A tão poucos dias de se celebrar o Amor podia-vos estar aqui a dizer que este Super Chocolate Quente é a mais certeira das setas do Cupido, mas na verdade estar enamorado não é um requisito fundamental para se deixarem levar por esta dose de pura indulgência saudável.
É que para além de estar a rebentar de sabores capazes de deixar qualquer coração a ferver, este chocolate quente vai arrebitar até a alma mais friorenta. Tudo graças à poderosa combinação de Cacau Cru e Maca, dois superalimentos muito especiais que nos enchem de energia e uma deliciosa sensação de bem-estar, como se toda a Natureza nos estivesse a fazer a maior das declarações de amor. Curiosos? Saibam tudo sobre estas verdadeiras super-estrelas no final da receita.
O chantili de coco não é absolutamente obrigatório, mas quem é que não merece uma colherada (ou duas) de uma verdadeira nuvem doce por cima do seu chocolate quente?
Sozinhos ou muito bem acompanhados, a escolha é vossa, mas se fosse a vocês ia já a voar para a cozinha.
Besides being bursting with flavors able to make any heart buzz, this hot chocolate will pick up the most chilly of the souls. All thanks to the powerful combination of Raw Cocoa and Maca, two very special super foods that fill us with energy and a delicious feeling of well-being, as if all Nature would declare us all of her Love. Curious? Know all about these true superstars at the end of the recipe.
The coconut whipped cream is not absolutely required, but who doesn't deserve a scoop (or two) of a sweet cloud over their hot chocolate? To drink alone or with your loved ones, the choice is yours, but if I were you, I would be to flying to the kitchen right now.
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Super Chocolate Quente com Chantili de Coco
V / SG / R
2 pessoas
Para o Chocolate Quente
500 ml de Leite à vossa escolha, altamente aconselhável de Avelã ou de Sésamo
4 a 5 colheres de sopa de Cacau em pó, de preferência cru
2 colheres de sopa de Xarope de Ácer ou Mel
2 colheres de chá de Maca em pó
1/2 colher de chá de Canela em pó
1/4 colher de chá de Gengibre em pó
1 pitada de Cravinho em pó
1 pitada de Pimenta Caiena
1/4 colher de chá de Pasta de Baunilha Natural, opcional
1 pitada de Sal marinho integral
1 colher de sopa de Araruta em pó ou Amido de Milho Biológico, opcional
Para o Chantili de Coco
400 ml Leite de Coco, biológico e gordo
1 colher de chá de Pasta de Baunilha Natural, opcional
1 colher de sopa de Geleia de Arroz, opcional
Para servir
Chantili de coco
Pepitas de cacau cru
Coco em lascas, ligeiramente tostadas
Avelãs, ligeiramente tostadas e picadas grosseiramente
Canela em pó
Dica: A raiz da planta de araruta funciona como um espessante natural e é vendida em pó em lojas de produtos naturais. Se não encontrarem pode-se substituir por amido de milho, de preferência biológico.
Preparação
Para o Chocolate Wuente
Se gostarem do vosso chocolate quente mais espesso comecem por dissolver a araruta em pó ou o amido de milho num pouco de água fria até se formar um creme.
Num tachinho aquecer o leite e um pouco antes de levantar fervura, baixar o lume e acrescentar o creme de araruta. Deixar ferver lentamente por dois minutos até começar a engrossar.
Acrescentar agora todos os outros ingredientes, mexendo sempre, e deixar ferver lentamente por mais dois minutos.
Servir bem quente com uma colherada generosa de chantili de coco, salpicado com canela, pepitas de cacau cru, coco em lascas e as avelãs.
Para o Chantili de Coco
Colocar a lata no frigorífico entre quatro a oito horas, para que a água se separe do creme.
Abrir e com cuidado retirar apenas o creme para um copo misturador alto. Guardar a água para acrescentar a sumos, batidos ou até para enriquecer sopas e pratos exóticos.
Acrescentar a baunilha e a geleia de arroz.
Com um batedor de varas, bater o creme de coco até começar a montar e formar piquinhos, entre três a cinco minutos. Cuidado para não bater demasiado e desmanchar o chantili.
Pode-se guardar no frigorífico num recipiente hermético até cinco dias.
Dica: antes de começarem, coloquem o copo misturador e as varas no congelador por uns 15 minutos. O chantili gosta de tudo bem geladinho!
As Super-estrelas
Cacau cru
Considerado de origem divina pelos Astecas há mais de 3000 anos, o cacau cru é incrivelmente rico em magnésio, essencial para o equilíbrio das reações químicas no cérebro, poderosos flavonoides com propriedades antioxidantes e triptofano, um aminoácido fundamental na produção de serotonina, muito importante para regular o sono e o humor.
Promove essencialmente a saúde dos vasos sanguíneos, o que melhora a circulação do sangue, regula a pressão sanguínea e previne doenças cardiovasculares e estimula a produção de endorfinas que regulam o nosso humor, ajudando a promover sensações de prazer, motivação e bem-estar.
Podemos encontrar cacau cru em lojas de produtos naturais ou online sob a forma de pepitas, manteiga ou pó. As pepitas são os próprios grãos do cacau partidos apenas em pedaços mais pequenos. A manteiga é a gordura que se extrai dos grãos, é muito rica e pode até ser usada como hidratante. Depois de extraída a gordura, os grãos são triturados até ficarem numa pasta, que se desidrata e se transforma em pó.
O cacau cru tem um sabor amargo, bem diferente dos chocolates processados, e ao início podem sentir necessidade de usar uma dose extra do vosso adoçante natural mas deixem que o vosso paladar se habitue a esta nova profundidade. Fica delicioso em todo o tipo de doces e sobremesas, é imprescindível para uma deliciosas trufas raw, cremes de barrar, papas de pequeno-almoço, e muitas bebidas desde os batidos a este poderoso chocolate quente.
Maca
Cultivada no Andes peruanos há mais de 3000 anos, a raiz de maca é usada desde sempre pelas suas propriedades medicinais. É uma poderosa ajuda para melhorar o desempenho físico e mental, aumentando os níveis de energia, resistência e vitalidade, promove a saúde mental, contribui para o equilíbrio hormonal e pode ajudar a combater a infertilidade e distúrbios sexuais.
Com 70% do seu peso em hidratos de carbono complexos, a maca é altamente energética. Apresenta um alto teor de vitaminas do complexo B, C e E, minerais como o ferro, cálcio, magnésio, zinco e selénio, alcaloides que contêm hormonas e esteróis vegetais que equilibram o sistema endócrino ajudando a estabilizar os níveis hormonais e outros poderosos compostos orgânicos que parecem estimular a libido. (Cupido? És tu?)
Funciona ainda como um anti-stress natural, ajudando o nosso corpo a adaptar-se com mais facilidade a mudanças, e pode ajudar a combater situações de fadiga crónica.
É vendida em pó em lojas de produtos naturais e online Tem um sabor doce ligeiramente picante que liga especialmente bem como o sabor do chocolate. Também é ótima em batidos energéticos pré e pós treino, em papinhas de pequeno-almoço ou para dar um toque diferente em muitas sobremesas e gelados. Não é aconselhável consumir mais do que três colheres de chá por dia.
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Super Hot Chocolate with Coconut Whipped Cream
V / GF / R
Serves 2
Ingredients
Hot Chocolate
500 ml Milk of your choice, highly recommended Hazelnut or Sesame
4 to 5 tbsp Raw Cacao powder
2 tbsp of Maple Syrup or Honey
2 tsp Maca powder
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Ginger
1 pinch of ground Cloves
1 pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Natural Vanilla Paste, optional
1 pinch of Whole Sea Salt
1 tbsp of Arrowroot Flour or organic Corn Starch, optional
Coconut Whipped Cream
400 ml Coconut Milk, organic and full fat
1 tsp Natural Vanilla Paste, optional
1 tbsp Brown Rice Syrup, optional
To Serve
Coconut Whipped Cream
Raw Cacao nibs
Coconut chips, lightly toasted
Hazelnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
Powdered Cinnamon
Tip: The root of the arrowroot plant acts as a natural thickener and is usually sold in powder in health food stores. If you can't find it, it can be replaced with corn starch, preferably organic.
Directions
Hot Chocolate
If you like your hot chocolate thick, begin to dissolve the arrowroot powder or cornstarch in a little cold water until it forms a cram.
In a small saucepan heat the milk and just before it boils, lower the heat and add the arrowroot cream. Simmer slowly for two minutes until it begins to thicken.
Now add all the other ingredients, stirring, and let simmer gently for another two minutes.
Serve hot with a generous spoonful of coconut whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon, raw cocoa nibs, coconut chips and hazelnuts.
Coconut Whipped Cream
Place the can in a refrigerator between four and eight hours.
Open and carefully remove the top cream layer to a mixing bowl. Save the water to add to juices, smoothies or even to enrich soups and exotic dishes.
Add the vanilla and rice syrup.
With a mixer, beat the coconut cream until it begins to assemble and peaking, three to five minutes. Be careful not to beat it too much and loose the whipped cream.
It can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to five days.
Tip: Before you start, place your mixing bowl in the freezer to chill for about 15 minutes.
The Superstars
Raw Cacao
Considered divine by the Aztecs over 3,000 years ago, raw cacao is incredibly rich in magnesium, essential for the balance of chemical reactions in the brain, flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties and tryptophan, an essential amino acid in the production of serotonin, very important to regulate sleep and mood.
Essentially, raw cacao promotes the health of the blood vessels, which improves blood circulation, blood pressure regulation and prevents cardiovascular disease; raw cacao stimulates the production of endorphins that regulate our mood, helping to promote feelings of pleasure, motivation and well-being.
We can find raw cocoa in health food stores or online in the form of nibs, butter or powder. The nibs are the whole cacao beans broken into smaller pieces. Butter is the fat that is extracted from the beans, it's very rich and can even be used as a moisturizer. After the fat is extracted, the beans are ground until a paste, which is dehydrated and turned into powder.
Raw cacao has a bitter taste, very different from the processed chocolates, and in the beginning you may feel the need to use an extra dose of your natural sweetener but let your taste buds get used to this new depth of flavor. It's delicious in all kinds of sweets and desserts, like raw truffles, spreads, breakfast porridge, and many drinks from smoothies to this powerful hot chocolate.
Maca
Cultivated in the Peruvian Andes for over 3000 years, maca root is always used for its medicinal properties. It is a powerful help to improve physical and mental performance, increasing energy levels, endurance and vitality, promotes mental health contributes to the hormonal balance and can help fight infertility and sexual disorders.
With 70% of its weight in complex carbohydrates, maca is highly energetic. It features a high content of vitamins B, C and E, minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium, hormones and alkaloids which contain plant sterols that balance the endocrine system helping to stabilize hormone levels and other powerful organic compounds that appear to stimulate the libido. (Cupid? Is that you?)
It also serves as a natural anti-stress, helping our body to adapt more easily to changes, and can help to combat situations of chronic fatigue.
Maca is usually sold in powder in health food stores and online, it has a slightly spicy fresh taste that combines especially well with the taste of chocolate. It's also great for pre and post workout energy smoothies, breakfast porridge or to give a different touch to many desserts and ice creams. It is not advisable to consume more than three teaspoons a day.
V / GF / R
Serves 2
Ingredients
Hot Chocolate
500 ml Milk of your choice, highly recommended Hazelnut or Sesame
4 to 5 tbsp Raw Cacao powder
2 tbsp of Maple Syrup or Honey
2 tsp Maca powder
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground Ginger
1 pinch of ground Cloves
1 pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp Natural Vanilla Paste, optional
1 pinch of Whole Sea Salt
1 tbsp of Arrowroot Flour or organic Corn Starch, optional
Coconut Whipped Cream
400 ml Coconut Milk, organic and full fat
1 tsp Natural Vanilla Paste, optional
1 tbsp Brown Rice Syrup, optional
To Serve
Coconut Whipped Cream
Raw Cacao nibs
Coconut chips, lightly toasted
Hazelnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
Powdered Cinnamon
Tip: The root of the arrowroot plant acts as a natural thickener and is usually sold in powder in health food stores. If you can't find it, it can be replaced with corn starch, preferably organic.
Directions
Hot Chocolate
If you like your hot chocolate thick, begin to dissolve the arrowroot powder or cornstarch in a little cold water until it forms a cram.
In a small saucepan heat the milk and just before it boils, lower the heat and add the arrowroot cream. Simmer slowly for two minutes until it begins to thicken.
Now add all the other ingredients, stirring, and let simmer gently for another two minutes.
Serve hot with a generous spoonful of coconut whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon, raw cocoa nibs, coconut chips and hazelnuts.
Coconut Whipped Cream
Place the can in a refrigerator between four and eight hours.
Open and carefully remove the top cream layer to a mixing bowl. Save the water to add to juices, smoothies or even to enrich soups and exotic dishes.
Add the vanilla and rice syrup.
With a mixer, beat the coconut cream until it begins to assemble and peaking, three to five minutes. Be careful not to beat it too much and loose the whipped cream.
It can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to five days.
Tip: Before you start, place your mixing bowl in the freezer to chill for about 15 minutes.
The Superstars
Raw Cacao
Considered divine by the Aztecs over 3,000 years ago, raw cacao is incredibly rich in magnesium, essential for the balance of chemical reactions in the brain, flavonoids with powerful antioxidant properties and tryptophan, an essential amino acid in the production of serotonin, very important to regulate sleep and mood.
Essentially, raw cacao promotes the health of the blood vessels, which improves blood circulation, blood pressure regulation and prevents cardiovascular disease; raw cacao stimulates the production of endorphins that regulate our mood, helping to promote feelings of pleasure, motivation and well-being.
We can find raw cocoa in health food stores or online in the form of nibs, butter or powder. The nibs are the whole cacao beans broken into smaller pieces. Butter is the fat that is extracted from the beans, it's very rich and can even be used as a moisturizer. After the fat is extracted, the beans are ground until a paste, which is dehydrated and turned into powder.
Raw cacao has a bitter taste, very different from the processed chocolates, and in the beginning you may feel the need to use an extra dose of your natural sweetener but let your taste buds get used to this new depth of flavor. It's delicious in all kinds of sweets and desserts, like raw truffles, spreads, breakfast porridge, and many drinks from smoothies to this powerful hot chocolate.
Maca
Cultivated in the Peruvian Andes for over 3000 years, maca root is always used for its medicinal properties. It is a powerful help to improve physical and mental performance, increasing energy levels, endurance and vitality, promotes mental health contributes to the hormonal balance and can help fight infertility and sexual disorders.
With 70% of its weight in complex carbohydrates, maca is highly energetic. It features a high content of vitamins B, C and E, minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and selenium, hormones and alkaloids which contain plant sterols that balance the endocrine system helping to stabilize hormone levels and other powerful organic compounds that appear to stimulate the libido. (Cupid? Is that you?)
It also serves as a natural anti-stress, helping our body to adapt more easily to changes, and can help to combat situations of chronic fatigue.
Maca is usually sold in powder in health food stores and online, it has a slightly spicy fresh taste that combines especially well with the taste of chocolate. It's also great for pre and post workout energy smoothies, breakfast porridge or to give a different touch to many desserts and ice creams. It is not advisable to consume more than three teaspoons a day.