Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Hidden Greens Chocolate Protein Shake
Yield
3 cups (750 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
This smoothie calls for 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts which provide a huge nutritional boost to this smoothie, including more than 6 grams of complete protein, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and more. Hemp hearts, kale, and dates require a strong blender to blend them smooth (a Vitamix blends them into a super creamy shake). If your blender can't blend the hemp hearts, kale, or dates smooth, I recommend swapping out the hemp for a serving of your favourite protein powder and swapping the dates for pure maple syrup (otherwise, you'll just have a grainy end result). You can also swap the kale for baby spinach as it blends easier.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 (375 mL) cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup frozen organic kale
- 2 to 3 pitted large Medjool dates, to taste*
- 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seed
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 large frozen banana
- Dash of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon avocado (for thickening)
- Ice, if desired
Directions
- Add all ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Adjust sweetness to taste, if desired.
Tip:
- * If your dates are dry or stiff, I recommend soaking the pitted dates in boiled water for a half hour and then draining well before use.
Great smoothie! If you haven’t tried it yet, you definitely should.
HI!
I just found your website/blog. I want to try the Hidden Greens Chocolate Protein Smoothie. My daughter is allergic to nuts, what would be a good substitute for the almond milk? Thank you.
Coconut milk if she can have it :)
Really really delicious.
I tried making it with coconut butter substituted for the avocado and it was really good!
Thanks for the recipe.
-Steven
Hi! Just found your website and love it! I am in the first wk. of starting to learn alternatives to the sad..sad..sad…diet….Standard American Diet. Ha! I love your recipes and site! Thank you so much. I also love the crocheted white top with the teal beads that you are wearing in one of the pics. Do you happen to remember where you found it? Again, so glad I found your site and will be studying all I can find regarding this transistion. Hoping I can influence my adult daughter to eat this way too!
Hi! I’m really curious about the energetic value. How many kcals does it have ?
This is both a review and a question all rolled in to one! Anyone who reads this with knowledge would be appreciated since I don’t expect Angela herself to answer! :)
First of all – I love this smoothie! I was making it nearly every morning for a week until I ran out of cocoa power and decided to purchase raw cacao from my local supplement store. Here is where my question comes in to play…
I purchased “Navitas Naturals Chocolate Cacao Powder” and was happy with my purchase until I noticed a warning on the label that the product could cause birth defects. Being 6 months pregnant, I became quite concerned and looked in to it. Quickly, I learned that all cocoa (and cacao) products contain various amounts of Cadmium! That to me signals a huge red flag and also frustrates me. Since my decision to lead a “healthier” lifestyle, I find more and conflicting things out there that it’s to the point where I have no idea what is right for my body and what isn’t. Anyhow…
Anyone on here reading this happen to know much about Cadmium in food or have an opinion? Particularly pregnant mothers? I looooove chocolate and have become rather depressed with the thought of not having anymore for my pregnancy.
Here is a cut out from a this article:
http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/there-cadmium-your-cocoa
That’s what ConsumerLab.com called its findings, though it’s not clear how much cocoa or chocolate you’d have to consume—and for how long—to develop health problems. Cadmium is not well absorbed by the body when ingested, and consuming adequate calcium, iron, and zinc may help reduce cadmium absorption further. But because the heavy metal accumulates in the body, it can do damage over time. Thus, minimizing exposure to cadmium and other heavy metals is prudent, and researchers are looking for ways to reduce levels in cocoa. At an international workshop, several recommendations were proposed for cocoa farmers, such as making soil less acidic, not using phosphate fertilizers, and selecting cocoa varieties that accumulate little cadmium.
This has great flavor — it’s not too sweet with two dates – and it’s a great way to get a boost of protein without adding protein powder (I can ALWAYS taste protein powder). I love it! Thank you!
Wow, just tried this and it exceeded my expectations! In the UK so still getting used to using cups, but think I got the ratio about right. I did not have any dates, so substituted half an apple to get some sweetness. Worked fine!
My first time trying your recipes, now off to do the rest…
Omg.. this smoothie is amazing… delicious and I feel like I have super powers after drinking it! Thanks so much! I love your website & all your amazing recipes
Thanks for the suggestions for people who don’t have Vita-Mixes! My blender is a wuss, and I am often frustrated with the food blogger assumptions that everyone has or can afford a rocking high-speed blender.
And thanks for the great recipe! I dig your blog.
What a delicious smoothie! I’m sipping on it right now.
I’ve tried to hide kale in chocolate smoothies before, but it was never as tasty as this one!
You can always freeze your own kale/spinach on a cookie sheet and then bag it (so it doesn’t become one big lump). And if you have trouble with the dates, it may be worth it to source some fresher ones. I’ve had success shopping at Indian grocery stores; maybe try the ethnic food aisle at the grocery store. Be sure to buy whole dates, not chopped.
This is truly amazing! I tweaked the recipe slightly as I didn’t have everything in, but it truly tasted just like a chocolate milkshake!
My blender isn’t very powerful, I have one of those small smoothie makers but if you blend all the ‘dry’ ingredients first it gets pretty smooth!
This is a must try! I should include your recipe to us but then we recently created some smoothie recipes in our blog. You might want to check it here. http://bit.ly/1M1WhXk
Okay, This might be an ignorant question but, me being in the military anything that sounds or contains the word hemp sounds like something that will how up in an urinalysis. Is that a possibility? If it does show up, is there an equivalent or another alternative to the hemp protein?
I made this according to the recipe. Very delicious and refreshing!
Looks yummy, healthy, and delicious! This smoothie is amazing.
YUM! This tastes like a chocolate milkshake :) I’ve been making it all week. I use 1 de-stemmed kale leaf, 2 ice cubes and left out the avocado as I did not have any on hand. It was still very creamy and delicious. Thank you for all these great recipes Angela!
This looks amazing – thanks for the inspiring post!! If you’re looking for another sweet (but healthy) smoothie, you might want to check out our healthy mint chip milkshake: http://www.thetoastyavocados.com/eat-good-food/2015/1/18/my-healthy-mint-chip-milkshake-brings-all-the-boys-to-the-yard
Thanks again for the awesome post!
How many calories are there in such a delicious recipy??