Mexican Cold Chocolate
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Chocolate with a bit of a twist courtesy of yours truly (Emily, here!). I've been free from sugar for the last couple of weeks (read here, here, & sign up for the free teleseminar here), and man oh man, were the cravings hitting me hard for delicious chocolate. But, nixing the sugar habit has brought on a desire for richer, more complex flavors, and I wanted something yummy that still made me do a happy dance around my room. So I started mixing a little of this and a little of that, added a dash of this, messed up the recipe, started all over again too many times, and was left with a creation that filled all of my requirements.
The recipe is worthy of honor because it's ...
less than 10 ingredients
rich
chocolatey
high in nutritional goodness
sweet
spicy
filling
With a frosty-like consistency, this is spoonable greatness. In only the best way possible, spices take over the initial sweet spoonful with enough of a kick to keep you coming back for more. The high nutritional profile gives you all of the body-revving benefits within a sinfully delicious bite of chocolate. Really, could it get any better? I've really outdone myself with this one - see my smoothie of love, the training wheels smoothie, & smoothie bowls - so take down the ingredients & get to whirling this goodness up. If you don't, I promise you'll be missing out. Why take that chance?
What is it we love so much about this recipe? There are so many bennies, it would be exhausting, so a quick recap. Bananas are added for potassium, fiber, and the sweetness addition. Mangos are high in vitamins A, B6, C, E, and K, a great source of others minerals like thiamine and magnesium, and contain antioxidant phenols and beta-carotene. Cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, and cayenne come together in a sickness-fighting power team. Cinnamon is a great manganese source and good holder of calcium, contains antioxidant anthocyanidins and is no stranger to cold and flu remedies all over the world. Tumeric is high in manganese, iron, a good source of vitamin B6, potassium, and has been attributed to it's antiseptic and antibacterial, medicinal properties. Since turmeric has been touted for it's efficacy in helping digestive disorders, I pop it into a lot of my recipes - more to come to the site - and it has been a surprising yet awesome find. Cayenne comes in for the one-two punch, neutralizing acidity in the body, stimulating circulation, and acting as a great anti-agent for inflammation, colds, and other illnesses, besides just adding a whole other dimension to my new favorite recipe.
Recipe and steps after the jump ...
Mexican Cold Chocolate
+ 1 Banana (frozen)
+ 1/3 c. Mango (frozen)
+ Almond Milk (1/2 c. +)
+ 2 tbsp - 1/4 cup cacao or cocoa powder (to taste)
+ 2-3 Dashes of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Tumeric
+ 1 Dash of Cayenne (a little goes a long way)
+ Featured: Coconut Butter (recipe coming next week) and Hulled Hemp Seeds
+ Optional: replace part of liquid with coconut water or if neither is on hand, just use water; add 1/3-1/2 c. of spinach; if you need more sweetness, try adding honey or maple syrup
Throw all of your ingredients, minus the liquid, into a blender. Fill with your choice of liquid to just below your ingredients - this helps with the frosty consistency, but if you accidentally add too much liquid, just toss in more frozen banana or mangoes, and it's all fixed. Give it a whirl, pour it into a bowl or big mug, and top with your choice of additions. Some that I like that aren't featured above: granola, toasted buckwheat groats, chocolate brown rice cereal, i.e. the options are endless. Enjoy! Xx.
+ what's your take on spicy foods that are 'supposed' to be sweet?
Tell me your thoughts in the comments below or on Facebook.
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