take your hot drink repertoire up several notches this winter with some of these magical hot drink recipes.

winter doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom if we embrace it and all it has to offer. one of the best things about winter is the excuse to enjoy more warm drinks then we might at other times of the year. preparing an amazing hot drink to enjoy by yourself or share with friends can be made into a ceremonial practice, emoting feelings of groundedness and self-worth. well made hot drinks can also be deeply nourishing for the body as well as the mind. i’m not talking any old hot drink here, i’m talking in the realm of turkish delight hot chocolates and turmeric coconut chai’s. to snuggle up on the couch with one of these in hand, encased in your favourite mug is some of the best soul food around. take your hot drink repertoire up several notches this winter with some of these magical drinks.

flavoured hot chocolates

take your hot chocolates to a whole new level by adding essential oils and essences. there are so many exciting directions you can take it in, from choc peppermint, jaffa, and even turkish delight. all of these can be adorned with gorgeous garnish including mint leaves for choc mint, dried orange slices for jaffa and rose petals for turkish delight. food essences can be found at good quality grocery stores and once you have them in your pantry you’ll find a lot of uses for them.

---

turkish delight hot chocolate

could there be anything more romantic then this drink?! decorated with some dried rose petals, it is not only the perfect romantic offering to a loved one, but its also a great way to honour and love yourself.

 ingredients

• 1 cup of plant-based milk

• 1 tablespoon of cocoa

• 1/2 a tablespoon of maple syrup

• 2 drops of rose essence

• 1 drop vanilla essence

method

1. simmer slowly whilst stirring occasionally.

2. when a light bubble has been reached and it is very hot pour it into mugs.

3. sprinkle with rose petals, fresh or dried.

---

 Choc Mint Hot Chocolate

bring out your inner child with some choc mint deliciousness. perfect for the kids too! if you have access to a mint bush you will know how weed-like they are in the way that they grow so vigorously, hence this is a great way to utilise all those healthy and flavourful leaves.

 ingredients

• 2 cups plant-based milk

• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 5 fresh mint leaves or 1 drop of peppermint essence

• ¼ tsp vanilla essence

method

1. simmer slowly whilst stirring occasionally until hot.

2. strain through a fine sieve.

3. serve with fresh mint leaves and extra cocoa dusted on top. 

cacao has come to the forefront of the health world in recent years, and it deserves every bit of adoration it has received. raw cacao is one of the richest sources of magnesium of all foods, as well as containing excellent amounts of iron, zinc, and selenium. this magnesium-rich mineral top-up is especially important for women because the loss of magnesium is greater than iron during menstruation. perhaps best of all, cacao contains an amino acid called tryptophan which is the pre-curser of serotonin, our happy hormone. coupled with the sweetness and warmth of a hot drink, it is no wonder that hot chocolate has been the ultimate treat for years. before the 20th century, only the very wealthy and elite citizens of the western world were able to afford to enjoy cacao. it wasn’t until 1887 that chocolate production in europe became sophisticated enabling cacao to become available to a wider range of people. when sourcing chocolate, it is important to buy raw unprocessed cacao, rather than cocoa, and eat dark chocolate rather than milk in order to retain the health benefits.

---

turmeric and coconut chai

warm-up from the inside out with this spiced turmeric coconut chai. turmeric and coconut are like culinary cousins both native to tropical jungles and complementing each other so beautifully. this is why i use coconut milk in this recipe but if you don’t have some, any plant-based milk will be great. the warming spices in this cup of magic are delicious and healing.

ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut milk

• 1 tbsp loose leaf black tea

• 2 tablespoon maple syrup

• 2 peppercorns

• 1 small piece of fresh ginger or ½ a tsp of ground

• 1 tsp fresh ground turmeric or powder

• 2 cardamom pods

• 1 star anise

• 1 cinnamon stick

• a pinch of nutmeg

method

1. place the tea, peppercorns, ginger, turmeric, and cardamom pods into a mortar and pestle and lightly grind into a chunky paste.

2. put this paste into the saucepan with the coconut milk and maple syrup, the star anise, cinnamon stick, and pinch of nutmeg.

3. turn on the heat and combine.

4. simmer on very low heat for at least half an hour.

5. strain through a fine sieve and serve.

the healing benefits of turmeric have been celebrated by ayurvedic health practitioners for millennia and now the western world is also embracing its healing powers. these powers are mostly attributed to it being one of the most potent sources of curcumin. curcumin is a very powerful phytonutrient that is both an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory both of which are essential in our diet for optimum health. one of the main ailments that curcumin is effective in combating is arthritis due to the inflammatory nature of this disease. amazingly, when consumed with as little as 1/20th of a teaspoon of black pepper, curcumin becomes 2000 times more bioavailable. it is the piperine in pepper that does this magic work. from a flavour point of view too, that little bit of heat from the pepper is delicious in the same way that chilli complements chocolate.

---

 caffeine-free

if it’s a caffeine-free drink you’re after you may first think of herbals. however, herbal teas don’t always have the luxurious comforting element that milky drinks possess, and that’s where dandelion comes in. dandelion ‘coffee’ is a sweet warm drink made from roasted roots of the common weed, dandelion. although it is possible to make this yourself, the process and the number of roots needed to make even a small amount warrant this one of those things best left to the experts. you can buy it at health food shops, in either a powder or granule form, and sometimes pre-blended into chai blends. this delicious sweet drink tastes remarkably like coffee, but with very nutty overtones, which when warmed through with the sweetener of your choice and some plant-based milk is really come to life.  on top of all that is a well-known healing herb that is rich in minerals and helps support your body’s natural detox processes.

 dandelion ‘coffee’

• 2 cups plant-based milk of your choice (I use soy)

• 1 tbsp dandelion granules

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• ¼ tsp vanilla essence (optional)

• 1 crushed cardamom pod (optional)

method

1. combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.

2. simmer slowly whilst stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.

3. strain through a fine sieve and serve.

---

 olive wood vegan is the brainchild of katie white, a west australian born singer songwriter turned vegan chef and food photographer. passionate about eating from the heart for a more sustainable life, katie was one of the first to be accepted into the plant based culinary arts, le cordon bleu diploma. katie shares with her community just how easy it is to create simple, beautiful and delicious, garden to plate seasonal vegan food. katie writes and sings about her love of animals, gardening, harvesting, and cooking on instagram and facebook or olive wood vegan.