There was a distinct chill in the air last night which lead me to put on slippers and make a cup of gluten free, dairy free hot chocolate. This quick and easy beverage can be simply made from scratch in a matter of minutes.
Hot Cocoa
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (raw) cashews
- 1 cup water (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
- 20 drops stevia
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Place cashews and (room temperature) water in a vitamix; puree on high until completely smooth and no lumps of cashew remain
- Blend in cacao, agave, stevia and vanilla
- Divide cacao mixture evenly between 2 mugs
- Top off each mug with ½ cup boiling water
- Serve
Equipment
My younger son and his friend Kai were my taste testers for today’s hot chocolate. I make sure to test the recipes that I post on someone besides myself, often making each one several times.
Here’s what they had to say, “It tasted really good with the stevia.” Initially I had a mere 10 drops of stevia in the recipe, however the boys said it was not quite sweet enough, so I doubled up to make it taste more like regular hot chocolate by adding 10 more drops, resulting in the 20 drops you see in the recipe above.
On another note, while this site is still a well kept secret, my recipes are often reviewed by others online, generally in a positive tone. Today I saw this review of my simple bread. While it was nice that the review was honest (I always appreciate the feedback) the tone wasn’t something to which I’m accustomed.
I would have to agree though that my recipes are not for those looking to save on food costs (see Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma for more on that). They are very filling (making many more servings than average dishes) and far more nutritious.
How do you view food? What priority does it take in your life? Leave a comment and let us know.
Ruth says
Dear Elena,
Since you asked…. :-)
Below is what NOW foods emailed me when I asked about converting from NOW Stevia powder to NOW liquid Stevia. I have no idea what the subsequent conversion from NOW liquid Stevia to ASTRAYA liquid Stevia would be. Perhaps others can help there. It seems that each brand has a different concentration and/or “after-taste”. But, at least this gives me a starting point.
“1 pinch (1/16tsp)of the [NOW stevia]powder will equal about 2-4 drops of [NOW] stevia liquid. 1/4tsp will equal about 6-9 drops.
Thank you for your inquiry,
NOW FOODS NUTRITIONIST
NUTRITION & SCIENCE”
For those who need calibrated measuring spoons for measuring such small amounts of stevia powder, I recommend those at
http://www.pourfectbowl.com
which offers calibrated measuring spoons down to 1/64 of a teaspoon.
Cheers
Ruth
ps Thanks also for the link to affordable blanched almond flour. I now blanche my almonds before making your almond milk, and then throw the leavings in a dehydrator for about 24 hours, run them through a food processor, and then a sifter to make my own blanched almond flour, but that’s only about 1 cup per batch of almond milk.
My doctor wants me to up my daily protein intake, so I’m increasing the use of coconut and almond flours in my diet. THANKS
Tara says
Thank you for the recipe idea. I usually use coconut milk, but don’t care for it much although the kids like it.
On food: Hah! I could talk about this forever! Our present circumstance finds us in a very tight financial situation. My husband is in Med School and our three kids (especially our teenager) are all athletes with voracious appetites. We eat foods that are ‘beyond organic’, meaning that I don’t care if it’s an organic chicken if it’s been raised in cramped living conditions, being fed a diet of soy. For this reason, I source all of our animal foods from local farms where I can learn what type of food the animal has been fed, if it was free to roam etc..
As a Nutritionist, I’ve given talks about the real cost of food. It’s a subject I feel passionate about. And as much as we’re willing to forego the big house and newer vehicle to feed our family high quality food, I know the pinch that comes from little funds. My husband and I are also hunters so that really helps to fill the freezer with healthy meat. Aside from that, our garden comes in handy in the summer and our local CSA fills our tummies with yummy stuff in the winter.
It’s expensive, for sure, but I only have one chance to feed these little urchins of mine. They’ll be gone in a few years, but will hopefully have a good foundation of health to carry them forward into their university years.
Love your site, Elana. Thank you for all of the wonderful ideas!
Kitty says
This did not work with macadamia nuts, I did end up making very nice hot cocoa with this as a base (with the macadamia nuts instead of cashews) but the final recipe is very different than this one and I doubt I could replicate it, more of a taste as I went along attempt ;)
Kitty says
Hey Elana, I was wondering if you know if this can be made with macadamia nuts instead of cashews, when I was out shopping the other day I completely blanked on the type of nut you used for this and bought the macadamia nuts instead of cashews (at 3 times the price of cashews)
If you are not sure then I will try it with the macadamia nuts, I have people coming over tomorrow for chocolate cake (chickpea chocolate cake, so good) and cocoa :)
I am thrilled with your website, finally I found a food website where I dont have to sub anything (after you went dairy free anyway)
elana says
Kelly – I use the cashews in place of milk in this recipe; rather than just doing cocoa with sweeteners, maybe try it with almonds if he is not allergic to that.
Alison – What a great tip for everyone –purchasing pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds is a great idea. Seeds are so nutritious and more economical. Thanks!
Michelle – I love what you have to say, “My goal is to live without the simple sugars and rely on whole quality foods. I feel the cost will be worth it.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. An admirable goal!
~M – First of all a big MAZEL TOV as I believe the big day is tomorrow! Second, thanks for your comment. It is so thorough and as always informative and helpful to others. I especially like your tip about cooking for more than 1 to reduce food costs. Great point. I hope you had an easy fast.
Alchemille – “We all know that food is getting outrageously expensive, yet I believe you can have a decent home cooked and nutritious meal without spending too much.” That is such a great statement and inspiring too. As for your review of my bread, no need to apologize whatsoever. As I said, it was very direct and I appreciate the feedback. I had said that I wasn’t accustomed to the tone and I think that the language barrier explains that issue. I like, as you call it, your frank and straight forward manner! Thanks for reading my blog, for reviewing my bread and for bringing up the price of food which inspired this heart felt discussion among readers. Many, many thanks. We all need to stick together in this! Especially those of us who share common values.
Courtney – I couldn’t agree with you more about quality food and Americans being fooled by marketers.
Toni – I agree, I don’t think the review was bad and it sparked a fantastic conversation to boot. Sorry to hear about your son’s allergies and thanks so much for your comment.
Ruth – I am not sure of the conversion factor in terms of getting the stevia from dry to liquid. If you play around with it and figure something out, please stop by and let us know what that would be; a couple of other people also sound interested in this matter.
Athy – “I don’t want to fuel my body and regrow my cells with food that is manufactured for maximum profit and minimal nutrition.” I really like the way you make that point and especially enjoy your car analogy. Yes, I do agree that in the long run spending money on quality food lowers medical costs. Thanks for a great comment!
Christianne – First, let me thank you for your comments, all of them. It is always such a pleasure to hear from you. Second, I really liked your phrase, “Organic foods are a win-win for the planet, people and myself.” The perfect mantra. Thanks again for your insights in this conversation about food.
Zo – Welcome, so glad you found us over here. Yes, I think it is interesting that people are often fine with spending money on pre-packaged convenience foods, yet balk at the price of organics. However, it does demonstrate that there there are many different people with many different priorities out there.
Laura – What can I say to that other than :-) blush.
Emilia – I really like your points about cost versus nutrition. And yes, the rampant starch in gluten-free cooking could put some of us that can’t metabolize starchy foods over the edge (in many ways). Love your idea about adding cinnamon and warming spices to the hot chocolate. Delicious!
C – Yes, I think playing around with this recipe and using the almond milk would be delicious. Thanks for your inspiration too!
CeliacChick – Hi over there in NYC, long time no chat. I hope you are doing well, it is great to hear from you. Yes, I think mixing flours (for those that can digest some of the lighter ones) is a great idea, thanks for suggesting it.
noosh – Yes, I do use raw cashews in this recipe. Per your statement, “Nutrient dense meals that we spend a little more on for the quality. I think of it as prevention.” Great point!
robin @ caviar and codfish – “If food isn’t enjoyed, what is it worth anyway.” I really like how you put that! Thanks.
Freedom – Fanatastic tips! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Mariella – Thanks for your comment and support. I buy my nuts at the health food store. From what I know about nuts, most of them are handled by processors that process nuts (and not other items). I could be wrong. What are the sources of cross contamination that you’ve heard of for whole, raw nuts? Thanks for bringing this possibility to my attention.
Christine – It sounds as though you are very dedicated to providing your family with high quality food. Thanks for sharing your strategies and tips with us all, especially, “If we want to eat it, we have to make it.” I like that.
Kimi – In terms of what we can digest in my family, the boys (my husband and two sons) have very strong guts and good digestion. Per myself, I eat mostly protein and vegetables. Or at least try to as I do much better on that. Of course, my family likes the treats (and they’re much more fun to post than salads) so you see a lot of desserts up here. I do better with them on occasion only. Also, it is much more challenging for folks to find gluten-free dessert recipes than salads or chicken or such, so I often steer my content towards dessert and richer dishes. I completely agree with your philosophy about doing what is best for one’s family. Thanks for your comment, I really appreciate it.
Pam – I wish agave was good for weight loss. However, I do not think that is the case. It seems to be a somewhat easier on blood sugar levels than white sugar and maybe cane sugar, however it is still a high calorie carbohydrate. For a no-calorie sweetener that might aid in weight loss I recommend checking into stevia.
Lauren – I love the raw hemp seed milk idea. Sounds very nourishing and possibly more cost effective to use seeds rather than nuts. Thanks!
Shirley – Thanks for your comment and for sharing your food priorities with us. I am a big fan of artichokes myself. They are one of my favorite foods and I sometimes serve them on special occasions. Per the stevia, I would just try this recipe without it and see if it is sweet enough; if not, you could always add more agave.
Shirley says
I keep trying Stevia and I just don’t care for it. However, I wonder if it’s the brand of Stevia I am using or if I’d eventually get used to it. So far I’d rather skip a sweetener (e.g., in tea) than eat anything with it.
The review didn’t seem bad to me either, just that person’s opinion. I am one of the few GF folks who just doesn’t miss bread. I occasionally make nut sweet breads like banana and pumpkin for treats, but I don’t miss loaf bread.
I believe in spending a good amount to get healthy food. Like others, I make this more of a priority than other things. For example, we are going camping this weekend. We always have artichokes as part of our dinner when we camp. They are $2 a piece, but we love them so it’s worth it to us. We don’t spend tons of money on shopping for clothes and frivolous stuff. Finally, I agree with other statements here that typical GF baked goods and specialty foods are actually bad for people … too many carbs and processed ingredients. I think the easiest way to eat gluten free and healthily is to eat real food like Michael Pollan advises in his books.
Thanks for the cocoa recipe! I may try it I figure out he best Stevia.
Lauren says
The hot Coco is nice…. We make a very similar one here at home. We use a bit of raw hemp seed milk though too..added at the end to keep it raw. It is soo creamy and delicious. Thanks for so many wonderful food ideas. And regarding your comment/reponse, I would second what Kimi@TheNourishing Gourmet said. You keep up the good work.
Pam Custer says
I was just directed to your site by some people in a Yahoo group…how interesting! We have been using agave for quite some time now, and I was wondering if you know if it is good for weight loss. I could stand to lose a few pounds and always feel like I’m doing better to eat sweets with agave instead of evaporated cane juice. Am I fooling myself? Thanks for your time!
Pam http://www.custerfamilyfarm.com
Kimi @ The Nourishing Gourmet says
Hey Elena,
First, I love your website. You are so creative and inspiring. :-) I especially love your powder bar recipe.
As far as that review, I actually didn’t think it was very negative, like another commenter said, just more matter of fact. (If that’s the most negative one you’ve gotten, you are doing well!) *smile*
I think that many people have a hard time digesting nut based recipes. I don’t do well with high amounts myself, and have been amazed that your family, and others, can do so well. I find that soaking my nuts and seeds very helpful, but I would still find a nut based bread a little heavy on my stomach too. But it’s great that you and your family do so well with it. :-) Your bread looks delish.
As far as my philosophy towards spending money on food, I feel that it is an investment towards good health, and the future of our children to put money towards good food. We buy almost everything organic, and don’t buy any packaged food.
I would however, not be able to afford a grainless diet, and even if my body did okay with high amounts of almond flour, I probably couldn’t afford to make bread like that often. It’s the sad truth.
My philosophy is to do what serves you and your family best! If buying more expensive almond flour and such meets your families needs the best, don’t worry about what other people think. :-)
Keep up the great work, you have such a lovely blog.
Kimi @ thenourishinggourmet.com
Christine says
Hi Elana.
I have to say that the way we eat is expensive. My family and I, I have 5 kids, try to eat Paleo style. Because of the cost of foods and the lower income we currently have, I have added back in some filler foods like beans, rice, and oats. I still won’t do refined grains or sugars. I just can’t. I also don’t do white rice.
Almond flour is expensive where I live, in St. George Utah. The cheapest I have seen it was at Smith’s for $11.00 a pound. So, we go to Las Vegas about once every 2 months and stock up on Trader Joe’s Almond Meal for $3.69 per pound. We also do a lot of nuts which I buy at Costco and coconut milk, olive oil, honey which I get at Trader Joe’s also.
I work very hard at making meals that are inexpensive. We use a lot of chicken for this reason. I guess I do not buy a lot of organic because it is really expensive for us. So, I have cut out all the other crud instead. We don’t eat any convenience foods. My motto has become, “If we want to eat it, we have to make it.”