Luscious Chocolate Smoothies: An Irresistible Collection of Healthy Cocoa Delights

by Gabriel Constans

Luscious Chocolate Smoothies is a delicious collection of recipes that combines the rich, intoxicating taste and benefits of dark chocolate, with a tantalizing balance of fruits, nuts, tofu, liquor,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0984178619
• ISBN13: 9780984178612
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Libertary Co.
• Length: 108 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Can chocolate concoctions this irresistable also be healthy?

Yes they can! The recipes in this book are not only delicious and easy to prepare, they're also made with healthy ingredients so you don't have to feel guilty about drinking them. Lots of them like "The wallop" and "Ooh la la" include fruit which is always a nice paring with chocolate syrup or cocoa. There are others like the "Cocoagingerholic" that include firm silken tofu that packs a lot of protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals and helps protect against a variety of health conditions. With the cocoa and other flavorful ingredients, I didn't taste the tofu, but it gave a nice smooth texture and thickness to the smoothie that made the whole thing seem very rich and sinful. Several include low fat yogurt and soy or dairy milk. I've loved chocolate ever since I remember. It's the only candy I'm really attracted to and it has whatever those chemicals are that give you a sense of well-being, not to mention just tasting really really good. I love Gabriel Constans idea idea of putting chocolate into smoothies with other healthy ingredients so you get the best of both worlds, the satisfaction of the chocolate itself and the that of knowing you're doing something good for you body. There was one, the "Avo Maria" that included avocado and pickled ginger among other ingredients that sounded really weird. I like both avocado and pickled ginger but couldn't imagine them together with chocolate soy milk in a drink. I made it up to convince myself that there was at least one recipe in this book that was just too strange. But you know what? It was good! I didn't really taste the avocado but it gave the smoothie a nice creamy texture and everybody knows how good for you avocado is with all its fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. I've made this one more than once and it's now one of those marked with a star as one of my favorites. I haven't tried all the recipes in this little book yet but I'm working my way through it. It's a great little resource if you love chocolate and like to make smoothies. I'm adding it to my list of books to give as gifts because it would pretty much appeal to most of my friends. Two thumbs up!

An unexpectedly delightful recipe book

The health facts included with these recipes remove all my guilt over enjoying chocolate. By combining it with fruit I get even more nutrition. When you think about it, orange and chocolate, strawberries and chocolate and cherries and chocolate are pretty common combinations. I just never thought of putting them together in a smoothie and those aren't the only things included in these amazing recipes. Being the proud owner of a VitaMix blender, I can put in almonds or flax seeds in their raw form and know I'll get perfectly smooth results so I don't have to use the flavorings or oils sometimes called for, but I'm sure they are great too. I'm not very good at following recipes exactly and prefer to note the combinations of ingredients and then put my own spin on them. I would never have thought to put some of these things together, but the results so far are to die for. I was encouraged to buy the book because I just bought some high-grade double Dutch dark cocoa powder and wanted to use it in unexpected ways. Although the recipes call for various forms of chocolate, from chocolate bits to syrup, even chocolate milk or ice cream, so far I've used the powder all the time, even enhanced its flavor with some espresso powder, then added the other things called for and sweetened it with Stevia when necessary. Most recipes call for soymilk, rice milk or almond milk, but I use regular dairy and that works fine too. A few recipes have alcohol in them. I tried one of those tonight and was amazed at the decidedly decadent result. There are funny asides along with the recipes and lighthearted facts and cute saying listed on many opposing pages. This is a small book, but the contents are so delightful, my daughter's already told me she and her husband intend to take it to the beach this summer and every night they'll have a different recipe to sip in the moonlight--or for breakfast or lunch or maybe all three. Well worth the price even if you only try a few of the combinations. The book starts with a list of ingredients that you may not have on hand in case you want to stock up on your next trip to the store. I already had most of them. Do buy this book if you love chocolate and prepare to have fun. Chocolate makes you happy and just reading this book makes me smile.

Health drinks with delicious chocolate, very creative

Ok, I like chocolate, in small doses, especially dark chocolate and I like smoothies. So, what if you combined them? And I don't mean dumping chocolate ice cream into milk and whipping it up (not that there's anything wrong with a milkshake...) This book has recipes with tofu, carrot juice, almond milk, orange juice, you name it. Even a pumpkin pie version (with pumpkin puree.) Somewhere here will be a recipe that intrigues or pleases your taste buds and has some ingredient you want to incorporate for health. Two recipes I liked: Yellow Silk -- banana, silken tofu and chocolate. 247 calories per serving, about a teaspoon of honey and some semi-sweet chocolate so not so high in sugar. Carrot Cake Dream -- Carrot juice, silken tofu, chocolate syrup and melted chocolate, banana, maple syrup and cinnamon. 287 cal per serving. There are so many in this slim volume, it's surprising.

chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!

If you love chocolate, you must get this book! Every single recipe is a combination of some form of chocolate and other unique ingredients. This would be a great gift too...but definitely get one for your self!

yummy!

I thought this would be a great way to get a healthy snack into my kids (tofu, nuts, tons of fruit, etc.). I have only made one recipe so far - the "Hurricane" and it was a HUGE hit with my whole family! My kids thought it was "awesome" and I thought it was a perfect amount of chocolate - subtle yet perfectly blended with raspberry, banana and mango. My husband loved it, but thought it should be colder so I think next time I'll add ice or freeze the bananas first. This book was a great find -- I can't wait to try more recipes!