Green Chocolate Smoothie (Dairy Free)

I love green smoothies. A lot of people wrinkle up their noses at them and won't give them a try because they can't imagine a drink with spinach in it could taste any good. Are you one of those people? Well I'm here to tell you that green smoothies are delicious! And for those of you who haven't been game to try them yet, here's a chocolate version that will help you 'put your foot in the door' of green smoothie addiction!

I make this one (or variations of it) fairly often, and my younger kids have no idea it has spinach and avocado in it. You honestly can't taste it. So why bother adding the spinach, you ask? Because it's soooooo good for you! And most of us don't get enough raw leafy greens in our diet, especially the kids. And it's a lot easier to drink up your greens than to eat a big salad. By the way, I add the frozen avocado when I have it because it makes it so thick and creamy.

You can pretty much add any leafy greens to any juice or smoothie to make a green smoothie, but my favourite greens to use are baby spinach, lettuce or kale. I've also used vine spinach (Ceylon spinach), which I don't mind, but my kids found it a bit odd tasting in a chocolate smoothie. So if you're new to green smoothies, stick with baby spinach or cos lettuce - it's pretty bland. Add as much as you like - start with a big handful, and add more as you get used to it. You can also add leafy greens to sorbets for a 'green sorbet' - see the variations at the end for ideas.

This smoothie is based on an old favourite of ours, my Chocolate (or Carob) Almond Smoothie.

Green Chocolate Smoothie

1. First grind up the nuts, seeds and dates on speed 9 for about 10 seconds:
- 4-5 pitted raw dates
- 100g raw almonds (if you can't have nuts, try sunflower seeds instead)
- 2 Tbsp of seeds (whatever you like: chia/sunflower/pepitas/linseeds)

2. Next add the ice and grind on speed 9 for about 10 seconds:
- 200g ice (or more, depending how thick you like it)

3. Add and grind on speed 9 for 10 seconds, mixing with the spatula if needed:
- 30g raw cacao powder (if you use regular cocoa or carob powder, you may need a bit less)
- 2 frozen bananas, chopped in pieces
- 1 frozen avocado, chopped in pieces (fine to use fresh if you don't have frozen, or leave out)

4. Add the greens and water and mix on speed 9 for a minute or so, until well blended and creamy:

- 60g (2 big handfuls) of baby spinach or butter lettuce

- 600g unsweetened coconut water, or filtered water

Variations:
- Leave out the banana, increase the frozen avocado or ice, add a handful of fresh mint, and add a few more dates.
- Leave out the avocado.
- Use more or less ice depending on how thick you like it - you can always add more ice at the end if it's too thin, and whiz it up for another minute.
- Try frozen berries instead of frozen banana.
- Add a couple of spoonfuls of spirulina powder.
- Add a couple of spoonfuls of MiEssence Berry Radical (for an antioxidant boost) and/or In-Liven (for probiotics, also contains spirulina).

- Green Sorbets: Try adding a couple of handfuls of leafy greens to your sorbets - works well in just about any flavour. You can also add a couple of handfuls of fresh Italian parsley, or fresh mint, to lemon or orange sorbet - it's delicious!

Mmmmm...