Christmas Spiced Vegan Hot Chocolate

Have you already caught the cheerful Christmas mood? Let’s face it – running around the shopping mall and buying tons of gifts can drag away the cheerfulness of holidays. However, there’s a quick fix. And it’s a big cup of Christmas spiced vegan hot chocolate. You heard it right – it tastes like Christmas and is very creamy, satisfying and incredibly delicious. It’ll cheer up even the biggest Grinch in the town.

Making a vegan hot chocolate is incredibly easy. All you have to do is mix together some plant milk, cocoa powder and a sweetener of your choice. For extra creaminess, I combined almond milk with coconut milk and added some spices – cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. All of these spices are very high in nutrition.

Cinnamon is a very popular spice that’s used in both savory and sweet foods. It happens to be a real antioxidant bomb that outranks other superfoods like garlic and oregano. The high amount of antioxidants helps to decrease the risk of many diseases, for example, heart disease and even cancer.

Cardamom is an intensely aromatic spice from India. It’s widely used in Ayurvedic medicine. Cardamom is wonderful for your digestion and helps to detoxify your whole body. This spice is also a natural antidepressant.

Star anise is an exotic spice that originated in China. It has a licorice-like flavor. Star anise has antibacterial properties and it’s good for treating asthma, cold or even flu.

So this Christmas spiced vegan hot chocolate is not only incredibly delicious but also nutritious and healthy.

To make 2 servings of Christmas spiced vegan hot chocolate, you’ll need:

• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
• 2 seeds of black cardamom (or 1/4 tsp ground cardamom)
• 1 whole star anise

Directions:

1. Heat the almond milk and coconut milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until steaming.
2. Add the spices – cinnamon stick, cardamom and star anise. Stir well.
3. Add the cocoa powder and sweetener, stir well until all cocoa clumps have dissolved and you have a smooth mixture.
4. Taste test and adjust sweetness to your needs.
5. Serve while it’s still hot.