for those of us poor, wretched souls who occaisionally suffer from unspeakable migraines triggered by processed cocoa, or for those with children with chocolate or dairy allergies, here is a festive cold-weather drink that can be served instead of (or in addition to) hot chocolate. hot gingerbread milk: 1 32-oz. carton of soy or rice milk about 1/4 cup each blackstrap molasses & honey (adjust to taste) several dashes of ginger juice (available by the ginger people in health food stores) cinnamon & clove powder to taste 1 or 2 drops orange essential oil stir briskly, heat or serve cold, perhaps with vanilla rice dream or soy "ice cream" -OR- instead of the ginger juice and essential oil, heat the soymilk & spices gently in a pan with a slice of ginger root and some orange zest. stir in the sweetener. makes 4 8-oz mugs
carbob is best when appreciated as itself, rather than as a substitute for cocoa. there really is no substitute for chocolate, which is why the above recipe was presented as an "alternative", not a "substitute". my son enjoys the carob rice dream, but the problem with preparing hot drinks with carob powder is that, unlike cocoa, the carob powder does not disolve into the liquid so easily, and settles out, without some kind of an emulsifier. the best you can hope for is to mix it thoroughly in a blender & drink it quick before it settles.
