Salted Caramel Smoothie Bowl

The salted caramel craze is here is stay, and this smoothie bowl is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this hard to resist combination! After all, who wouldn't love a creamy, caramel concoction for breakfast? And topped with some homemade caramel sauce and sea salt...don't even get me going!

Honestly, you could also enjoy this for dessert. Once you get these fabulous ingredients through your blender and into your bowl, it really is reminiscent of a bowl of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel and a touch of sea salt. Besides using my salted caramel bliss balls to complete this recipe, I also used another ingredient known as maca root powder.

If you are not familiar with maca root powder, allow me to share some interesting facts about it. It's a member of the cruciferous family, which also happens to be the same family as cabbage and broccoli.  Maca is grown high in the mountains of South America, mainly in high altitude regions of Peru. Some of maca root benefits include a positive effect on hormone balance, energy levels, and a health booster. Maca root is known to be a natural source of healing nutrition, as well as having a reputation for being a safe superfood that has been consumed for its medicinal benefits for thousands of years in regions of the Andes Mountains.

Another unique fact about maca root is that historically it has been considered a very potent aphrodisiac and a traditional fertility secret of populations living in the Andes. So watch out for that one people! Consuming maca is thought to make people feel more alert, energetic, and leaves them with a sense of well-being. That state of being is thought to be an effect from maca restoring proper hormone balance and elevate those good old endorphins. Another benefit of maca is its relatively high amount of absorbable plant-based nutrients, including protein, fiber, calcium and magnesium. So all in all, maca does wonders for hormones, mood, energy levels, and gives a great boost of antioxidants to your body. If you have any concerns regarding your hormones, or if maca root powder is right for you, please talk with your doctor.

Aside from the health benefits, another reason why I included maca root powder in this recipe is due to its flavor. As I stated earlier, maca is a vegetable, a root vegetable to be exact. Its flavor can be quite earthy or malty, with a caramel or butterscotch undertone. Maca has a wonderful warm, almost vanilla-like aroma. The flavor and smell of maca make it a great addition to smoothies. Maca root powder comes in different forms. I prefer the gelatinized form as this process removes the starches naturally found in this root vegetable. This makes the powder more concentrated, easier to digest, and easier to mix into water, juices, and smoothies. There are also different colors of maca- red, yellow, and black. Those differences just involve the skin of this vegetable. The insides are all the same. With all of that said, should you choose not to include maca root powder in this smoothie bowl, it will totally be delicious so no worries there.

Hope you enjoy this delectable breakfast or dessert bowl...it's a real treat for us salted caramel lovers!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (or milk of choice)
1 frozen banana
1 to 1 & 1/2 cup ice
2 medjool dates, pitted
1 tsp maca powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup soaked cashews (or 1/4 cup cashew butter)
Optional add-ins:
1/2 cup yogurt of choice
1 Tbs grass fed gelatin
Toppings:
Salted Caramel Bliss Balls
homemade caramel sauce
sea salt
shredded coconut
date pieces
chopped cashews

Method:

1. Place all of the smoothie bowl ingredients into your high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Adjust the ice and coconut milk to your thickness preference.
2. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and top with your favorite treats. Enjoy this delicious breakfast or dessert!