This smoothie morphed out of a grand obsession I had with Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream, back when I was a non-vegan.  I love this recipe because it satisfies that same craving in a much healthier, happy-tummy, animal-friendly way.  :)

Funky Monkey Banana Smoothie

• 1 large organic Banana (frozen works great!)
• 1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (Almond Breeze or Whole Foods 365 are my favorites)
• 1/4 cup Raw Walnuts
• 1 oz Dark Chocolate (chips or chunks)
• 1 tsp whole Brown Flax Seed (optional)
• 1/2 cup Ice

 Put ice and almond milk into blender, blend until ice is broken up.  Add remaining ingredients, blend until smooth but still a little chunky.  Adjust amount of almond milk or ice to make smoothie thicker or thinner according to your taste.  Serve immediately and enjoy cold.  If you would like it a little sweeter, add a dash of agave syrup.

 *I like to serve with a straw and a slice of banana on the rim of the glass as a garnish.  It's also fun to reserve a few chocolate and walnut crumbles to sprinkle over the top.

 *Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.