Cherry Chocolate Smoothie

I was grocery shopping back in the summer (after cherry season ended) and was looking for a different frozen fruit to have in the freezer, and possibly experiment with, aside from our defaults; blueberries, strawberries and bananas. Cherries jumped out to me and I decided to commit.

Cherry Crisp came to mind. Black Forest Cake (mulling over a few recipe ideas here still!) was another. One day I decided to whip up a simple smoothie for my son and I to share after waiting too long to have breakfast and was rather ravenous. After literally throwing ingredients into a blender and blending them together, I realized how well cherry and chocolate complement each other. If I am honest, I do not consume cherries year-round. I have the luxury of eating them fresh from the Okanagan in the summertime and when you are used to that, they are just SO delicious and fresh. After they are out of season and much more expensive to buy, I look forward to having them the following summer. 

** Pro Tip ** One of the staples I have in the freezer are bananas because they are so versatile. Whether they are not used up by the end of the week and are edging on going bad (but provide a perfect sweetness), or on the sale rack, I buy some to stock up. I have a system in place too in case I fall out of using the frozen bananas for a while; small Ziploc bags I put two bananas, peeled and hand torn apart. Large Ziploc bags will hold four bananas, prepared the same way. This makes it incredibly easy to grab a bag, thaw if needed and add into recipes.

What I love most about this recipe is the simplicity. The cherries provide a blast of rich flavour, the cocoa adds decadence in a subtle note and the White Maca adds an almost malt type of flavour that brings it altogether. White Maca is very high in antioxidants such as Vitamin C which some studies have shown to help protect your body from immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease and even skin wrinkling.   The whole smoothie only requires five ingredients to deliver a wholesome, nutrient packed smoothie.

SERVES 2

PREP 5 mins / TOTAL TIME 5 minutes

Ingredients

~ 2 cups frozen whole cherries

~ 2 frozen ripe bananas, chopped

~ ½ - 2/3 cup plant based mylk (I used oat)

~ 1-2 tsp White Maca

~ 3 Tbsp dutch processed cocoa powder

~ Optional toppings (as pictured); Dragon Coconut Cream, my 3 Ingredient Chocolate Magic Shell with some added oat milk, shaved 85% dark chocolate and a few additional frozen cherries on top.

Steps 

1.     I placed the frozen cherries straight from the freezer, into the microwave to thaw for 15-20 seconds. Repeat for the bananas. *See notes*

2.     Place slightly thawed fruits and the rest of the ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth. You may need to use a tamper or add more mylk as desired.

3.     Serve immediately. If you are choosing

Happy Drinking Friends!

♡ Kell

*Special Notes*

I decided to thaw the fruits as it will then require less mylk to blend. If you decide you want a very thick smoothie, almost more for a smoothie bowl than to drink as a smoothie, keeping the fruit frozen can be a great option.