Adaptogen Christmas Hot Cocoa

Final round of my 3 days of chocolate Christmas recipes! Today I'm bringing you this warm, comforting and spiced adaptogen hot cocoa; perfect for those cold winter afternoons at home or to kick off the holidays with energy and all the cozy vibes. Picture yourself holding a mug of hot cocoa, all cozied up under a blankie, sitting on the couch and your favorite incense burning in the living room. That's the perfect calm-before-the-Christmas-storm-moment to me! ;-p

For this recipe I used one of the most known adaptogens: organic ashwagandha. It's an ancient medicinal herb that, like all other adaptogens, helps you manage stress and anxiety. But ashwagandha also helps you reduce low blood sugar levels, inflammation and cholesterol; contributes to a normal brain function and boost your energy levels.

I'm finally done buying all the Christmas presents (yay!) but still have a couple recipes to be finished for a collaboration before the year ends; honestly, can't wait to relax a little bit and enjoy the holidays...even though I'll have to start with the January and February recipes already. But this year I decided to slow down a little bit and take some time off, to simply relax at home and be a couch potato.

Hope I can manage to squeeze into my agenda some New Year's Eve post for you guys! These days I spend so much time in the kitchen that all I want is to order pizza and forget about all the dirty dishes and mess after a photoshoot.

Adaptogen Christmas Hot Cocoa
(1 serving)

Ingredients
250 ml unsweetened oat milk.
1 tablespoon pure cocoa powder.
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or coconut syrup.
1 tablespoon almond butter.
1 teaspoon Ashwagandha powder.
1/2 teaspoon potato starch.
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.
1/8 teaspoon cloves.

- Topping:
Whipped coconut cream or coconut yogurt.

Directions

- Method 1:

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until thoroughly mixed and there are no lumps. 

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat. Serve warm and, if desired, garnish with whipped coconut cream or a dollop of creamy coconut yogurt.

Alternatively, if you don't have a high-speed blender you can follow the instructions below.

- Method 2:

In a large mixing bowl stir together the cocoa powder, ashwagandha, potato starch and spices, using a small hand whisk or a fork.

Pour in a little bit of oat milk and stir.

Heat the rest of the milk in a small saucepan and stir in the cocoa mixture. Finally add the almond butter and maple syrup and stir until combined; make sure there are no lumps in the mixture.

Serve warm.