Comfort Drink?
 

Sometimes, particularly on a cold evening I would love to have a comforting drink. A hot chocolate substitute. I have tried cocoa with some cream but I don't like the cream part, it makes me gag!! Don't know why, I used to like it but now take my coffee black as I can't stand cream or milk in it.
You know, the kind of drink where you sit in a lovely comfy seat, feet up with a lovely mug of ???
Have so far tried it with tea, black coffee, the cocoa, bouillon but nothing hits the spot. Don't like fruity teas.
Any suggestions?

If you like coconut milk, it's a great base to add many flavors. You can even make the drink thicker by adding coconut cream. Trader Joe's has both. Sometimes I'll make a drink with coconut milk, coconut cream, a handful of almonds, some chia seeds, a dash of unsweetened vanilla, some Sweetleaf stevia, and blend it all together. Good stuff! I can make the same base drink with many different combinations including cocoa, any choice of berries, or something else. Hope this offers an alternative, as I sometimes I don't feel like adding HWC either.

ooh, that coconut milk idea is great- i think i will try it with vanilla extract and cinnamon/torani sf vanilla syrup.

OP- if you don't like fruity teas, have you tried chai or peppermint? chai can be made with milk/milk sub or without. i like both.

also sometimes i like heating up a milk sub (usually cashew or coconut) with pureed/canned pumpkin, sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg, vanilla extract and a touch of salt. the flavor is similar to pumpkin pie :thup:

There are lots of different teas that are not fruity. My favorite comfort teas are Mint (Bigelows Mint medley is xtra good), pumpkin spice, different types of chai, there is a vanilla rooibos at Bulk Barn that is very tasty. Sometimes I have these with cream, or coconut milk, or blended with butter or coconut oil to thicken them up.
I also put cocoa powder right in my coffee or tea with some cream - delicious, and better than "plain"!

Have you tried watering down the cream with water?

I love brewing chocolate. A well-known brand is Crio Bru.

It's great!

I know you said fruity teas are out, but I have a friend pick up this Hot and Spicy tea at the wholesale place... I love it!

GRB your drink sounds great, I'll have to try that!

Robin, how much pumpkin do you add to your cashew milk for your drink(I'm a fan of it alone, heated with the Sweet Leaf toffee stevia)?

Gosh thank you for the amazing ideas. I really thought I had considered every low carb option!
GRB511 that sounds like a wonderful combination. Living in the UK I'm not sure if I can access those particular ingredients. I have noticed almond milk locally I wonder if I should try that heated up. Strangely, never considered heating up those types of milk before.
Love the idea of a thicker drink that tastes like pumpkin pie Robin, not sure if we can get chia seeds here. Do you eat them raw, what do they taste like?
Actually I have in the past put a little cocoa in my coffee when I used to have a some cream with it, but now I'm wondering if I could try that without the cream. Maybe coffee, cocoa and some of the milks that have been suggested.
Brewing chocolate gosh that's completely new Crio Bru, not a brand I've seen over here. Sort of pleased that I have got myself away from sweet flavours and chocolate substitutes. I can cope with really strong cocoa but am wary that anything remotely sweet will set off cravings!
Hot and spicy sounds delicious and in the daytime would be a good option to ring the changes.

2 tbsp per 8-10oz nut milk. i love it!
you can also freeze the pumpkin in ice cube trays, and then lend with milk sub and spices/extracts/sweetener for a pumpkin spice "frappucino."
i like to add creamcheese for a pumpkin cheesecake shake- add 1/4 cup egg beaters (since they are pasteurized) for my favorite smoothie.

My hot drink of choice, at any time of day, is hot, unsweetened, black tea. But another one I have been making on cold winter evenings lately is Turmeric Milk. When DH wants cocoa I will make this for me. I started because of the health benefits - turmeric is a wonderful anti inflammatory - but continue because it is so nice.
I use whole cow's milk, but nut milks would no doubt also be good. I add various warm spices: black pepper (works synergistically with turmeric), ginger, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric of course (any or all of these spices - really I only consider the turmeric, pepper, and ginger to be non-negotiable). I use whole spices, because I have them, crack them up a little in a mortar, but I wold think that powdered spices would also be good. I heat the milk to just below boiling, take it off the heat, and let the spices steep for awhile, an hour or two if I thought about it early enough. With powdered spices the steeping shouldn't be necessary. Strain as needed, re-heat as needed, and enjoy.

verbena, thanks so much for reminding me about turmeric milk. I'm coming down with a cold and forgot how good this can be when you're getting a chill. Your preparation is elegant, I usually just stir in some powdered turmeric in milk or half-and-half and sprinkle with cinnamon.

MDS has a recipe with almond/coconut milk and more info about this drink: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/crea.../#axzz3xB3ldK2d

That drink with turmeric sounds delicious. I really must get some. Sometimes I think ginger stimulates my appetite but maybe just a tiny bit would do.
When I was little, we were on a dairy farm and used lots of milk. Mum used to make barley soup! Really just gently cooking the pearl barley in milk with a little butter, salt and pepper. We all loved it, my DH thinks it is disgusting. Haven't made it for years. So to be able to make a slightly similar drink would be divine. I can't wait to buy some almond milk.

years ago when starbucks came out with it's green tea frappes and lattes, i was tempted, but stayed strong ;)
on the radio, this morning they were discussing foods trends for 2016, and matcha green tea powder was mentioned. in whole foods, i checked, and sure enough i finally found a can!
score, will report back on how it works :)
i used to absolutely love a green tea icecream, so hoping it tastes like that.
i plan to dissolve it in steamed cashew milk, and add sf torani vanilla syrup.

That has potential! Let us know how it plays out.