Hot chocolate - Whole Food Plant Based, vegan

We woke up to 8 inches of snow and after our walk and some snow shoveling, we were totally craving a warm mug of hot cocoa. 

Honestly, I'd been mulling over how to make a sugar free, vegan hot chocolate for a while. My very skeptical non-vegan teenage test taster said it wasn't too bad (that's like winning the lottery), and she said I could probably sale it, she then suggested we move to Seattle and set up hot chocolate stand and hot cider stand.  She's a funny one, but she asked for seconds and thirds. 

This comes out warm and creamy and perfectly hits the spot of a great comfort food on a snowy day.  Mmmm 

Ingredients:

3 cups almond milk 

2-3 T cocoa powder or cacao nibs (for a deeper chocolate taste)

6-8 dates (seeds removed) covered with and soaked for 15 minutes in boiling water

1/3 cup raw, unsalted cashews preferably soaked overnight or 15 min in boiling water.

Additional boiling water

Cinnamon (optional)

Vanilla (optional)

Place dates and water they were soaked in, into a high powered blender. 

Blend until smooth.

Add cocoa powder, almond milk and cashews, blend until smooth. Add additional boiling water until it reaches your desired consistency. 

Add a dash of cinnamon or vanilla if desired (optional).

Serve immediately. 

Sandee's Super Amazing Green Chocolate Smoothie

My friend Sandee in Florida sponsors healthy living challenges periodically, and she is a health guru.  She recently shared this recipe on a blog. I've tweaked it just a bit to better work with what my family normally has on hand.

A little backstory - I've been making smoothies for YEARS, and my kids hate it when I "nutritionalize" everything (their words not mine).  If you ever come to visit they will share their favorite story of when I tried to add arugula to a smoothie. Yes, the results were a disaster, and now we know... Anyways..

I didn't get a photo of this smoothie because they inhaled it - I present the empty glass as evidence. My husband even asked for seconds and took it with him to work, and asked me to make sure that I let Sandee know how much he loved it and thank her for the recipe. That never happens. EVER. My daughter finished all of hers - with no complaints. Needless to say - this one is a keeper.

Ingredients

Power Greens - kale, chard, and beet greens (can be found at Costco)

5 medjool dates (for natural sweetening), pitted

3 T. cocoa powder

1 T. chia seeds

1 T. flax seeds

1 T. hemp hearts

2 cups almond milk or coconut milk 

1 c. ice

Stuff blender full of greens. 

Add additional ingredients. 

Blend and serve.

Serves 4

There you go - super healthy greens, cocoa powder, and those awesome omega 3 super food seeds that are all the rave - and it tastes good!