Cara Cara Orange & Vanilla Bean Curd

Sweet vanilla and juicy Cara Cara oranges come together perfectly in this creamy & easy to make Cara Cara Orange & Vanilla Bean Curd...

So I have a confession, you all- I sort of am having a love affair with all the citrus things right now. (Shhhhhh... don't tell my husband! ;) ) I can't seem to get enough of bright, fresh lemons, but my most current addiction has been with sweet Cara Cara navel oranges. I have no clue how it is that I am just now discovering these juicy citrus gems! 

As much as I have been loving fresh citrus the past few weeks, the acidity in most citrus fruits usually wreaks havoc on me. But Cara Cara oranges are a hybrid navel orange that is lower in acidity than the average naval orange. They also happen to be seedless, folks. Yep, no seeds to dig out which makes them perfect for juicing and snacking on. And last but not least, just look at the color when you slice one of these babies open! Can you say gorgeous? :)

Cara Cara oranges happen to be in season through the end of this month, so I have been picking up a bag of them almost every week at the grocery store. I mean, how can I not when they are only $3-5 a bag? ;) 

While I love just peeling them and snacking on them or throwing a few slices on top of a little vanilla yogurt, I have been playing around with them a bit and developing a few new recipes to share with you all on the blog. First up is this amazingly creamy Cara Cara Orange & Vanilla Bean Curd! If you happen to be a fan of orange creamsicles, then you are going to to be heaven with this easy to make curd... ;)

Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding

A simple healthy recipe gets a kick of intense vanilla flavor in this Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding...

Okay, you all- I finally jumped on the chia seed bandwagon, and now I am wondering why I ever waited so long. I may have had a little bit of a prejudice against them before because all I could think of when someone mentioned chia seeds were chia pets. Do you all know what I am talking about? (And now that jingle from the television commercial is stuck in my head- Chi, chi, chi, chiaaaa... ;) )

But nevertheless I had been kind of curious about chia seeds for the past few months, but I had no clue where I would even buy them here in small town West Virginia. Then lo and behold, one day I was shopping at my local ALDI and there they were on the shelf- a bag for less than $3! I mean, what did I have to lose really? So I grabbed a bag and started asking around to my fellow food bloggers what were their favorite ways to enjoy and prepare them. Many said that they loved sprinkling them over yogurt (which is yum, by the way) or mixed into smoothies. But again and again, they mentioned chia pudding.  

The first couple of times that I tried making chia pudding I got the ratios off, and my pudding ended up more like a slurpy mess.  But this latest attempt? I nailed it! :) I decided that I want to stick to a simple chia pudding recipe, but added a kick of intense vanilla flavor. By stirring in a simple teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, this healthy and easy to make pudding becomes almost like a creamy vanilla dessert. You could also substitute a teaspoon of vanilla extract, but trust me on this- splurging a little for some good quality vanilla bean paste is so worth it for this recipe. Enjoy this Vanilla Bean Chia Pudding simply as is or feel free to top it with your favorite fruits, berries, or nuts...