Coconut hot chocolate for a cold winter's day

Coconut hot chocolate with a sprinkling of nutmeg.

It's been cold lately, bone-chillingly cold. The kind of cold that seeps in through all the layers you're wearing and rattles you when you're walking your dog outside. As your fingers start to numb, you wonder where your gloves are and when did winter begin arriving in earnest, anyway? And how long will the dog take to do her business because all you want to do is put on two pairs of socks and crawl right back under the duvet.

Even the dog is cold. Her panting breaths form small clouds above her muzzle and her fur coat bristles in the cold air.

At home, soup seems like a good idea for breakfast. You warm up breakfast and check your e-mail. Your inbox and social networking feeds show photos of frostbitten gardens, backyards covered in snow like so much buttercream frosting, blizzards in progress. People complain about shoveling and talk about something called a "snow day."  You wonder if there'll be another rainstorm, and if it's bad enough, would they make it a rain day?

Outside, the sun starts shining like it means it. Light peeks through the vertical blinds. The cat sprawls lazily before the heater, nose pressed against the grill. You open the blinds, close your eyes and feel the warm rays streaming in through the cold glass. This is California, dude. You smile and thank your lucky stars you don't know what "cold" really means.    

Coconut Drinking Chocolate

This drinking chocolate is heavy enough to warm you up on a cold night in Oakland or Reykjavik. It's delicious and vegan, so you can serve it to your Wiccan meat-abstaining cousin, Reconstructionist Jewish step-sister and your uncle the Presbyterian minister for Solstice, Chanukah, Christmas or Kwaanza. For those who find the chocolate too thick, mix in a little hot water. Turns into a lovely pudding the next day. Don't skip the nutmeg, it adds an earthy spiciness that ties it all together and brings the rich drink back down to earth.

1 13.5 oz (400 ml) can coconut milk
3.5 oz (100 gr) dark chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate buttons with 72% cacao solids.)
pinch salt
ground nutmeg

1. Place a small to medium sized heavy-bottomed pot or double-boiler over medium heat.
2. Open the can of coconut milk and pour in its contents.
3. When the coconut milk is hot, add in the chocolate pieces.
4. Stir continually as the mixture heats up. Season with a pinch of salt.
5. Continue cooking until mixture bubbles, then remove from heat.
6. Pour into mugs and sprinkle over with nutmeg.

Serves 4-6