Chocolate Wild Blueberry Smoothie Shooters

By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America and I am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

I love serving cute healthy food to guests! When the #WildYourSmoothie challenge of making a smoothie packed with Wild Blueberries came forth I knew I was "in". I am so happy I took the challenge! I developed a Wild Blueberry Smoothie that can be served as a dessert shooter while providing MeGa nutrition and CuteNess! Of course, you can pour it into 1-2 glasses for a morning or afternoon meal as well! The idea for a dessert shooter came from the success of a frozen yogurt shooter I recently served when I donated my cooking skills to a local police station by making all the food for a reception. People love shooters...let me clarify that...smoothie shooters!

Now about this FuN & WilD recipe that I've created for #WildYourSmoothie. In the beginning, I wanted to call it Citrus Chocolate Wild Blueberry Smoothie Shooters because of the flavor notes of Citrus, Chocolate, and Blueberries! This smoothie is so decadent, due to the chocolate and avocado, I will serve it on a dessert table guilt free! The texture of this smoothie is super creamy almost as if you are drinking pudding!

Now about the NuTriTioN in WilD BlueBerrieS! Wild Blueberries have a more intense blueberry flavor and twice the antioxidants of regular blueberries! They are also an excellent source of manganese (200% of your daily value – 8x that of regular blueberries), which is important for bone development. The potential health benefits of Wild Blueberries including intestinal health, diabetes, cancer and brain health. Not only will you, your family and friends receive Wild Blueberry health benefits but I've added avocados for healthy fat, almond coconut milk, ground flax seeds, kale, and lemon, orange juice, and cocoa powder! What a way to sneak nutrition into a fun dessert!

Blueberries are in the frozen section in grocery stores, and come in assorted sizes. I love buying the large 3-pound package! When you add frozen Wild Blueberries to your smoothies you don't add ice therefore your smoothie will have more blueberry flavoring! "Wild Blueberry plants grow wild and are genetically diverse with thousands of interlocking plants spreading naturally across fields called barrens. It’s this diversity that gives Wild Blueberries their complex and delicious flavor — an extraordinary mix of tart and sweet."

Now about this ReCiPe! Let's get blending!

Chocolate Wild Blueberry Smoothie Shooters

1 cup unsweetened almond coconut blend milk, plus 1/3 cup for topping

3/4 cup fresh or refrigerated orange juice (not concentrated)

1 cup frozen Wild Blueberries

1 large kale leaf, center vein removed, shredded and massaged

1/2 medium avocado, pit and skin removed

2 tablespoons high quality unsweetened baking cocoa (I use Dutch processed)

1 tablespoons vanilla protein powder (Under 100 calories per scoop)

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (Ground in my coffee grinder.)

zest from one lemon, keep half of the zest for garnish

In the bowl of a blender, add in order nut milk, orange juice, wild blueberries, kale, avocado, cocoa, protein powder, flax, and lemon zest. Pulse until smooth. Pour into dessert shooter glasses. Top with a teaspoon of aerated nut milk, lemon zest, and frozen Wild Blueberries. Makes 2 cups of smoothie.

Testing Tricks:

I tested this recipe four times and found sometimes it was too thick due to the size of the avocado. My solution; add more liquid (nut milk or orange juice) or a squeeze of lemon juice.

Unsweetened cocoa powders are different in bitterness. Try adding 1 tablespoon of agave syrup if your smoothie is not sweet enough.

PreP Trick: Take one leaf of kale. Remove the center vein with a knife or by ripping. Cut kale into 1/4-inch shreds. Massage kale by rolling in hands and literally rubbing it in your hands. Remove any tough little veins that don't massage well. This will make for about 1/2-1 cup of easy to blend kale.

To aerate nut milk, place in a French Press and pump 30 times. Your milk won't turn out super fluffy but it still adds a few bubbles! A small electric latte whisk would do the same.

Serving and Variation Ideas:

Fill 1 (2-cup) glass and enjoy for breakfast or lunch.

Fill 2 (1-cup) glasses and share with a friend in the afternoon to curb the sweet tooth! Try adding a tablespoon of rosemary and lemon juice! I LoVe LoVe LoVed this combination!

Fill 12 shooter glasses and serve in a bowl of crushed ice for brunch gathering or a dessert buffet table. When serving for dessert you might want to add a tablespoon of agave syrup. I tried this but actually like this smoothie without! My cocoa powder is not bitter though.

Fill 12 shooter glasses for Game Day! Try adding 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. You know the heat level of your friends!