Luscious Chocolate Smoothies

burning the midnight oil

yield: 4 cups

½ cup chocolate syrup
3 bananas, frozen*
1 tablespoon protein powder
2 cups strong brewed coffee
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 small (about 2-inch-square) brownie
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
2. Pour into tall glasses and serve. Be prepared for unexpected fits of dancing.

*To freeze bananas, peel and chop them, seal in plastic bags, and place in the freezer until frozen.

per cup: Calories 242; Protein 4 g; Total Fat 3 g; Saturated Fat 1 g; Carbohydrate 52 g; Cholesterol 2 mg

chocolate geography

The cacao tree is indigenous to the tropical rain forests of Central and South America and is now cultivated in a number of areas, including Mexico, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines, Madagascar, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Hawaii, Venezuela, and Brazil.

the cacao tree

The cacao tree is quite prolific once it reaches maturity. It produces cocoa pods every six months for about twenty years. The pulp from the pods is sweet but the beans are bitter, because of their alkaloid content. The beans must be fermented before they begin to taste like the chocolate we know and love.

There are 400 health-promoting phytochemicals inside each cocoa bean. Many of these ingredients can also be found in grapes, apples, red wine, and tea.

breakfast in bed

yield: 4 cups

2 cups orange juice
1 banana, in chunks
½ cup (4 ounces) firm silken tofu
½ pint Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk ice cream
¼ cup frozen raspberries

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium for 90 seconds.
2. Pour into 2 tall glasses and serve your partner in bed on Sunday morning.

per cup: Calories 245; Protein 6 g; Total Fat 11 g; Saturated Fat 6 g; Carbohydrate 34 g; Cholesterol 25 mg

from cacao to chocolate

Cacao pods are cut and the beans are removed from the pods, all by hand. After being picked they are fermented for about five days and then dried in the sun for another five. Once dried, they are sent to processing plants where they are roasted at between 100 to 200 degrees centigrade. The roasting increases the beans' flavor.

After they're roasted they are shelled and the nib (body) is milled by machinery. The remaining ingredient, after milling, is referred to as the “liquor” or “mass.”

In 1828 a Dutchman named Van Houten designed a way to separate the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter. This invention, referred to as “pressing,” made it possible to form the chocolate into cakes that could be ground into “cocoa.” The cocoa could be combined with the cocoa butter, sugar, nuts, and fruits into a solid form.

the sinful warrior

yield: 5 cups

2 cups plain low-fat soy milk
1 large banana, in chunks
1 12-ounce package soft silken tofu
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium for 1 minute.
2. Slowly pour the rich, creamy decadence into glasses and prepare to drink pure bliss.

per cup: Calories 181; Protein 6 g; Total Fat 7 g; Saturated Fat 3 g; Carbohydrate 28 g; Cholesterol 0 mg

it only gets better

In 1831 the chocolate bar was invented in the United States. About seventy years later Mr. Hershey started his famous business. In the 1870s Daniel Peter added dry milk solids (invented by Mr. Nestlé) and sugar to produce milk chocolate, using a method known as the “Swiss process.”

chocolate ginger peanut butter crunch

yield: 3 cups

1 banana, in chunks
2 cups plain low-fat soy milk
1 tablespoon crunchy peanut butter
¼ cup chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon ground ginger

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on low for 1 minute.
2. Pour into cups or glasses and serve for a power-packed delicious lunch.

per cup: Calories 190; Protein 5 g; Total Fat 4 g; Saturated Fat 1 g; Carbohydrate 35 g; Cholesterol 0 mg

chocolate consumption

The chocolate industry is an $8 billion-a-year business.

Americans consume roughly 3 billion pounds of chocolate each year, which is more than 11 pounds per person.

Seventy percent of American chocolate lovers prefer milk chocolate.

The United States is the world's leader in the production and importation of chocolate candy.

The Swiss eat, on average, about 22 pounds of chocolate products per person, per year.

Per person the Danes eat the most chocolate, at 30 pounds a year.

Most women in the United States prefer to get chocolate instead of flowers, especially women over the age of 50.

In the United States, females 30 to 39 years old and males 12 to 19 years old consume the highest percentage of chocolate per day.

the green hornet

yield: 3 cups

2 cups orange juice
1 banana, in chunks
2 kiwifruits, peeled and sliced
4 scoops vanilla ice cream (dairy or soy)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium for 1 minute.
2. Pour the creamy brown-green nectar into tall, clear glasses and drink up.

per cup: Calories 321; Protein 6 g; Total Fat 11 g; Saturated Fat 6 g; Carbohydrate 55 g; Cholesterol 38 mg

the ooh-la-la

yield: 4 cups

2 cups fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 large bananas, in chunks
1 cup guava slices
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on high for 2 minutes.
2. Pour into tall glasses, add a paper umbrella or orange slice, and enjoy.

per cup: Calories 155; Protein 3 g; Total Fat 1 g; Saturated Fat 1 g; Carbohydrate 38 g; Cholesterol 0 mg

falling in love

Eating chocolate makes people happy because it contains phenylethylamine, which is the same hormone triggered by the brain when you fall in love.

Chocolate also contains theobromine, which acts as a myocardial stimulant, smooth-muscle relaxant, and dilator of coronary arteries.

Madame Du Barry and Casanova both believed that chocolate was an aphrodisiac for romance.

Montezuma reportedly drank a goblet of cacao beverage right before he entered his harem, where he slept with a different partner each night.

the coltrane supreme

yield: 6 cups

2 cups unsweetened apple juice
2 cups raspberry juice
2 bananas, in chunks
1 cup (8 ounces) firm silken tofu
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium for 1 minute.
2. Pour into glasses and drink or into ice trays and freeze for frozen desserts.
3. Listen to John Coltrane's “A Love Supreme” while enjoying this drink.

per cup: Calories 235; Protein 5 g; Total Fat 3 g; Saturated Fat 1 g; Carbohydrate 48 g; Cholesterol 0 mg

malted mambo

yield: 4½ cups

1½ cups plain rice milk
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 cup (8 ounces) firm silken tofu
1 large banana, in chunks
½ cup chocolate syrup
10 large or 20 small chocolate malted balls

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix on medium for 90 seconds or until malted balls are thoroughly diced and other ingredients blended.
2. Pour into tall malt or shake glasses, chill for 5 minutes, and serve.

per cup: Calories 410; Protein 8 g; Total Fat 5 g; Saturated Fat 3 g; Carbohydrate 83 g; Cholesterol 8 mg