Hot, Raw, Maple Cacao or Turmeric “Milk”

Hot, Raw, Maple Cacao or Turmeric “Milk”

This is one of my favorite hearty, sweet, hot drinks. It is grounding and earthy, like coffee, without the sharpness or stimulation. Raw cacao is not roasted, so not as sharp or quite as warming as roasted cacao. It feels nourishing and is delicious. I find it nourishes blood and pacifies vāta, without aggravating kapha (if you add a pinch of saffron, cinnamon or a touch of cayenne pepper and omit the salt) or pitta (especially if you add a pinch of cardamom and omit the salt). I like altering the spices according to the season, using more of the warming spices in cooler seasons and cooler ones in warmer seasons.

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. boiling water
  • 1 heaping teaspoon (tsp) organic, raw cacao powder (I like Navitas brand–omit if you’re doing the turmeric milk)
  • 1⁄8 tsp. organic, powdered maca (optional. If I use it, I like Navitas brand here too–omit if you’re doing the turmeric milk)
  • 1⁄4 tsp. organic, powdered lucuma powder (again, optional and, again, I like Navitas brand. Lucuma gives a bit of a caramel taste–omit if you’re doing the turmeric milk)
  • 1-2 Tablespoon (TB) pure maple syrup, to taste (or 3 pitted dates–if you want to use a high powered blender like a vitamix to blend this all together on high for a minute)
  • 1⁄8 tsp. salt (Optional. Omit entirely for pitta or kapha prakṛti or vikṛti and for turmeric milk)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • a thin peeling of fresh orange rind  (To get that thin peel, just take a peeler and peel a thin ribbon of peel—just about 1-2 inches long and ½ inch wide. Thank you to my friend Anya, for this tip. omit for turmeric milk)
  • 4 oz milk, cream or milk alternative, to taste (for a quart of homemade almond milk, soak 1/2 cup raw almonds overnight or in freshly boiled water until the water becomes room temperature, and peel them in the morning–they can slip right out of the peels. Then blend with a quart of water in high-powered blender like a vitamix for a minute.)
  • For Kapha: add a pinch of a warming spice like saffron, cinnamon, or a touch of cayenne pepper.
  • For Pitta: If pitta is high in vikṛti, omit the orange peel and add a pinch of cooling spice like green cardamom powder, a teaspoon of organic, food grade rose water or both.
  • For Turmeric milk: add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Mix the cacao, maca, lucuma, salt, vanilla, maple syrup, optional spices and optional rose water well, until smooth, in the bottom of a mug. Add the milk or cream and mix well. Place the orange ribbon in the bottom of the cup. Add boiling water. Mix well. If you are making this with home-made almond milk or with dates instead of maple syrup, just put all the ingredients together on high in a high powered blender, like a vitamix, for a minute.

 

 



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