Have a healthy cocktail (or hot cocoa) with me!

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Photos by Katie Walsh

You’re going to love these New Year’s drink recipes!

As you’re winding down from the holiday frenzy and preparing to bring in the new year, I wanted to share a couple of super tasty drinks Katie whipped up for us. First, we’ve got a beautiful champagne cocktail, because what would that midnight countdown be without a champagne toast?! And, in true Katie-style, it’s even got some medicinal benefit, so you can literally drink to your good health. ;-) Don’t do booze? We’ve got something for you too! Check out Katie’s 5-ingredient hot chocolate recipe that you can make just as quickly as the stuff in the packet... But with NONE of the processed sugar, GMOs, corn syrup solids, hydrogenated oils, or chemicals (yes, those packets are chock full of that stuff!). I know I’m gonna be sippin’ in style when 2014 rolls in. I hope you’ll join me. :-) Take it away, Katie! Happy New Year ya’ll! So first up, our Pink Mimosa Blossom cocktail. This is kind of a festive spin on a mimosa, the orange juice-and-champagne favorite. Instead of orange juice, I’m calling for fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. Grapefruit is a wonderful winter seasonal, bursting with vitamins A and C and the antioxidant lycopene (which gives it its pink/red color). If you can get it, Texas Red grapefruit (also known as Ruby Red) is what I recommend. It’s sweeter, higher in lycopene, and from my home state. ;] If you can’t get Ruby Red, or if you can’t get grapefruit at all, you can also use pineapple juice. The sweetened, canned stuff won’t give you much nutritional value, but if you can puree fresh pineapple you’ll get tons of bromelaine (an amazing anti-inflammatory, great for digestion and arthritis) and even more vitamin C. The bottom line is, use FRESH fruit juice! As soon as fruit is juiced, it starts losing its enzymatic and nutritional content, so skip the store-bought bottles and grab a piece of fruit and a squeezer. I’ve also added a splash of hibiscus tea, known in Mexico as jamaica (pronounced ha-my-cah, not like the island). You can find semi-fresh flowers in bags or bulk in Latino markets, or dried flowers as tea in most tea aisles. Hibiscus is very tart but has a wonderful cleansing, floral flavor and is great at balancing your systems, most notably the upper-respiratory system and circulatory system (perfect for the winter time!). Last, an extra boost of cleansing and antioxidant power with a squeeze of fresh lime. Add your favorite champagne and say hello to a healthy new year!

(Disclaimer: Drinking copious amounts of this cocktail will not cure illness, and it’ll still give you a hangover. Drink responsibly! ;])

Pink Mimosa Blossom Cocktail

Makes 1 cocktail Ingredients: 2 ounces fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice Squeeze of fresh lime juice (about 1/2 ounce) 1 ounce brewed hibiscus tea, cooled 3 ounces champagne of choice* *Can be made “kid-friendly” with ginger ale Combine juices and tea in a glass or champagne flute and stir until even in color. Slowly add champagne and allow fizz to settle. Garnish with a slice of lime and serve chilled.   Next, I’m so excited to share a super simple hot chocolate recipe that can replace the often toxic stuff you get at the store with the medicinal powers of raw cacao.

Don’t know the difference between cocoa and cacao? It’s a big one!

Essentially, cacao (A before O) is the raw, whole form of the chocolate plant, full of antioxidants, minerals like magnesium and sulfur, a non-addictive stimulant called theobromine, and a hearty dose of essential fatty acids. Cocoa, on the other hand, (O before A) is a processed product greatly diminished nutrient-wise, most often with added milk solids and lots of sugar.

Even when cocoa says “100% cacao,” it has still been heated, processed, and compromised nutritionally. Make sure to get raw cacao!

You can find it at Whole Foods or other health food stores. It’s really important that when you make this hot chocolate, you heat it but do not boil it. It’s OK if it starts to form small bubbles around the edges, but take it off the heat immediately at this point to preserve the raw state. Really, you should pull it off much sooner than that, as soon as it starts to steam and is heated through. It won’t ruin it if you boil it, it will just kill some of those nutrients we’re trying so hard to preserve!

Raw Hot Cacao

Makes 1 mug Ingredients: 6 ounces nut, seed, coconut or organic whole milk 1 heaping tablespoon raw cacao powder 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Splash organic vanilla Pinch sea salt Sweetener to taste (1 tablespoon honey or raw/coconut sugar; 1/8 teaspoon granulated stevia or few drops liquid stevia or xylitol) In a small saucepan, heat milk over medium-low heat. Add cacao, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and use a whisk to slowly and gently blend ingredients until lumps are gone and liquid is smooth, even in color and beginning to froth. Stir in sweetener of choice and mix consistently until dissolved/combined. Taste and adjust if needed. Allow chocolate to heat through, until steam just begins to rise. Pull off of heat no later than when small bubbles form around edges and serve hot.

Now that’s one cup of hot chocolate that’s really soothing to the soul!

Lots of love and a very happy New Year! Cheers, Britt & Katie

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