Nourishing Vegan Hot Chocolate

This killer vegan hot chocolate is as nourishing as it is delicious. Want to elevate the experience? Boost it with calming adaptogens, if that’s your thing!

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so I figured we could all use some chocolate, right??

I don’t really have much of a sweet tooth anymore but I always have a bar of dark chocolate in my fridge. I even travel with it. Because when you want ‘something’, a bit of dark chocolate really satisfies. Not in the, “so good I need to eat the whole bar” kind of way. The, “so good, those two squares are all I need” kind of way.

Chocolate makes you feel good, for a few reasons. The first is probably because we have learned to associate chocolate with happiness. Our brains are powerful…and if we turn to chocolate when we need a mood boost or feel like indulging, that food-mood connection becomes part of our edible operating system. However, there is also a bit of intriguing science behind our love affair with chocolate. Cacao – the raw form of chocolate – contains a ton of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties (inflammation is just as bad for the brain as it is your gut or your skin) and active compounds like theobromine and anandamide that send our nervous systems some seriously good vibes. Pure cocoa also has some of those same benefits but the ‘dutching’ process diminishes them somewhat.

I created this hot cocoa recipe as the antidote to velvet-boxed, cheap chocolate candy and because we are still in the throws of winter here in Vancouver. I’m calling it a “superfood” hot cocoa because I believe that cocoa is an everyday superfood – but it also contains cinnamon to help keep blood sugars on an even keel and some healthy fats too. To up the ante, you could easily boost it with your fave adaptogen or whatever goodie is keeping you going these days.

Photo Credit: Melissa Quantz