East Meets West Veg: Christmas

Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Vegan Hot Chocolate

When I was a little girl, I used to love getting all bundled up in my winter clothes and going outside to play in the snow. I remember my mom having to force me to come in because it would start getting dark before I was ready for the fun to end. I would ask for just a few more minutes, sometimes successfully. There was something so magical about the fresh sparkling white snow and all of the wonderful creative things you could do with it - like making snow angels and having snowball fights. I loved watching the little sparkles fall from the sky all around me as I stood in awe.

Although I hated having to come in, it was always a nice feeling to get all of those layers off and come in from the cold. Plus, sledding and building snowmen really makes you work up an appetite. One of my favorite things to have when coming in was have one of those little instant hot chocolate packets with the mini marshmallows. Those of us who grew up in places with cold winters know that one sure way to warm you up is from the inside out. A hot beverage or soup is a surefire way to starting the warming process.

I'm sure that those packets of instant hot chocolate are filled with all kinds of not-so-good for you things and are kind of overpriced when you could just add your own ingredients and make your own. I don't claim this to be a super healthy recipe since it does have sugar, but it is much healthier than the traditional hot chocolate since it is low fat, cholesterol-free and has heart-healthy almonds and chocolate to boot.

On a day like today, with wind chills near -25F (-32C) here in Detroit, it is a perfect time for a warm cup of hot chocolate.

Beautiful White Snow in Metro Detroit

Ingredients:
Chocolate Almond Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
Vegan Mini Marshmallows (or you could cut the big ones into smaller pieces)
Cinnamon (optional)

Method:
1. Put mini marshmallows in your mug. (We couldn't find them nearby so we had to cut the larger ones and used the equivalent of about 1-2 large marshmallows in each mug.)
2. Fill mug with chocolate almond milk.
3. Microwave on high until hot (it took about 1 1/2 minutes in our microwave).
4. Sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on top.

Vegan Hot Chocolate Ingredients

Where to Find: Locally, I have found vegan marshmallows at Whole Foods, Plum Market, The Better Health Store, and Zerbos. If you know of somewhere else they are available, please write it in the comments below. Chocolate Almond Milk is available at just about every grocery store I've ever been, including Meijer, Kroger / Ralph's, Target, warehouse stores, and all of the stores listed above. Chocolate nondairy milk is also available in India at larger grocery stores.

When I woke up this morning and looked at the date on my phone, I was shocked. I don't know how this month flew by. I can't believe that Christmas is only a few days away. How did I not realize this? At any rate, it's crunch time. I had all kinds of grand ideas for what I would make for Christmas, but now realize that I have only a few short days to cook, finish shopping and start wrapping. Yikes!

Here are some great holiday food ideas from our friends at the Ellen Show. There are links below to dishes mentioned in the video as well as some others that would be great for the holiday season. I wish you all luck in wrapping up your holiday preparations! Hopefully you are all done - unlike me!

Breakfast / Brunch:

Holiday Breakfast Casserole (If you make this, I recommend using shredded Daiya Cheese, available at Kroger and health food stores like Whole Foods Market)