The Gluten-Free Homemaker

This guest post is from Valerie of City | Life | Eats.


Thank you, Linda for hosting me as a guest blogger. I have been enjoying reading The Gluten-Free Homemaker for over a year now and always find so much great information and inspiration in your posts. I first discovered The Gluten-Free Homemaker when I began to explore whether I had food intolerances (which my research had indicated might be the common denominator between several ongoing health issues I was dealing with) and was looking for more information on gluten-free diets. Blogs such as yours have been a huge part of finding better health and living with food intolerances, as well as providing me with a sense of community.

Like Linda, I eat gluten-free and dairy-free. I also generally avoid refined sugars, corn, eggs, and certain other foods and eat a mainly plant-based diet with the occasional addition of wild-caught fish or lean grass-fed meats. I had been blogging for a couple of years about mindful living, green beauty, city life and yummy eats, so I adjusted my blog to reflect my gluten-free, dairy-free recipes and focus my food-related posts to be "food intolerance friendly."

While I do eat some soy, I know many people intolerant to gluten avoid soy for a variety of reasons, so today I am sharing with you a recipe for a gluten-free vegan hot chocolate that also happens to be soy-free. Hot chocolate is a constant of the winter season for me, ever since childhood. Of course, no longer consuming dairy or refined sugars has changed the character of hot chocolate for me - now, it is usually much more intense in chocolate and lighter on the sweeteners, but it remains a wonderful treat. I enjoy this particular hot chocolate recipe as it is spicy and warming, as well as very rich in chocolate and texture. If you cannot tolerate almond or coconut, you can omit the coconut cream and use a non-dairy milk of your choice, in which case I would recommend hemp milk for the non-dairy milk base as it is a bit thicker than other non-dairy milks.

One final note: I like using a blender for making hot chocolate as the unsweetened cacao dissolves better in the non-dairy milk, but of course you can use a saucepan and whisk as well. The recipe suggests you blend the ingredients and then reheat in a saucepan, but if you own a Vitamix or other high-speed blender, you may get away with just blending the hot chocolate until it is warm.

Spicy Hot Chocolate (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free)

Makes 2 servings

• 2 cups almond milk or coconut milk beverage
• 3 Tbsp gluten-free unsweetened cacao
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp chipotle
• 2 Tbsp coconut calm sugar
• 8 drops liquid vanilla stevia (see note below)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp coconut milk

Blend all ingredients except coconut milk until fully combined. Reheat gently in a saucepan. Stir coconut milk in just prior to serving.

Note: if you would like to omit the stevia, increase palm sugar by a tablespoon and vanilla extract by a half teaspoon. If you would like to use unflavored stevia, also increase the vanilla extract by a half teaspoon.

Valerie blogs City|Life|Eats about mindful living, allergy-friendly eats and city life.  In addition to cooking always gluten-free and dairy-free (and often vegan) recipes, Valerie loves exploring farmers’ markets, practicing yoga, and spending time with her husband and loved ones. You can also find Valerie on Twitter @citylifeeats and Facebook.

Labels: beverages