This chocolate smoothie, packed full of goodness went down really well with the kids. I saw a few sneaking back for a second serve. The first time I tried it was in the Thermomix. I made the full amount and it came out to over a litre of smoothie, so it will need to be scaled down if you’re not feeding a family. The second time I tried it, I did scale it down and used the Magic Bullet, not the thermie. It took a long time to blend and even then there were chunks of dates and some ice. The Thermomix is second to none when it comes to processing something as hard as ice, but it can be done if you’re patient and don’t mind chunks. Obviously I would recommend the Thermomix for all it’s other functions. If you’re interested in taking a look at the Thermomix and perhaps even hosting a no-obligation demo, send us an email and we’ll pass on Larissa’s details.
What you need:
- 5 Medjool dates
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 200g ice
- 30g raw cacao powder
- 200g frozen banana (about 2)
- 200g avocado (about 2)
- 120g baby spinach (this is a lot of baby spinach, but it blends down)
- 600g water or coconut water
- 100g activated almonds (if you don’t have activated, soak them overnight in filtered water)
What to do:
- Process the almonds, chia seeds and dates
- Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth
- Serve with a thick straw, this is a thick smoothie
Tips:
Larissa tells me ice breaks everything up and makes it smoother. I’m going to start doing this is more of my smoothies.
Bananas are apparently easier to digest once they’ve been frozen. I always have frozen bananas in my freezer. Once they start to turn a little bit black, peel them, pop them in a ziplock bag and they’ll always be ready.
Coconut water has a lot of sugar, natural sugar, but it’s still sweet. If your after a bit of sweetness use all coconut water, but gradually swap out the coconut for filtered water.
This recipe comes from Jo Whitton’s Quirky Cooking, a brilliant book to accompany your Thermomix. See more on her website.