolate (or any kind)

- cacao nibs and sea salt for toppings

Instructions:

Simply place all the ingredients for the smoothie into a food processor. When cutting the papaya – cut down the center and remove the seeds and outer flesh. Add to the blender and mix till smooth and creamy!

For the chocolate kiwis – simply melt the bar of chocolate over low heat in a saucepan, stirring as it melts. As this melts cut the kiwis into thin circular pieces. Dip the kiwis into the chocolate and place on a baking tray to freeze in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Enjoy frozen or at room temp!

I had so much fun this holiday weekend experimenting with new fruit combinations so I hope you guys love this recipe as much as I do! Its rich, creamy and perfect for a hot summer day!

Also, thanks you guys for tagging me in all your food creations on instagram! I adore seeing your photos and it really does keep me so inspired :) You can find me at #8thandlake or in the link below.

xx Marie