Healthy Gingerbread Hot Chocolate ‘Tis the season for hot chocolate! RECIPE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY NISHA VORA Nisha is a vegan recipe developer, food blogger, cookbook author and the creator and chef behind Rainbow Plant Life in San Diego, CA. After graduating from Harvard Law School and working as a lawyer for four years, she exchanged her casebooks for cookbooks and launched her dream career. RAINBOWPLANTLIFE
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hile hot cocoa is typically laden with dairy and refined sugar, this vegan gingerbread hot chocolate is a health food! Made with cacao powder and blackstrap molasses, it’s a hot chocolate you can feel good about. And thanks to a secret ingredient, it has a creamy, pudding-like texture!
Serving Size: 1
INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • • •
1 ½ cups plant-based milk, divided ¾ tsp. ground ginger ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. nutmeg 1/8 tsp. allspice 2 ½ Tbsp. raw cacao powder 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup ½ Tbsp. blackstrap molasses 1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
DIRECTIONS 1. Pour 1 cup of the plant-based milk int a small or medium saucepan. Add the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cacao powder, maple syrup, and molasses. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally to incorporate the cacao powder and spices into the milk. 2. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining ½ cup of the plant-based milk with the arrowroot powder in a bowl until no clumps remain. 3. Once the hot chocolate is at a rapid simmer, pour the arrowroot slurry into the hot chocolate, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, just 30-45 seconds. If you double the recipe, it will take a bit longer for the hot chocolate to thicken. 4. Remove from heat and serve warm.
NOTE: If you can’t find arrowroot powder, you can substitute with cornstarch. Cornstarch will take a little longer to thicken, closer to 1-2 minutes.
Nutrition facts per serving Calories 199; protein 5 g; fat 2 g; carbs 38 g.
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