Soy milk | NancyC

I think this just may be the hottest week of summer. And that calls for a smoothie–even better, a chocolate smoothie! There’s a soy and non-soy version for this recipe, so you can take your pick. The smoothie I made pictured here is the soy version. I’ve never made a smoothie with tofu before, and it does give the smoothie a nice creaminess. It’s not super-thick, though, so if you’re expecting a smoothie like that, you’ll be disappointed. But it has a lightly creamy texture from the tofu and banana, and the unsweetened cocoa powder gives it a rich chocolate flavor. The honey gives the smoothie a light sweetness that’s just right–not too overly sweet. But if you do want it sweeter, you can always add in a little more honey!

COCOA BANANA SMOOTHIE by NancyC, adapted from EatingWell.com

Makes 1 large or 2 small servings, about 14 to 16 ounces

1 medium size banana, cut into slices or chunks and frozen (for about 3 to 4 hours or overnight)

1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon soft silken tofu (for a non-soy version, use plain or vanilla Greek yogurt)

1/3 to 1/2 cup soy milk (plain or vanilla–for a non-soy version, use regular milk; use 1/3 cup for a slightly thicker smoothie)

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon honey

4 ice cubes

Slice banana and freeze until firm (about 3 to 4 hours or overnight). Blend tofu (or greek yogurt), soymilk (or milk), cocoa, and honey in blender until smooth. Add in the frozen banana slices and blend; then add in ice cubes and blend until mixture is smooth.

Smoothies always sound good to me on hot summer days! What’s your favorite healthy warm-weather treat?

This is a chocolate treat you can feel good about drinking! I came up with this recipe after some experimenting in the kitchen and have even had this smoothie for breakfast…who says you can’t have dark chocolate for breakfast? 🙂 Even though it’s healthy, it would make a great dessert, too–it’s hard to beat that chocolate-raspberry combination! This smoothie has lots of good-for-you ingredients…yogurt, raspberries, banana, honey, soy milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, and of course, some tasty bits of dark chocolate. So if you’re trying to eat healthy, try this dark chocolate smoothie out the next time you’re craving chocolate. And even if you’re not trying to eat healthy, I think you’ll still like it! This recipe makes 1 serving.

DARK CHOCOLATE–RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE

1 cup vanilla yogurt (or one 6-oz. container)
3/4 to 1 cup vanilla soy milk (start out with 3/4 cup; if mixture is too thick, add in the rest)
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 banana
1 Tablespoon honey
2 to 2 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1-3 frozen raspberries, for garnish
1 square 60% or 72% cacao dark chocolate, from a 3.5 or 4 oz. bar, for garnish

In a blender, add vanilla yogurt, soy milk, frozen raspberries, banana, honey and unsweetened cocoa powder; blend ingredients together well.

Pour smoothie into serving glass. Add 1-3 additional frozen raspberries as a garnish on top. Coarsely chop the dark chocolate square and sprinkle over the top of the smoothie.