Mocha Java Smoothie

Recipe from So Easy by Ellie Krieger
Makes 2 servings
Serving size: 2 1/2 cups

We gave our daughter-in-law the So Easy cookbook for Christmas. I couldn’t help but take a peek at the book before wrapping it up to put under the tree. The photo of this mocha smoothie caught my eye, so I copied down the recipe to try after the holidays. My husband isn’t much of a coffee drinker, so I decided to halve the recipe. My plan was to give him a little taste to make it official, and then drink the rest myself. I drank 2 glasses for a breakfast/coffee combo! I really like this and will make it again. I think it would also make a nice chocolaty dessert after a heavy meal. I followed the recipe exactly with one exception. I used stevia instead of sugar. Produced from a member of the daisy family, stevia is an all-natural sweetener with zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index. These attributes make stevia a good alternative to sugar or chemical sweeteners. Especially popular as a sweetener for coffees and teas, Stevia can also be used in cooking and baking. (The nutritional information at the end of this recipe includes the sugar, so if you use stevia instead, the smoothie will have fewer calories.) You can buy stevia and instant espresso at Lost River Market & Deli.

1 tablespoon sugar or 2 packets SweetLeaf SteviaPlus Sweetener
2 rounded teaspoons instant espresso or 2 shots of espresso
2 teaspoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/4 cup boiling water
2 cups skim milk (or a bit more to thin the smoothie a bit)
2 ripe bananas, peeled, cut into chunks, frozen
1 cup ice (or a bit more to thin the smoothie a bit)

In a blender, stir together the sugar, instant espresso, and cocoa powder. Add the boiling water and stir until dissolved. (If using regular espresso, stir the sugar and cocoa into the coffee until dissolved.) Add the milk, bananas, and ice, and blend on high until smooth.

Quick tip: To help your morning go more smoothly, put all the smoothie ingredients, except the frozen bananas and ice, in the blender jug the night before. Cover and stash in the refrigerator. In the morning just add the frozen ingredients and whir.

Makes 2 servings.
Serving size: 2 1/2 cups
Per serving:
Calories 210 (It’s only 165 calories if you replace the sugar with stevia.)
Total fat 1 g
Sat fat 0.5 g Mono fat 0 g Poly fat 0 g
Protein 10 g
Carb 44 g
Fiber 4 g
Cholesterol 5 mg
Sodium 130 mg
Excellent source of: Calcium, iodine, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, vitamin B6, vitamin C.
Good source of: Fiber, magnesium, manganese, pantothenic acid, vitamin B1.