Coconut lovers unite! New recipe book Green Kitchen Smoothies presents the Bounty Jars of your dreams.
Serves: 2–4
INGREDIENTS
Dark Chocolate Sauce
4 tablespoons cold-pressed coconut oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons cacao powder
Coconut and Banana Smoothie
1 frozen banana (see cook's tip)
½ cup) desiccated coconut
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
pinch vanilla powder or extract
2 ice cubes
To Serve
toasted coconut chips
You can’t go wrong with this healthy interpretation of a classic chocolate bar – a super-tasty and sweet coconut and banana smoothie is layered with a simple silky smooth dark chocolate sauce that makes it look spectacular. It can be prepared in no time and is a real showstopper. We tend to serve this type of smoothie as a dessert, but we are not going to stop you from indulging in it for breakfast...
METHOD
Melt the coconut oil and maple syrup in a saucepan on a low heat. Stir through the cacao powder and mix until well combined and silky smooth. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the coconut and banana smoothie.
Put all of the coconut and banana smoothie ingredients in a blender and blend on a high speed until completely smooth.
To assemble, pour just under half of the chocolate sauce into the base of two medium-sized glass jars (as featured in the photo) or four small ones. Cover with half of the coconut and banana smoothie. Repeat with all but a drizzle of the chocolate sauce and the rest of the coconut and banana smoothie.
Finish with a drizzle of chocolate sauce as well as a sprinkling of coconut and serve straight away, while the chocolate sauce is still molten.
Cook's tip: Freezing bananas
Frozen bananas are one of the best things to keep in your freezer if you plan on making a lot of smoothies as they make them deliciously creamy and last for months in the freezer. We always freeze our bananas when they are quite ripe and brown spots start showing.
Peel the bananas and chop them into 1.5cm-thick slices. You can chop them thicker, but thinner slices are easier for the blender.
Spread out the slices (to prevent the bananas from sticking together as they freeze) on a baking tray or chopping board lined with baking paper and place in the freezer overnight.
When frozen, scoop them into freezer-proof containers or zip-lock bags (one banana per serving, around 10–15 slices) and freeze until needed.
Green Kitchen Smoothies
This is an edited extract from Green Kitchen Smoothies by David Frenkiel & Luise Vindahl published by Hardie Grant Books RRP NZ $32.99 – available in stores nationally.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
Related Content
latest issue:
Issue #118
The most highly anticipated issue of dish for the year is HERE! Christmas just wouldn’t be complete without our annual festive magazine, a collector’s edition jam-packed with feasting fare. For 2024 we have compiled a selection of our favourite classics, with all the traditional dishes you know and love, with ham, salmon, beef and turkey galore. But this year, we’ve dialed the fun up a notch with loads more to delight – a long Italian Christmas lunch, festive Mexican-inspired fiesta and celebration ‘barbecue-style’. With options for vegetarians and a sensational selection of sides, there’s also show-stopping desserts to finish with flair. The Christmas issue of dish is ON SALE NOW!