Do you have a food that reminds you of your childhood?
Mint chocolate has been my obsession for as long as I can remember. I secretly hoped After Eights, Andes and York Peppermint Patties would be given out on my yearly trick-or-treating rounds, but alas, they weren’t popular. When other kids chose ice cream flavours like Bubble Gum and Tiger Tail, I would pick Mint Chocolate Chip. The combination of the cool mint and bitter sweetness of the chocolate was just irresistible.
So yesterday I decided to kick it old school and bring back the chocolate mint when I discovered I ran out of bananas. Luckily, I did have avocadoes and figured this was a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the green colour and mild flavour to add a kick of mint and crunch from cacao nibs. This is a mint chocolate shake….healthified. 😉 This smoothie is packed with protein, good fats from the avocado and lots of vitamins and minerals (namely folate, iron and vitamin A) from the spinach which is a great way to sneak nutrition into picky eaters. In the summer, when fresh mint is abundant, use fresh mint leaves instead of the extract. This is a much more balanced indulgence that you should definitely enjoy without guilt! Healthy food CAN taste amazing!
Enjoy experiMINTing in the kitchen!
Mira
Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie (serves 1)
Ingredients:
- half an avocado
- 1-1.5 cups almond milk (or other dairy-free milk of your choice)
- 1 scoop vegan vanilla protein powder (I used vanilla Sunwarrior)
- 1/2 tsp. organic mint extract, more if you like it mintier (or 4-5 mint leaves torn up)
- 1 handful organic baby spinach
- a few drops of stevia or agave/1-2 medjool dates for extra sweetness, if desired
- 2-3 tbsp. raw cacao nibs
Method:
- Put all ingredients except cacao nibs in a blender. Blend, baby, blend!
- Mix in half the cacao nibs. Pour into a glass and garnish with remaining cacao nibs.
- Drink up!
This is awesome!!! I bet kale would rock with this too!
Thanks Kira! Yes, if you have a good blender, kale would definitely work great too. 🙂
I love mint chocolate since I was a kid too, so will definitely give this a try! Thanks for this awesome smoothie recipe! 🙂 Cheers, Violet
You’re welcome, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
I love After Eights too! Those are classic 😀 Btw… Love your Green smoothie 😉
Thanks Joy! 🙂 I don’t eat them now since I’ve become much healthier with my diet, but they were definitely a favourite back in the day.
I have never used avocado in my smoothies, maybe it’s time to experiment 🙂 thank you for posting this!
You’re welcome! 🙂 They definitely add a nice richness and a silky smooth texture.