Dark-Cacao Smoothie Bowl with Arugula and Berries
A cold blended bowl of dark cacao, mixed berries, and a hidden handful of arugula and spinach, topped with sliced watermelon, cacao nibs, and pumpkin seeds. Tastes like dessert. Reads like a lab report.
Why it works
Unsweetened cacao and dark berries are concentrated sources of flavanols, plant compounds shown to raise nitric-oxide bioavailability and improve flow-mediated dilation of your blood vessels. Arugula and spinach feed that same nitric-oxide pathway with dietary nitrate. Watermelon supplies citrulline, which your kidneys convert to arginine, the amino-acid precursor for nitric oxide. Pumpkin seeds add zinc and magnesium for hormonal and vascular health on top of all that. Four separate circulation mechanisms, stacked into one bowl, before nine in the morning.
Meta-analyses link cocoa flavanols and dietary nitrate to improved endothelial function. Separately, the evidence shows L-citrulline from watermelon raises plasma arginine and nitric-oxide precursors. Two different literatures, same direction.
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 3/4 cup frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries)
- 1 packed cup baby arugula and spinach
- 1 tbsp unsweetened dark cacao powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened soy or dairy milk
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1/2 cup diced fresh watermelon
- 1 tbsp cacao nibs
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp chia seeds
Method
- Add the frozen banana, frozen berries, arugula and spinach, cacao powder, milk, and almond butter to a blender.
- Blend on high until thick and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides; add a splash more milk only if needed to keep it spoonably thick.
- Pour the mixture into a chilled bowl and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
- Arrange the diced watermelon over one side of the bowl.
- Top with cacao nibs, pumpkin seeds, and chia seeds, and serve immediately, spoon at the ready.
