I was a little unsure about this healthy homemade recipe before trying it – how could a bunch of crushed nuts and seeds replace a comforting cup of Milo?
Admittedly, I was surprised and quite thrilled with the result.
Having another healthy hot beverage option for the girls is always a triumph. And they loved it!
Although richer in colour and more ‘chocolatey’ than Milo, this recipe certainly makes a mug-full of essential goodness that our little ones need.
You may wish to experiment with how much you use, as it comes down to personal taste. But we use two teaspoons per mug of warmed milk. You can make it with dairy, soy, rice, or almond milk.
I usually always activate nuts and seeds before using them. You do this by soaking them overnight and then dehydrating for a few hours (or drying in the oven for 1-2 is fine). Activated nuts, seeds and grains are digested more easily and therefore more nutritious than raw or roasted ones.
I find it much easier time-wise to activate a big batch of different seeds and nuts so that I already have them on hand to put into a recipe. But feel free to skip this step and go straight to grinding if you prefer.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons linseeds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
- 1/3 cup almonds
- 1/4 cup brazil nuts
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/4 cup pecan nuts
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup rapadura sugar
Preparation:
1: ACTIVATE Nuts – soak all nuts and seeds overnight (2-3 hours minimum) in a bowl of water, making sure they are covered with a little to spare. Rinse, pat dry and pop into a dehydrator for 4-6 hrs or into a 100C oven for around 2 hrs.
2: Place dry nuts and seeds into food processor or grinder – first linseeds and sesame seeds, and grind into a fine powder (approx 20 seconds). Then place sunflower seeds, pepitas, almonds, brazil nuts, cashews and pecans in and grind for another 10-15 seconds. Don’t blend too far as you don’t want paste. Add cocoa powder and rapadura sugar and pulse 2-3 times.
3: Stir with a spoon or spatula and pulse again until all the ingredients resemble a fine powder. Taste a little as more sugar can be added if necessary.
To make a cup use two teaspoons of powder per mug of warmed milk. You may wish to experiment with how much you use, as it comes down to personal taste. You can make it with dairy, soy, rice, or almond milk.
Store the mix in the fridge to avoid oxidation of the oils in the healthy nuts and seeds.
Tips/Hints:
Add a teaspoon of this mix into some oats or buckwheat to make ‘chocolate porridge’, or into a smoothie for a chocolatey boost!
Make great cookies or cakes by adding a tablespoon of this in with the dry ingredients of your baking recipe
This recipe also makes a great protein-packed spread – leave out the rapadura and cocoa and add in 1-2 tablespoons cold pressed macadamia oil before processing.
Enjoy!
(Source: Thermomix Forum Australia)
