Date Chocolate Hemp Smoothie

Blogging Marathon #43: Week 4/ Day 3
Theme: Smoothies
Dish: Date Chocolate Hemp Smoothie

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#43

For day 3 of the theme smoothies, I have a smoothie that can double as breakfast or as dessert. And you don’t have to feel guilty about having this smoothie because it is chock full of nutrients – iron from the dates, protein from the hemp(note to self: the health benefits of hemp seeds as a separate post) and to make it all desserty(yep, that’s a word ), there is chocolate and vanilla. This recipe is sweetened naturally from the dates and with the addition of agave nectar. Also, there are the usual suspects of milk and yogurt. If you are allergic to dairy, feel free to use almond milk in its place and you will be just fine.

Ingredients:
2 dates, pitted and chopped(preferably medjool dates)
2 tbsp hulled hemp seeds
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of plain non fat greek yogurt
3/4 cup of milk
1 – 2 tbsp agave nectar (depending on how sweet the dates are)

Method:
Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. If you use a high speed blender the dates and hemp seeds should puree just fine. If not, let the hemp seeds and dates soak in there for about 10 minutes or so before blending.

Verdict: This tastes so creamy and chocolatey, the dates add a nice sweetness to the smoothie. This very much reminds me of chocolate milk – except there is no added sugar and it is way more nutritious. When making this for my breakfast, I usually put all the ingredients in a blender the previous night and put the blender in the fridge. In the morning before going to work, I just blend and sip. So simple and so delicious!

Related posts:

Green Goddess Smoothie Beet Blueberry Smoothie Whole wheat Banana Hemp Chia Seed Muffins Welcoming 2012 with a Chocolate Date cake Honeyberry Smoothie Pina Colada Smoothie