Dark Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

We are swimming in black raspberries. Literally, I think I could drain the pool of water, fill it back up with raspberries, and go for a very fruity (and squishy) swim. We’re so fortunate to have acres and acres of wild black raspberry canes on our property, and this year, our raspberry “patch” is producing overtime.

You all know I love growing food, but I think I love foraging for food even more. Something feels very right about eating food that grows wild and right outside my front door. And my cheapskate side loves that it is completely freeeeee! No seeds. No fertilizers. No plant tags. No nothing. Just free, delicious, perfect black raspberries.

Because we have such a bumper crop of berries this year, it can be very tempting to just pick, pick, pick until we have every last berry in our possession, but I’m trying hard to fight that greedy urge, and only take what we can use in a year—and leaving the rest for the birds, deer, and other forest-dwellers.

I’ve got about a gallon of the berries set aside to turn into jam. We’re saving another gallon for beer brewing. And we’ve put the vast majority of the rest of the berries directly into the freezer for eating throughout the year. We’ve got about four gallons worth in the freezer—and that, combined with other fruit we’ve frozen, should be enough for us to make as many fruit-tastic smoothies as we want (and maybe a cobbler to two).

My usually smoothie M.O. is to just throw a bunch of stuff that I have on hand in the blender. Add some almond milk and honey, and call it a day. I don’t do a lot of recipe-following. But every now and again, I want a more specific flavor to my drink.

This time around, I was craving something that really spotlighted how bright, fruity, and flavorful this year’s raspberries were. And considering chocolate is one of my favorite raspberry pairings, it only made sense that I pulled the two together into this Dark Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie.

The chocolate adds some richness and depth, but it doesn’t overpower the berry flavor. This smoothie is the kind of smoothie you want if you’re having a really rough day and need an afternoon pick-me-up. This smoothie is like a healthy version of a milkshake. I love using slightly sweet, Original Almondmilk from Blue Diamond as the base for smoothies like this—it really lets the star ingredients shine, while still being creamy and rich.

If you don’t have a swimming pool full of black raspberries (I’m guessing you don’t), you can sub in fresh or frozen red raspberries without a hitch. If you’re one of those weirdos that doesn’t like seedy berries (ahemmysisterahem) you can puree the berries first, then run the puree through a sieve before proceeding with the recipe—all the raspberry flavor with none of the dreaded seeds. Enjoy.

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Dark Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie

Yield: 1 smoothie

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Fruity, rich, and almost dessert-like, this Dark Chocolate Raspberry smoothie is the perfect (healthy!) way to perk up your afternoon.

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Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup Almond Breeze Original Almondmilk
• 1 heaping tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• Handful of ice
• Honey, to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in the carafe of a blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Taste, and add honey if necessary (depending on the sweetness of your banana).

Notes

Omit the honey for a completely vegan smoothie!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 smoothie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1103Total Fat: 76gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 66gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 700mgCarbohydrates: 92gFiber: 24gSugar: 48gProtein: 33g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.