Ahhh, a lovely snowy weekend in March…the perfect time for me to hunker down at home and face up to the 14 months of accounting that sits waiting for me in my office. I walk by my office several times every day, yet the space becomes invisible to me when there are piles of paper data waiting to be made electronic. Today is the third day I had slated to 1. learn how to use Quickbooks, 2. enter all of this data, and 3. get my taxes done before the pressure mounts. So, what have I been doing? All kinds of things except the three I just mentioned, including inventing new drinks!
I am loving this hot drink, because it is so totally warming, satisfying, and nourishing. Being warmed, satisfied, and nourished is the perfect way to keep a pesky sweet tooth in check, by the way…the base is fresh nut or seed milk, plus a little coconut cream and carob powder. It’s sweetened with dates and/or dried figs, then embellished with fresh ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric, all of which have strong medicinal properties. This is a well-rounded drink. And, it can be made in just a few minutes.
Yes, yes, you can substitute cocoa powder for carob powder if you must, but your drink will be decidedly more bitter. In another post, I’ll delve into the differences between carob and chocolate and the benefits of both…for now, I’ll just say that carob is soothing, naturally sweet, alkalizing, and delicious.
PS – we are nominated in two categories for Best of Boulder, gluten free menu and vegetarian-friendly restaurant. And, I wrote us in for a couple other categories…if you are so inclined, you can cast your votes by using this link: http://bit.ly/bestofboulder2013
This will make 2 mugs of happiness…
- 1 1/2 -2 cups water
- 1 dried fig
- 1 pitted date
- 1/2 to 1 inch piece of fresh ginger; no need to peel
- 1 Tablespoon creamed coconut or coconut butter (or you can use coconut milk instead of water)
- 2 Tablespoons hemp seeds (or sprouted almonds or another nut or seed)
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 Tablespoon carob powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- a pinch of salt
- a dash of cinnamon
Put everything in the blender and process until very smooth and a little frothy. Put in a pot and bring to a simmer…sit down, relax, smile, and enjoy!
Julia's Kitchen 