• Stick it all in a pan, heat, stir, strain & enjoy!
I really thought this was going to be a shamefully short recipe post but bloody hell I can talk about chocolate.
This might not sound like a recipe as such, & in many ways it isn’t, as there are endless possibilities when it comes to milks, sweeteners, flavours, herbs & spices, but it’s such a wholesome comfort of mine that I’m always so grateful for, that I had to share my favourites.
I know that sounds massively over the top, but I really love chocolate, & I really love the cosiness of winter, & I really love great flavour combinations… add to that the feeling of beneficial herbs & spices, & my life is complete.
To finish the cliche, drink it in a candlelit bath with a good book.
There is no better.
When it comes to milks, I tend to use half raw goats milk & half oat milk. Any will do though – whatever you like.
Because goats milk has a bitterness to it, I add a tiny bit of stevia, then I top it up with maple syrup. Honey works well too.
After extensive research over the years, my favourite cacao powder is ‘forest wholefoods organic natural cacao powder’. The reason for this is that cocoa powder is full of caffeine & not much else, & raw cacao powder, despite its cosmic properties & being full of good stuff, is also incredibly high in phytic acid (see introduction to my recipes section), which is something to avoid having a lot of. My cacao powder of choice has been slow roasted at low temperatures to remove much of the phytic acid, but retain much of its goodness.
Most of the flavours below have health-giving properties, e.g. ginger & turmeric are anti-inflammatory, chilli & cayenne pepper get your lymph flowing, valarian is calming etc, but I’ve also added others like rose & cardamom just because I think they’re delicious.
You can use fresh, dried or powdered, & will have to experiment with amounts as they need to be made to taste – start with a tiny bit & add gradually.
If you don’t have loose or fresh herbs, you can also just rip open e.g. a mint teabag & stir that in.
Here are my favourites:
Fresh grated ginger
Valarian root
Orange & cayenne pepper
Rose & cardamom
Mint & matcha
Ginger, cardamom & chilli
Turmeric & cinnamon
Chaga mushroom
Maca root & vanilla
• Stick it all in a pan, heat, stir, strain & enjoy!
I really thought this was going to be a shamefully short recipe post but bloody hell I can talk about chocolate.