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Macadamia Hot Cocoa with Lavender & Mint

January 9, 2019 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

Macadamia Hot Cocoa with Lavender & Mint (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Lavender and mint lend their soothing and calming properties to this mug of vegan macadamia hot cocoa. The cacao powder acts a natural mood booster while offering iron, magnesium, and calcium. The dates add fiber and sweetness.

Macadamia Hot Cocoa with Lavender & Mint (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

I’ve always found questions like “what is your dream job?”or “how would you describe yourself?” to be difficult to answer. The reason is that there is no “right” answer. I can’t find it in a book. I can’t do hours of research for it in a library. And no one will be able to give me the answer. My Capricorn brain is logical and structured, thus it balks at questions like these. And then it cuts and runs the other way.

But this is where intuition comes in. The lunar and feminine energy. Or as we like to call it, our “gut feeling”. I’ve felt somewhat out of touch with my intuition over the past year so I’m trying to remedy that moving forward. It has involved a shift in structure and more opportunities to sit and listen. And, it has me practicing more self care than I have in a very long time.

Macadamia Hot Cocoa with Lavender & Mint (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

The New Moon & Solar Eclipse this past Saturday called for an opportunity to sit and ask myself what I wanted to manifest. At the advice of my acupuncturist, I went deeper than intentions and goals and re-examined my dreams. I pulled out a journal I’d been saving for something special, and wrote them down. It might seem like a simple step, but it’s the first in the process of manifestation. I pulled these dreams out of the ether and made them mine. And I’m hoping to breathe life into them over the course of the year.

If you find yourself in the same boat trying to figure out what you’d like to create this year, I offer you this mug of hot (or cold cocoa). The cacao powder acts a natural mood booster while offering iron, magnesium, and calcium. The dates add fiber and sweetness. And the lavender and mint help soothe the nerves while imparting a lovely and comforting herbal flavor.

Macadamia Hot Cocoa with Lavender & Mint (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog
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Macadamia Hot Cocoa with Lavender & Mint (vegan/gf recipe) | seasonal plant-based recipes via The Sweet Miscellany Blog

Macadamia Hot Cocoa with Lavender & Mint


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  • Author: Courtney West
  • Total Time: 7-10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 serving 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Lavender and mint lend their soothing and calming properties to this mug of vegan macadamia hot cocoa. The cacao powder acts a natural mood booster while offering iron, magnesium, and calcium. The dates add fiber and sweetness. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup macadamia milk
  • 1–2 pitted medjool dates (I used 2)
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder
  • tiny pinch of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • tiny pinch of dried lavender
  • hefty pinch of dried mint leaves (I used chocolate mint from my garden!)

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to a blender. Blend on high until smooth. If you’re serving it up cold, strain the mixture into a glass and add ice. If you’re serving it up hot, strain the mixture into a pan. Heat the cocoa over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk it several times, then pour it into your mug. Add any garnish you like then enjoy!

Makes 1 serving.

Notes

  • I used macadamia milk here but feel free to use your favorite in its place!
  • I recommend straining the blended mixture through a sieve before drinking in order to remove any larger bits of date. This is completely optional but you’ll find it reflected in the recipe.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2-5 minutes
  • Category: drink

Did you make the recipe?

I love to see what you’re making so feel free to tag me on Instagram @courtweststudio!

Filed Under: all seasons, beverage, chocolate, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, herbs, Recipe, self care, vegan, winter

A Simple Winter Season Sip + A Tea Meditation

December 10, 2018 By Courtney West 2 Comments

a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog
a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

Though I’ve been using herbs as a support system in my life over the past several years, this year I decided to dive deeper. I began the year reading books by Rosemary Gladstar, Rosalee de la Foret, and Paul Beyerl. I took copious notes on the herbs I read about and added my own after noticing how I experienced them in my body. I ordered several varieties of medicinal herb seeds to experiment with in my garden. I wanted to cultivate a deeper relationship with them by noticing how they responded to various temperatures, the soil they liked, and how much sun and water they required. And I wanted to be able to watch them grow from seed, observing every stage of life. Over the course of the year I began to notice how my needs changed with the seasons and what herbal allies worked best. And in doing all of this I realized how much there is to continue learning about. To continue experimenting with. To continue evolving and shifting. 

a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog
a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

One of my biggest herbal allies this year has been tulsi.  I learned throughout the course of the year that it grows prolifically in my garden if given the chance. And every time I’m outside in the garden, if the breeze blows and I’m down wind from the tulsi, it carries the uniquely spicy, floral, and licorice-like scent to my nose. And it makes me pause, close my eyes, and smile. In the warmer months I used tulsi fresh as it was abundant, making sun teas, hydrosol, and even adding it to my food. As much as I was using fresh I was also harvesting to dry for use in the colder months. 

a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog
a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

Aside from really enjoying the taste and smell, tulsi has been a lovely support for my nervous system. It encourages me to slow down, check in with my breath, and cultivate presence. It gives me a boost when I’m feeling run-down, and it allows me to relax when my nerves are a bit frayed. Along with lovely chamomile, tulsi is the herb I’ve been turning to most as we move towards winter and the holiday season. 

a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog
a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

Since this time of year seems to always be accompanied by stress, I wanted to offer this simple herbal tea to sip on as well as a short meditation you can do while making (and enjoying) the tea. The goal of the meditation is to help you feel a bit more grounded and present while the herbs in the tea work on your nervous and digestive system. The tea meditation can be done any time of the day you feel you need the support. Though I have a specific tea blend listed below, please feel free to do this with any tea blend you like.

a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

Winter Season Sip + Tea Meditation

for one serving you’ll need: 1 1/2 tsp dried tulsi and 1 1/2 tsp dried chamomile

Carefully select your mug. Maybe you choose a favorite that is aesthetically pleasing or one that feels right in your hands.  Add the tea/herbs to your teapot (I tend to use a small french press). Close your eyes and smell the tea. Notice what thoughts or emotions might bubble up. Can you think of at least 3 words to describe the scent?

Set your water to boil. While the water is coming to a boil, close your eyes and notice the pace of your breath. Inhale, exhale. After five or so breaths, begin to even out the breath, making both inhale and exhale of equal length. Continue this even rate of breath. Allow the sound of the whistling kettle to draw your awareness to the present moment and open your eyes.

a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

Pour 8 to 12 oz of the just-boiled water over your tea. Set a timer for the steep time of your tea (for this blend it will steep 10-15 minutes). As the tea steeps, close your eyes once again and this time check in with your body. Relax your shoulders. Release any clenching in your jaw, glutes, fingers, or toes. Can you feel for the back of your head balanced over the back of your heart and the back of your heart balanced over the back of your pelvis? Can you feel your feet evenly weighted on the floor, from front to back and right to left? Stand with ease. The longer you stand imagine your feet like roots, providing support for your body and connecting you to the stability and nourishment of the earth. Yield to the gentle sway that begins to happen in your body. As the timer sounds, open your eyes.

Strain your tea and pour it into the mug you’ve chosen. Sweeten or amend it as needed, then find a cozy spot to sit. Allow yourself the time and space to enjoy your tea without distractions. Savor each sip, noticing the flavors and how they may evolve as they hit your tongue. After the last sip, move on with the rest of your day. 

a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog
a simple winter season sip + a tea meditation | plant-based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

Filed Under: beverage, dairy free, grain free, herbs, mindful nourishment, Recipe, self care, tea, vegan, winter

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