Choc – Peanut Butter Shake

I’ve never been mad about smoothies and protein shakes.

There are many smoothie/shake/juice lovers out there, having one for breakfast every morning. I am not one of those – because it is a beverage. It’s definitely a psychological thing for me. I need eat food, to chew, in order for me to feel satisfied. You place all of the smoothie ingredients into a bowl and I would be completely fine, but blend it all up and my mind says, “No Jade, that’s not a meal darling. Go eat something.”

There’s no logic to it, I know. I can be a weird creature sometimes.

So, I only part-take in smoothie drinking every now and then. The boys love them, especially in the summertime when there are plenty of mangos around the house, or strawberries that need to be used up. I generally make them a fruit/yoghurt/milk based smoothie, because that’s what they like. And I go and make myself a coffee.

Today, I was home alone, with one lonely, overripe banana in the fruit bowl. I had just made a million loaves of banana bread, to use up all the black bananas, but this one was a spare. I could not bare the thought of wasting it, so I popped on my creative thinking cap and decided to make a smoothie for morning tea.

But this one would be special, one with all my favourite ingredients.

First up, the peanut butter came down from the shelf. Next the raw cacao. I was already excited. I popped them into a jug with the banana, a spoon of rice malt syrup, and a splash of almond milk. Then I just whizzed it all up with the immersion blender.

If you didn’t notice, this is a vegan shake. I’m not a vegan, in fact I’m not even a vegetarian. And let me tell you, this smoothie/drink/shake is a gazillion times better than conventional dairy ones.

I could even go so far as to say it’s my new favourite drink, but that would be a lie, because nothing will be greater than coffee.

But it’s pretty bloody close!

Choc – Peanut Butter Shake

makes 1 large or 2 small glasses

– 1 ripe banana
– 3 Tbsp organic peanut butter
– 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder
– 1 Tbsp rice malt syrup (or your sweetener of choice)
– 200ml almond milk

Place all the ingredients into a jug and whizz them up with an immersion blender.

Serve immediately.