Orange Julie

I'm sure most people have tasted or at least heard of an Orange Julius.  I've only heard of them and never tasted one.  We just don't have a store close enough to where I live and when I was visiting the city I thought the prices were somewhat inflated for a milky orange juice drink and never bought one.  Somewhere along the way I acquired a copycat recipe for the drink.  We all liked it, especially Peter.  It is reminiscent of the orange Creamsicles that I used to love as a child (and still do) but it's much healthier or can be much healthier if you don't use sugar.

Some recipes for Orange Julius include an unhealthy dose of sugar but we found it sweet enough just as the recipe is written below, but be my guest to add a little sugar to the mix if you feel you'd like a sweeter drink.  And to be fair, this isn't a real Orange Julius, it's an "Orange Julie" as the other name is most certainly copyrighted to the umpteenth dollar.  So the "Julie" version is not as sweet. (I'm just guessing the real Julius is sweet by the amounts of sugar the copycat recipes include. Remember, I've not tasted the real thing.) 

When choosing the orange juice concentrate, buy the best you can afford so the flavour is bright with orange and not bitter like some of the cheaper brands can be.   Also whole milk works best but even skim milk or soy/plant based milks work well. 

So here's my take on something I've never tasted.  You might say it's the original calcium fortified orange juice. 


Orange Julie
1 cup milk
1 cup water
8-10 ice cubes
⅔ cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend on high until smooth.  Pour into glasses.  Garnish with orange slices if desired.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Variations
Banana Orange Julie: Add 1 fresh or frozen banana, peeled and sliced
Strawberry Orange Julie: Add 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
Berry Orange Julie: Add 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries
Kiwi Orange Julie:  Add 1 or 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
Pineapple Orange Julie: Add 2 slices fresh pineapple

Just put everything in the blender and let it do what it does best.

Your Orange Julie should be thick and smooth.

 Doesn't that look good.  Anyone want a Julie Mustache?

Good anytime of the day!