Mint Chocolate Vegan Smoothie

I love smoothies and frankly nothing makes me happier than creating something new and smoothies make it so fun and easy to change up the flavor to keep your taste buds guessing.  I had a major craving for chocolate – this is nothing new – so rather than just make a plain ole chocolate smoothie I added some kick with a bit of mint and it was exactly I was imagining and sparked some jazz for my taste buds!

I like to keep as many “base” ingredients in stock as possible.  This includes nut butters like Almond, Peanut, Cashew and anything else I find interesting but these are my staples.  I always have a natural sweeteners on hand which include honey, agave, maple syrup and dates.  Depending on what I’m making I gauge what type of sweetener is best.  Now I know some love stevia but frankly I’m not a fan.  It’s straight up artificial and although it’s zero calorie it tastes artificial and I choose not to sweeten with it.  However, some of you may love it and that’s fine.  I just prefer not to use it.

As far as proteins since I’m primarily vegan I do keep all sorts of plant proteins on hand including pea protein, brown rice/pea/hemp blends and etc.  I will have unflavored as well as vanilla, chocolate and recently found a strawberry flavor that I really enjoy. I always have a milk alternative and I prefer hemp, almond, coconut and cashew milk.  My husband and I are both sensitive to lactose so these are what we prefer.  As far as the baking add in’s I love things like Baobab, collagen, cacao, hemp and maca to name a few.  Again, I’m always looking for fun new super powered foods to add to my pantry. 

Now for the smoothie below there are many ways you can make this.  I prefer to keep my smoothies smooth with a frozen banana, however it does keep some of that banana taste.  So, if you prefer not to have the taste I recommend just using ice cubes and your sweetener of choice.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp almond butter

5 dates OR 1 frozen banana 

1 tsp maple syrup or agave

1 scoop of pea protein (26g)

1 tbsp cacao powder

1 tsp mint extract or 4-8 mint leaves

5 ice cubes

1 cup almond or coconut milk

Throw ALL of the ingredients above in you mixer/Ninja/Vitamix or whatever you are using and BLEND.  Make sure to blend well as you really want to make a nice mixture and smooth consistency.  Top with cacao nibs or cacao chips for some added crunch!

I'd love to see your version and hear your feedback!  If you make this TAG me on Instagram @angiereneefitlife!  I hope you enjoy!