Luxurious Dairy-Free Hot Cocoa

I used to be really big on goal setting at the start of the year, but I haven’t really felt the urge this year. Maybe I will write some goals once I can sink my teeth into the year a bit more. Right now, I’m still wrapping my mind around everything that happened in 2013. It was a year full of challenges, one I’m happy to learn from and put in my back pocket. There are a few big plans on the agenda for this year, so I think if I can make it through those I will consider it a success. The rest will fall into place, I’m sure!

I really like the idea of picking a mantra (or two) for the year. Have you done this before? Two of mine this year are:

To be knocked forward (instead of knocked down) by the challenges I face.

To make choices that are love-based, rather than fear-based.

How many times do you make choices that are based out of fear, rather than love? I do it much more than I would like. It’s something that can happen on autopilot after a while, like a knee-jerk reaction, and I don’t even realize that fear is behind the decision unless I take an honest look at it. It’s so easy to tell myself that I’m not good enough to do x, y, or z, to make a snap judgment about someone or something because it stirs up negative feelings, or to assume my writing or thoughts aren’t really important enough to share. All of these are fear-based. Luckily, Eric has a built-in fear detector and he often calls me out on it. Love is totally not blind; it’s honest in the best way possible…even if it hurts to hear the truth. We all need a human bullshit detector in our lives.

So, I’m thinking if I make choices out of love rather than fear the doors start opening and new possibilities emerge. Suddenly, the new person I met is open to my friendship just as much as I am, that new business venture I wasn’t going to do is now an exciting (even though scary) possibility, and the times I’m asked to put myself out there and risk failure don’t seem quite as bad. Fear closes us down and shut-outs love, or any remote possibility of love. Fear convinces us that we can predict the future (and it often turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy) when really, we can’t.

Here’s the plan. The next time I find myself making a decision out of fear, I’m going to try to do the opposite and see what happens. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to all of life’s situations (after all, sometimes fear or getting a “bad feeling” about something is a good thing), but hopefully this will help to keep in mind. I’ve already put it into practice a few times this year and so far, so good.

Try it for yourself. You just might do the unthinkable in 2014!

Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!

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Luxurious Dairy-Free Hot Cocoa

Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, oil-free

Yield
6-7 (125 ml) glasses

Soak time
1 hour or overnight

Prep time
5 minutes

Cook time
5 minutes

Total time
10 minutes

Sometimes we just need a little hot cocoa to pass the long, cold days of January. This is the perfect, all-natural drink to warm you up on a cold day. Made with soaked cashews, it's super creamy and thick all without a hint of dairy. It's very lightly sweetened with dark chocolate flavour. Add it to your Valentine's Day menu for a decadent drink option! This recipe is adapted from Anthropologie.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
• 1 large Medjool date, pitted and soaked
• 3 cups water
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
• 1-ounce dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe's 72%)

Directions

1. Soak cashews and pitted date in a bowl of water for at least 1 hour, preferable overnight. After soaking, drain and rinse well.
2. Place cashews and date into a blender along with the water, sweetener, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Blend on the highest speed until super smooth.
3. Transfer to a medium pot and add the chocolate. Heat until the chocolate is melted and it's hot enough to your liking. It will thicken up a bit. Stir to combine. Be careful not to burn the bottom. Remove pot from heat.
4. Serve & enjoy with some shaved chocolate on top.
5. Store leftovers in the fridge and reheat on the stove top. You can also enjoy this chilled!

Tip:

Note: This hot cocoa thickens up substantially as it sits. Feel free to thin it out a bit with a splash of almond milk or water.

Nutrition Information

(click to expand)

Serving Size 1/2 cup | Calories 150 calories | Total Fat 9 grams
Saturated Fat 2.5 grams | Sodium 80 milligrams | Total Carbohydrates 16 grams
Fiber 2 grams | Sugar 9 grams | Protein 4 grams
* Nutrition data is approximate and is for informational purposes only.

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PS- I sent out the first OSG cookbook newsletter last Friday! If you didn’t get it and you are a confirmed subscriber, please check your spam folder as some of you mentioned you found it in there. Another reader mentions if you have Gmail to look in the “promotions” or “social” folders for it.