COCOA-COCONUT SMOOTHIE

Dark, rich and extremely satisfying.

You will need:

Coconut milk

Roasted sunflower seeds

Dark unsweetened cocoa or cacao

Jaggery powder or sugar (can leave this out of you want)

Water

Ice

And, of course, a good blender.

This may as well be a dessert.. a no-sugar, no-dairy, no-grain dessert!

Coconut milk has its own sweetness that does not require any addition of anything sweet.

If you are not avoiding the extra sugar, you could use sweetened cocoa powder or even add dark chocolate chips or sugar.

Roasted sunflower seeds give the smoothie a nice thick texture. Soaking the seeds takes the coarseness away, but if you are short on time, you can skip that step and the smoothie still turns out very well.

Add water and ice depending on the thickness of the coconut milk. I end up drinking my smoothies pretty slowly, so I prefer to add more ice so it can melt slowly keeping it cool longer.

I must take a second to warn you, that while this drink is healthy, it is by no means low on fat.

Coconut milk has a pretty high fat component, making it a non option for a low - fat diet. Almond milk is a good substitute, but simply doesn't match up to coconut milk.

A sugar-free healthy option is also to combine coconut milk, dates and cocoa. The dates are full of natural sweetness and packed with all things healthy.

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Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp dark, unsweetened cocoa (or cacao) powder

1-1/2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds (soaked)

1 tbsp sugar (optional)

Ice

Method:

Blend all the ingredients together. Tastes best chilled.