Spicy Adaptogen Hot Chocolate
I love chocolate and it's one of my life missions to find creative ways to use it in the Kitchen.
This is one of them.
You'll love the rich combination of sweet, salty and spicy, and indulging in a drink that good for your body.
There are two things that make this drink unique and take it from indulgent dessert to healthy: using raw cacao, and reishi mushrooms.
Reishi has been studied extensively, and what I love about natural medicine is that all components of what makes this mushroom come together to provide what it does. Among the benefits it includes supporting your adrenal system, the hormones that are responsible for your level of stress; being a deep immune support; and combating fatigue.
The ones in the photo were gifted to me by the Nature's Chef Tom Kral, and you can easily order them from Harmonic Arts.
The second ingredient, raw cacao is different than dutch processed cocoa powder in that the former isn't processed at all other than being ground.
A few years ago I visited a coffee plantation that also produced the raw cacao bean. They lay the bean out in the sun to ferment, which is done with all chocolate, then slightly roasted it for us to snack on for our drive that afternoon. It was *so* good.
I often hear people asking how chocolate can be dairy free, and it's because it's naturally dairy free. Dairy is commonly added to it, but it doesn't need to be there. Raw cacao is high in antioxidants and magnesium, both great for reducing the impact of stress on our bodies, and while it has caffeine, making the hot chocolate the way I have will regulate the energy and give you a sustained, grounded energy.
Dairy free, soy free, gluten-free, refined sugar free, vegan
This is a great drink to make if:
- you love chocolate and want healthy options
- you often experience a 3pm crash
- you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed
INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS
Hot Chocolate
- 2 heaping tsp raw cacao (more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch cayenne pepper
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp maple syrup (more or less to taste)
REISHI BROTH
- 1-2 pieces dried reishi
- 4 cups filtered water
- Combine reishi and water in a small pot and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes.
- In your favourite mug, combine the rest of the ingredients.
- Pour reishi broth in to mug and stir, making sure all the raw cacao is dissolved
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for approximately one week. Reserve reishi pieces in a container with water for your next drink. You can re-use the pieces until they no longer turn the water brown, approximately 5 times.