Carob Mint Superfood Smoothie

This carob superfood smoothie has become my latest addiction. They are so good I sometimes have them twice a day. And I don’t mean, have a glassful, I’m talking the whole blenderful! Kids would love this smoothie!

They are great cold, like a thick non-dairy milkshake, if you use frozen bananas and let the mint tea cool before making the smoothie. But they are equally nice if you use fresh (not frozen) bananas and make it while the mint tea is still warm (not too hot though). It’s winter here in New Zealand, and it’s just turned really cold. I always find it hard to stick to a predominantly raw food diet when the weather turns cold, and amazingly just having these warm smoothies in the morning, and warm tea at night is making it really easy.

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cup mint tea
3 ripe bananas (fresh or frozen)
2 Tbsp carob powder (raw carob if possible)
1 Tbsp Maca powder
1 Tbsp Lucuma powder
1 Tbsp Mesquite powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder or extract
1 tsp honey (optional)
1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)

Instructions:

Carob Mint Superfood Shake

Make the mint tea by steeping a handful of mint leaves in 3 cups hot water until cool (or warm if you want a warm smoothie) and then straining the leaves out. Some of the water will evaporate leaving about 2-1/2 cups, but don’t worry if it’s more or less.

The honey, or whatever sweetener you prefer is optional. Carob is naturally sweet, as are the bananas, and the superfoods mesquite, lucuma and maca (to some extent), so it doesn’t necessarily need sweetening. Just go with what tastes good to you. The chia seeds will thicken it up. Chia are quite amazing, they are very sustaining and even using a small amount like this will I notice the difference. If I put chia seeds in this smoothie I can go for hours before I feel hungry.

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend well.

Raw Vegan Carob Mousse

This rich, creamy, raw vegan carob mousse only takes about 10 minutes to make. It’s hard to believe it doesn’t contain sugar. But between the sweetness of the stevia, and the natural sweetness of carob, it’s a totally satisfying dessert.

It’s very easy to make this a raw vegan dessert, you just need to use truly raw carob, but I can show you where to get that at the end of the recipe.

If you’re not familiar with carob, it has a chocolate-like taste, but no caffeine or theobromine, so you don’t get that hyper, jittery feeling that raw cacao (chocolate) can produce.

After finding it at my new local bulk food shop I’ve been using it a lot. You can add it to smoothies, substitute it for raw cacao in all my recipes that call for raw cacao powder, make ‘chocolate’ milk, either with nut milk or dairy milk. I actually prefer it to raw cacao now.

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1 ripe avocado
2-1/2 teas carob powder *
1/4 teas stevia powder **
1/4 teas organic vanilla extract

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a blender. Using the plunger that came with your blender to scrape down the sides and keep the mixture moving. If you don’t have a plunger for your blender, stop occasionally to scrape down the sides with a spatula and push the mixture around a bit so that everything gets blended smoothly. If you need to you can add a teaspoon of water to keep the mixture moving through the blender.

Serves 2 – if you can share

Raw Vegan Carob Mousse - YUM!

* Carob powder is usually roasted. If you want a totally raw vegan Carob Mousse you here’s where you can buy truly raw carob.

** Stevia is an amazing herb. It’s many times sweeter than sugar. It has no calories. Doesn’t feed candida. Doesn’t cause an increase in blood glucose.

You may be able to find stevia powder in your local health food shop, if not it can be purchased online as  stevia liquid extract or stevia powder.

Banana Mocha Non-Milk Shake

I created this as a non-dairy alternative to my former favorite, espresso milkshakes. Now, I may be biased, but I’d say espresso milkshakes pale in comparison to this baby! This is a favorite afternoon pick-up drink in my house.

I also find this satisfies my sweet cravings, and is a lot healthier than having a chocolate bar.

Ingredients

1 cup brewed espresso
1 cup rice milk or nut milk
4 medium frozen bananas
1 T raw cacao nibs, raw cacao powder, or carob powder
1 teaspoon raw agave syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon natural vanilla essence
generous shake of ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Brew the espresso ahead of time and allow it to cool down. I usually make it in the morning and put it in the fridge until afternoon when I make my shake.

Break or cut the frozen bananas into several pieces. You may have to experiment to see just what size your blender can handle.

Put the banana pieces into the blender and add all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Serve.

Makes 4 servings

Banana Mocha Non-Milk Shake