Recipe - Brain Boosting Chocolate Smoothie

If you’ve ever bought a head of cauliflower with the best of intentions only to toss it out later on because life got busy, you’ll love this recipe. 

Chopping cauliflower into little florets and freezing them for later use is a great way to avoid waste. Plus, the frozen cauliflower in this smoothie is a subtle way to boost the nutritional value, change things up from using ice and still make that cruciferous veggie appearance that feels synonymous with a smoothie. 

I used walnut milk in this recipe. If you haven’t tried making it I recommend you give it a go (you can find a nut milk recipe here). Walnuts (and cauliflower) are incredibly nourishing for our brain and nervous health. They support healthy production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, and our adrenals, which play a key role in hormone function and energy levels. Together they offer a beautiful way to support your nervous health.  

Brain Boosting Chocolate Smoothie
serves 1

1 ripe banana

1 1/2 cups walnut milk

2 Tbsp raw cacao powder

1/2 cup frozen cauliflower florets

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 avocado

2 tsp chia seeds

3 Medjool dates

1/2 tsp vanilla

How to:

• Add all ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth. 
• Sit back and savour how beautifully you've just nourished yourself. 

Spicy Ginger Tonic

Cold drinks and patios are synonymous with summer. 

And there’s nothing better than hanging out with family and friends while enjoying those cool bubbly bevvies. 

But when you’re trying to pay attention and make healthier choices you can feel like you’re missing out. 

Not anymore.

This spicy ginger tonic is a great alternative to the more conventional patio bevvies.  The ingredient list is tiny and super clean so you have comfort knowing exactly what you're putting in your body. 

Whether you serve this up as a mocktail or choose to spike it, it’s so filled with flavour (and bubbles!) you won’t feel like you’re missing a thing. 

Enjoy and happy summer.

Spicy Ginger Tonic
serves 1

2 1/2 oz spicy ginger syrup (recipe below)

1 1/2 oz sparkling water

1 oz of vodka or gin (optional)

juice from 1/4 of a lime

How to:

• Pour all ingredients into an ice filled glass and give a quick stir.
• Enjoy.

Spicy Ginger Syrup
makes about 3 1/2 - 4 cups

8 Tbsp (about an 8-inch knob) freshly grated organic ginger, unpeeled

1/4 tsp whole cloves

1/4 tsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp cardamom pods

pinch of cayenne pepper

1 cup maple syrup or sucanat

3 1/2 cups water

How to:

• In a medium sized saucepan, stir together all ingredients. Cover and bring to a soft boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. 
• Using a fine mesh sieve, strain syrup into a glass jar, pressing on the pulp to release all the liquid.
• Will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Tips:
Sucanat (dried sugar cane juice) is sugar in its most unprocessed form. The molasses is what gives it the dark colour. If you've never worked with sucanat before and are a little curious, please try it here. The molasses gives the syrup a richer flavour with a bit more depth.  It's really quite lovely in this recipe.

The ginger syrup freezes well. Make a big batch and freeze in ice cube trays.