I'm just getting over my first cold of the year (yes, even us vegans get sick once in awhile); in fact, it's one of the first colds I can remember having in years. I think it was the stress of the last week of the semester, combined with a hectic cooking schedule, and planning menus for several upcoming holiday events... which equated to: no sleep. Oh, yeah, and this crazy single-digit winter weather. Brrrr... Which brings me back to my reason for this post. Hot chocolate. It warms you up.
I felt I needed an extra kick to mine, so I stirred in a bunch of spices which are not only warming, but healing: ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. I even added a pinch of cayenne pepper to get the circulation going. The end result? ahhh... soothing as a soak in a hot tub.
Spiced Hot Chocolate
2 Tbl cocoa powder
2 Tbl Sucanat
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch sea salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot and whisk together on medium heat until bubbles begin to form. Bring pot to a low simmer for several minutes or until heated thoroughly, continuing to stir to remove any lumps (personally, I don't mind a few chunks of cocoa powder here and there).
4 comments:
Thanks for the "Spiced Hot Chocolate" recipe. I never would have considered adding cayenne pepper to hot chocolate. I can't wait to try it to warm up on a cold, blustery December day. I'm sure it will erase the winter chill. Thank you.
Yeah, all those spices, particularly the cayenne, really warm you up on a cold winter day. Enjoy!
I prefer to heat the cocoa and water together first while whisking out the lumps, and then add the remaining ingredients; this guarantees un-lumpy cocoa!
Yes, whisking before heating is a good tip!
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