A ‘so thick you can stand your spoon in it’ chocolate maltshake
Raw, vegan, sugar free and high in calcium
When I lived in London in the 90s, I can remember going to a place called Ed’s Diner in the Kings Road. It was an American style diner, where you could perch on high stools at the sparkling chrome-edged counter top and watch the chef flip burgers through a kind of fried food smog. But as far as I was concerned there was only one reason to go there – the ‘so thick you could stand your spoon up in it’ Chocolate Malt. I can’t imagine having such a dairy-laden confection now and I must admit that this one is far more delicious and healthier too. It’s made with sesame seeds and mesquite which gives it that malty taste. Sesame seeds are high in calcium - an added bonus for this raw chocolate sumptuousness. However, they are quite bitter so the Medjool dates provide the sweetness.
A ‘so thick you can stand your spoon it’ chocolate maltshake
INGREDIENTS
130g (1 cup) sesame seeds, soaked for an hour in filtered water and drained
625 ml (2½ cups) filtered water
5 Medjool dates, pitted
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon mesquite (sometimes called Peruvian carob)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon lecithin (I use a sunflower lecithin) - optional
METHOD
Add the sesame seeds and water to the blender, whizz until smooth. You will probably need to have the blender on at the highest setting for a few minutes to break down the sesame seeds.
Pass the blended sesame seed milk through a fine mesh cloth or nut milk bag to remove all of the broken seeds and you should end up with a mixture which has the consistency of a single cream.
Return this to the blender (remember to rinse the blender out first!) and add the remaining ingredients. Whizz until smooth.
You can drink this straight away but you can pour into glasses and leave to chill in the fridge for a few hours for an even thicker shake. Spoons optional.