Thick and creamy chocolatey bliss!
I finally made this one day after resisting the chocolate smoothie thing for eons. What first started out as a plain banana drink ended up as one of the most decadent concoctions, all because of a last-second decision to throw in a spot of raw cacao powder. Since then I’ve created several variations, but this first version is still an easy-to-make favorite.
1 cup pure water
1/4 cup raw Brazil nuts (preferably soaked no longer than 4 hours)
1 cup really ripe banana, tightly packed
1 and 1/2 level teaspoons raw cacao powder
Using a high-speed blender, first blend together the water and Brazil nuts until the nuts have been pulverized and the mixture is creamy. Then add the banana and cacao powder and blend again until smooth. Pour the mixture into a tall glass and enjoy!
A few tips…
The listed ingredients amount to roughly 16 ounces of smoothie.
Brazil nuts are a wonderful source of selenium. The nut fiber adds a nice thickness to the end result making this smoothie more filling, not to mention more nutritious. Depending on the type of blender you have, the exact length of time needed to process the Brazil nuts will vary. When you first begin the blending process, the Brazil nuts will cause loud rattling, and as they become pulverized the rattling will lessen.
The Brazil nuts were measured before soaking.
In general, soaking nuts allows for greater availability of nutrients and less impact on digestion. Since Brazil nuts are fairly oily and have a very thin skin, I prefer to soak them for only a few hours (up to 4 hours).
Cacao powder is produced from raw cacao beans native to Central and South America. Almost all of the cacao powders currently found on the market are created by pressing raw cacao beans at low temperatures, separating the fat (cacao butter) from the bean. Cacao powders can also be created by simply grinding raw cacao beans into a fine powder, however the flavor and texture will vary greatly from cacao powders created by removing the fat. Raw cacao is very high in magnesium and sulfur and is one of the most antioxidant-rich and nutrient-dense foods known.
Other smoothies to check out:
