This may be terrible timing for posting a chocolate recipe-- right after Valentine's day.
But if you're anything like me all those heart-shaped chocolates only whet your appetite for more chocolate.
And, in my defense, I actually did try to make this chocolate pudding that I saw on Pinterest on Valentine's day, but it came out gritty from the dates. We still gobbled it down, but I knew a few tweaks would make it even better. It also needed to be a bigger batch...
So, as if all those left-over chocolate hearts I ate today did not fulfill my chocolate quota, I experimented with it again tonight.
And I think I've figured it out.
I saved the dates for other things (like my breakfast bars), and substituted banana and maple syrup instead. Add a pinch of salt and some vanilla for a little extra flavor, and it's even more delicious and still pretty healthy.
It takes all of about three minutes to whip up, and is incredibly decadent and satisfying. So, toss the rest of those foil-wrapped hearts (or, on second thought, just save them for tomorrow) and get out the avocados-- this is much more of a treat and is probably better for you.
It also makes an awesome goatee...
the veggies (or technically, fruits, etc):
- 1 banana, peeled (obviously)
- 1 avocado, pitted and peeled
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- a pinch of salt
- 1 TBS vanilla extract
- 2 to 6 TBS water
the love:
- Combine all ingredients except water in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add as much water as needed to reach a smooth, pudding-like texture.
- Chill before serving, if desired-- but you probably don't want to leave this in the fridge for too long because avocados and bananas can both get kinda funky after a while once they're mashed or blended, and also because husbands and kids can't be trusted around chocolate desserts left unattended...
Owen's always pretending to be a spy these days. According to him, a spy is someone who goes on a secret mission. There are two types of spies, depending on the intent of their mission: good and bad. I'm pretty sure he learned this from watching Cars 2.
I've gone on my own secret mission lately: to sneak more green vegetables into my kids (and myself and Brock). While my kids might beg to differ if they ever found out, I consider this a good mission so I'm calling myself a good spy. This smoothie recipe is the result of my good spy efforts.
My cover was almost blown the other day when I was making these and Owen saw the contents of the blender pitcher just before I fired up the blender.
"That's not lettuce in there, is it Mom?" asked Owen. "I don't like lettuce."
"Lettuce!?" I laughed nervously, "That's just the stuff that makes it green. Don't be ridiculous -- lettuce in a smoothie?!"
Hmm... Lettuce-- I hadn't thought of that...
Anyway, Owen seemed satisfied by my answer and I managed to avert that disaster. And, I was so excited to see both of my kids happily slurping down their smoothies. Brock and I liked it too-- it was fruity, slushy and sweet, but not crazy sweet, like some smoothies. And I couldn't taste the greens! Woo hoo! Get out the "Mission Accomplished" banner and the flight suit-- I was ready to declare it a success...
Until I made them the next time and Oliver didn't want any. Drat! At least the rest of us were still excited about them. But for Oliver, I had to go super-stealth: I dumped it in an opaque sippy cup with a little extra juice and called it juice. And, voila-- he happily slurped it down and my mission was again accomplished. Whew-- that could have been embarrassing, with the banner and flight suit and all...
the veggies:*
- 2 cups lightly packed spinach**
- 2 cups lightly packed torn kale, stems and tough center veins removed
- 1/2 avocado, scooped from the peel
- 1 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- 3 cups frozen mangoes and/or peaches***
- 2 cups apple juice
the love:
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, pulsing to break up any larger frozen fruit chunks.
tips:
*If someone's on to you and you need to go super-stealth, you could try my method above (mix with extra juice and serve in an opaque cup) or you could hide the green-ness of this with the bold color and flavor of berries. Let's call them Smoothies Rojos: Substitute the mango and peaches with strawberries and raspberries, and the apple juice for cranberry-raspberry juice. You could also use vanilla or strawberry yogurt instead of plain to sweeten it a little more.
**I like to buy the big 16 oz clamshell packages of pre-washed baby spinach for this-- it's super-convenient (just throw it in the blender), and much cheaper per ounce than the smaller clamshells.
***A combination of both fruits is nice-- it seems to have a more complex flavor that covers up the greens a little better.
the veggies (or technically, fruits, etc):
