Cacao-Cardamom Energy Smoothie

The subtle flavours and the moderate amount of cacao in this mean that it’s the sort of smoothie you can drink in the morning or post session. It uses raw cacao powder, but any sort of cacao will do – and failing that, some cocoa powder. Chocolate and cardamom go together with the nice little kick of Indian flavouring doing so much for the taste of the cacao.

It also features a teaspoon of tahini and not only does it bring some fantastic nutrition to the table, it also adds a hint of saltiness that makes the whole thing come together. Oh, and the black pepper? You’ll just have to trust us on that one.

You’ll need:
(Makes 1 smoothie, enough for a hungry little yogi)
1 very ripe banana
1 tablespoon peanut butter (preferably the good stuff)
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon tahini
freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cacao
the inside of 2 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon rolled oats (be sure to use GF oats if you are gluten-free!)

Method:
Put everything into your blender and blend, blend, blend baby!

Raw cacao is said to do many fantastic things in your body, including lowering stress levels and facilitating good cardiovascular health. For me, this is a brilliant post-yoga smoothie and a little bit of a treat in the morning time, but with the added knowledge that the whole thing is PACKED with great nutrition.