As you know, we grew mint this year. In fact, had I not asked everyone on Facebook and Twitter whether or not we should put our mint in a pot, and had everyone not warned us that it would grow like crazy, we'd probably have a backyard taken over by mint. At this point in the summer our mint is no longer thriving (I think we got too much rain), but a few weeks ago, when it was, I made mint chocolate chip ice cream and this mint chocolate chip smoothie (after all, mint and chocolate is my second favorite flavor combination, other than peanut butter and chocolate.).
I put my smoothies in a martini glass because I'm cool like that. Just accept it. Yes, this is a virgin smoothie.
Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie
Serves 1
Ingredients
2 Tbsp chia
1-cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 Tbsp. chopped dark chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped ice (optional, but I like my smoothies cold!)
4-6 drops liquid Stevia
Directions
1. Mix the chia and almond milk in a small bowl, and allow to form into a gel in the fridge. This should take ~40 minutes. Be sure to stir every 10-15 minutes.
2. Mix all the remaining ingredients in a blender or Magic Bullet, from the chocolate chips through the Stevia drops.
3. After blending the ingredients, add the chia gel and stir until well incorporated (you may also wish to add everything together in a blender and just pulse a couple times). Garnish with a few extra chocolate chips and some mint if you wish.
This was just so refreshing out on my back porch one 90-degree day. I sipped on this for about 30 minutes, and then came in to find chocolate all over my face. It was glorious.
 |
| Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1 smoothie Source: CalorieCount.com |
Question: What's your favorite sweet or savory combination of flavors? I've told you my two favorites; chocolate and peanut butter, and chocolate and mint. But then there is also ketchup and mustard (Nick thinks I'm crazy to combine the two condiments on things like hotdogs. But I think he's crazy for not combining!).
Thanks for reading!
The Candid Rd
I've been meaning to make a chocolate mint smoothie this summer, thanks to my mint (in a pot) that's still thriving. Thanks for this delicious recipe-love the added chia! As for flavor combos, I love tangy Greek yogurt paired with a hot, spicy Indian chutney :-)
ReplyDeleteNow I want to get martini glasses just so I can put smoothies in them :) Our mint is thriving, but I think the pot is getting too small for it. Also, I love ketchup and mustard together! Especially on fries, yum :)
ReplyDeleteUm, tell Nick he is not crazy. The first time I put ketchup and mustard (then salt and pepper on the pile of goo) to dip my french fries in when I met my husband, he thought I was bonkers.
ReplyDeleteIt's the perfect combo! :D
We also grew Thai basil, mint and cilantro in our gardens. It doesn't hurt to have them around and use them as garnish and for flavors. Now that's a good question, what's your favorite sweet or savory combination of flavors? Because I don't like sweet and savory combinations. I once made a Taiwanese fried rice with ketchup (sweeter version), inspired by my maternal grandmother's recipe and it made my fried rice super red and a bit sweet.
ReplyDeleteThai basil? I like the sounds of that.
DeleteOk, so I was watching Top Chef Masters last night, and one of the judges said "I hate sweet and savory combinations"....then he took one bite of the food that was made by one of the contestants (which was sweet and savory) and he said he spoke too soon. So....try again!
When I was little, I always combined ketchup & mustard! I haven't done it in ages. It's time to combine it again! :)
ReplyDeleteThe smoothie sounds great! I was going to grow mint this year but then thought I wouldn't use it enough. I'll grow some next year!
I need to fill a pool up with that deliciousness and dive right in!! Ah ha ha! I am not a huge chocolate fan but this I must try! And it's so very healthy.
ReplyDelete