A mug of hot chocolate-almond-coffee

I was reading the paper the other day, and a recipe for a chocolate coffee smoothie caught my eye. It was in an article on healthy recipes. It wasn't the 'healthy' aspect that held my attention — it was the chocolate combined with almond and coffee in a potentially warming drink. The smoothie aspect was unappealing, considering the outdoor (and indoor!) temperature, but the thought of a soothing hot, delicious beverage was tempting. I adapted the recipe to provide a warming beverage, rather than a cold one. The drink isn't thick or creamy, but it is delicious. If you're in need of a hot beverage to warm you up, you might want to try this one.

I'm not a regular coffee drinker, and neither is my husband — he drinks gallons of tea — so we don't have a coffee maker standing ready. Plus, I'm extremely sensitive to caffeine, and can only drink decaf. I have a jar of high quality freeze dried instant decaf in the cupboard, just in case I occasionally want some, and that's what I used. If you have hot coffee ready and waiting, or prefer your beverage with caffeine, go for it. You could also use a coffee substitute. I'll probably try it with my Dandy Blend herbal dandelion root beverage.



Hot chocolate almond coffee
(adapted from a recipe in Parade Magazine by Alison Ashton)

• 3 pitted dates
• boiling water (or hot brewed coffee)
• 1 rounded teaspoon of freeze-dried instant coffee, decaf or regular (if brewed coffee isn't being used)
• 1 heaping tablespoon plain, unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cocoa powder
• generous pinch of cardamom

1. Place the dates in a one cup glass measuring cup and add  boiling water to make one cup. (OR, place dates and cold water in the measuring cup and microwave two minutes. OR, place dates in glass measuring cup and fill to one cup mark with hot brewed coffee.) Let sit one minute.
2. Add contents of measuring cup to high speed blender. Add instant coffee (if brewed coffee wasn't used), yogurt, almond butter, cocoa, and cardamom to the blender. Blend until smooth and frothy.
3. Enjoy.