We love dairy free banana thickshakes around here - they're creamy, delicious and filling. And living in Far North Queensland, we have plenty of bananas all year round to use in thickshakes and smoothies. I buy bananas by the bag full when they're over-ripe and marked down at the grocery store, for $1 or $2 per kilo. I peel them, chuck them into a plastic freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. Then whenever we want a smoothie, banana ice-cream, or a thickshake, I just slice some off while they're still frozen, throw them into the Thermomix and whiz it up!
Recently I received an exciting package in the mail from The Australian Carob Co.,* and now I have a new favourite ingredient to add to my banana thickshakes - carob syrup! Wait, don't go away - I know carob gets a bad rap from chocolate lovers, but this carob syrup is like nothing you've tasted before! It's naturally sweet (the only ingredients are carob and water, which is a BIG plus for me) and it has a lovely flavour - not overpowering, just deliciously silky smooth and subtle. You can use it in drinks, as a syrup over ice-cream (banana ice cream would be good!), instead of sugar on your porridge, drizzled over pancakes, in cakes and carob brownies - it's delicious. My sister got hold of it and made a few hot carob drinks with it before I managed to get it back off her - she's on the Failsafe diet and can't have chocolate, so she loved this syrup. The Australian Carob Co. also produces raw carob powder, roasted carob powder and carob kibbles, and I was excited to hear that soon they'll also be bringing out a carob 'chocolate' which is said by taste testers to rival the best brands of chocolate in creaminess and flavour, and has no added sugar. Great news for Failsafers! Oh, and they're insecticide and pesticide free too, which is great. I'm pretty sure their carob powder would go well in my 'Almost Raw' Chocolate, if anyone wants to try their hand at making their own carob 'chocolate'...
So here's my thickshake recipe - it doesn't have a strong carob flavour, just a hint, and an extra bit of natural sweetness. Try it! I'm sure you'll love it as much as we do. And maybe even as much as our bird does...
It's very simple. First grind up some nuts on speed 9 until finely ground - I use a handful of raw almonds and a couple of handfuls of raw cashews. The cashews make it smooth and creamy, but you can use all almonds or all cashews if you like. (My measurements are approximate - alter to taste!)
Grind on speed 9 until fine:
- 50g raw almonds
- 100g raw cashews
Add the remaining ingredients and whiz it up on speed 9 for about a minute:
- 2 or 3 raw pitted dates (or dried dates will do)
- 350g - 400g frozen bananas (chopped in inch size pieces)
- 60g carob syrup
- water to cover (depends on how thick you like it)
Optional: For an extra carob-y thickshake, you could also add 20g of raw carob powder.
Amigo trying desperately to taste my thickshake!
* Note: This was not a paid post - although I did get a free sample, which was lovely of them... I just wanted to share what I thought about these products with my many health-conscious readers as I'm sure many of you will be interested to know about insecticide free, Australian carob products! To find a stockist near you, click here, or go to their Facebook page and ask there.
Yep, this thickshake is a favourite of the whole family -
even our Rainbow Lorikeet!
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