Banana and peanut bowl - Vegan Recipes

Looking for a quick and easy vegan breakfast? Our expert chefs have created this wonderful porridge, which combines fruit, nuts, oats and dark chocolate for a delicious start to your day. There's nothing better than a bowl of hot porridge, especially on a cold day.

Bananas, peanuts and oats are all rich in fibre, so this breakfast will fill you up for the day ahead and you won't feel the need for a mid-morning snack. Not only that, a daily serving of peanut butter can cut your risk of coronary artery disease by 19%.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 bananas
2 tbsp peanut butter
200ml almond milk
250g dark chocolate
120g oats
1 avocado
60g tinned cherries

How to make

Melt the chocolate slowly in a microwave. Do this in short bursts, stirring every 30 seconds.
Blend the bananas in a food processor and remove half.
Blend the avocado with the remaining banana and mix with the melted chocolate and chopped cherries.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour the mixture into it.
Leave to set in the fridge.
Mix the rest of the banana with the oats, peanut butter and almond milk, then microwave for 90 seconds. If you prefer overnight oats, you can leave the mixture in the fridge overnight to enhance the flavours and reheat it in the morning.
Add a spoonful of the chocolate fudge mixture and serve.

Can chocolate be good for you?

For one thing, it's packed full of antioxidants to boost your immune system. One particularly useful group of antioxidants called flavanols have been shown to boost skin health.

While chocolate is sometimes linked to skin problems, this only applies to milk and white varieties, which are much lower in cocoa solids. Dark chocolate can improve blood flow to the skin, keep it hydrated and protect it from sun damage.

Dark chocolate is rich in iron, which helps your body produce more red blood cells that will transport oxygen around your body. This is made even easier by the high amount of nitrates present in dark chocolate, which helps to widen and relax your blood vessels to allow oxygen to reach the heart.