Summary
Keep yourself warm on these frosty Winter days with an alternative to high sugar, dairy hot chocolate. Simply switch to almond milk and cacao for healthy alternatives, and add even more warmth with chai spices. Although similar in spelling, cacao has far more health benefits than its similar counterpart cocoa. In fact, raw cacao powder contains more than 300 different chemical compounds and nearly four times the antioxidant power of your average dark chocolate – that’s more than 20 times than that of blueberries. Apart from the many other health benefits, it is a well known fact that cacao raises serotonin levels in the brain, and without all the nasty additives such as high fructose cron syrup, or sugars to block the absorption of these happy nutrients, you can guarantee a little smile as you sip away!
For maximum enjoyment sit back in front of an open fire and sip!
Ingredients
- Serves 1
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 3 Tbsp cacao powder
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Seeds of 3 - 4 cardamon pods
- 1/4 inch of ginger sliced thinly
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 star anise
- 6 black peppercorns
- Optional maple syrup to taste
Method
- Place all of the spices, the cacao powder and the almond milk in a saucepan.
- Place over a low heat and stir until all the cacao has dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer.
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Pass through a sieve and discard any spices.
- Sweeten with maple syrup to taste.
- Sit back, put your feet up and enjoy!
Nutritional Content (per serving)
Calories
169kcal
Fat
9.4g
Sat Fat
1.8g
Protein
6.9g
Carbs
16.3g
Sugar
0.7g
Fibre
6.7g
