It's still hot outside. And the heat can make me do crazy things in the kitchen. Like stuff pink-salted cucumbers into my PB&J. Still craving salt. And smoothies. And cold desserts. Sorbet. Soy-Fudge-Sundaes. Coconut Cream. But instead of burying myself spoon deep into a pint of Coconut Bliss Vanilla Island Coconut Cream, I decided to whip up a frosty and freeze-tastic smoothie. Actually, I'll call it a shake. It's certainly thick and decadent enough to have 'shake' status. This shake sells itself...
Dessert Shake. This shake doesn't need my help with PR - so I'm just going to say four little words: Chocolate Strawberry Banana Shake. One sip and you'll be humming with choco-berry frosty happiness. It's vegan. Refreshing. And a healthy cure for that chocolate sweet tooth you've been wrestling with all day. Get my recipe...
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries. This shake reminds me of romantic, chocolate-covered berries. Tart and sweet with a warm chocolaty bite. The recipe is easy. You'll want to make sure to have plenty of frozen bananas in your freezer. I am always stuffing sliced ripe bananas into baggies and tossing them in my freezer for smoothies.
...Simply add in some frozen bananas for that 'shake' texture. A few berries for the strawberry kick. A nice rich vanilla soy or hemp milk. And then, of course, the chocolate...
Chocolate Spread: better than powder. Most people add a powdered chocolate ingredient to their choco smoothies and shakes. Cocoa powders, chocolate smoothie mix, etc. Well I've tried all of those and I absolutely think you need to change up your cocoa powder for some chocolate spread. A heaping tablespoon adds a creamy chocolate boost to your blended. Tiny beads of chocolate will fluff up your frosty beverage and prevent it from becoming too dry - something a powder mix can easily do.
I used Natural Nectar brand... it's made with fair trade vegan cocoa:
Chocolate Strawberry Banana Shake
vegan, 2 tall servings
1 ½-2 cups frozen banana
2 cups frozen strawberries
2 cups vanilla soy or hemp milk
1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
1 ½ tablespoon vegan chocolate spread
*I used Dark Choco Dream Fair-Trade Chocolate Spread by Natural Nectar
1 ½ cups ice
garnish: fresh strawberries and chocolate spread
optional: substitute ½ cup of the frozen berries with fresh berries
Directions:
Blend. Pour. Serve. Sip. Smile.
🙂
Jennie Bytes says
I put Shelled Hemp Seeds on EVERYTHING! From yogurt to cereal to soups to salads, I can't get enough of them 🙂 Manitoba Harvest specializes in hemp foods. I love them because they cold-press & cold-mill their foods, so they're still enzyme active (raw), and they offer both Certified Organic and Natural product lines.
Living Harvest is a different brand, and their hempmilk is not Certified Organic.
Kathy Patalsky says
Tricia - I just confirmed the le pain quotidien dark chocolate spread is vegan - that would be another great brand option!
Kathy Patalsky says
absolutely! And if you REALLY wanted to dessert-it-up, you can even add in a scoop of chocolate or vanilla or strawberry non-dairy ice cream. Or the recipe is delicious as is!
Kathy Patalsky says
thanks for the quip - I agree, Hemp milk is spectacular. Manitoba Harvest is a great brand - I have some of their hemp seeds in my fridge. I add them to salads.
..is their soy milk the Living Harvest Brand? Or is that a different brand...?
Kathy Patalsky says
isn't it great when you find good vegan subs to your fave non-vegan eats?? I did an entire Vegan Makeover series last summer: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/06/healthy-makeover-series-summer-eats.html
..the pineapple is a great add-in idea. My very first smoothie recipe ever was pineapple, cocoa mix, bananas, milk, and ice. My friend taught it to me as some sort of classic Mexican frosty bev.
...chocolate spread: I know that brand is hard to find. VeganEssentials used to carry it, but not anymore. I bought mine at Life Thyme store here in NYC. Best bet would be an indy Natural Foods store. Or try another brand - there seem to be a few good brands out there. Le Pain Quotidien's dark chocolate spread is vegan I believe...