papaya carob smoothie

Papaya carob smoothie.

Surprisingly, this January hasn't been stupidly busy at work as previous years have indicated, but there are still distractions galore. My parents have been visiting and I've been enjoying their company, the Australian Open is on and I've been enjoying tennis, and, you know... other life stuff.

Which is why I'm giving you this super-simple smoothie recipe. It's really just a two-ingredient affair if you don't count the water and ice cube components. All you gotta do is get yourself some deliciously toasty carob powder, some sweetly smooth papaya, and you're set.

Roasted carob powder.

A quick background on the idea behind this papaya carob smoothie. I visited my sister a few months ago, and was quite intrigued by the latest dietary changes she has made for her son's sake, in accordance to a book called The Eczema Diet by Karen Fischer - with good results, it seems, if his skin's improvement is anything to go by. And for the first time, I had a taste of roasted carob powder, and fell in love. Carob is often used as a substitute to chocolate and therefore compared in unfavourable terms, but that is doing it a disservice. No, it doesn't taste exactly like chocolate, but it's magnificent in its own right - so delightfully malty with a hint of nuttiness and caramel.

This papaya carob smoothie, then, is a recipe I devised, based on the list of eczema-safe ingredients in the book. I have to confess that I don't tend to get excited about papaya, but with carob? Bring it on!

Fresh papaya.

1 cup papaya flesh (approx. 140g)
1.5 tablespoons roasted carob powder
1/2 cup water or soy milk or rice milk
4 ice cubes

Whiz all ingredients together until smooth... and it's ready to pour, drink and enjoy.

Papaya smoothie with the special touch of roasted carob powder.