Chocolate is nature’s way of making up for Mondays and this smoothie is my way of starting the week off right. It is a sublime chocolate experience without any of the guilt, adapted from No Sweeter Than the Ripest Cherry, a comic-book/cookbook written and illustrated by the talented raw-food chef Suzie Bohannon. I received this seasonal, fresh food–inspired recipe book as a gift while staying at The Ashram retreat in California.
The vanilla, almond, and cacao make this smoothie a delicious family favorite, but it’s filled with healthy ingredients, too. The addition of chia seeds adds fiber, protein, calcium, and Omega-3s. A dash of E3Live (a nutrient-dense organic algae in powder form) and maca powder (from a radish-like root that grows in the mountains of Peru) raises this drink to super-food status.
We’ve all heard about the benefits of eating a small amount of dark chocolate, but cacao—chocolate in its raw, unprocessed state—is filled with natural antioxidants that may benefit your heart health and increase longevity.
You’ll start to look forward to Mondays.
Yield: Makes about 2 (1 1/2 cup) servings