Inspired Living | Marshmallows

Yesterday's post was about winter chill and a simple recipe to guard against it. This post is somewhat similar, with the help of a marshmallows! I have been so busy that I haven't really gotten into the Christmas season in terms of decor ideas here on PGM - I apologize for that. However, perhaps I can entice you with food treats instead - perhaps it's my pregnancy, scratch that, I'm sure it's my pregnancy, but home baking is what I'm craving for the holidays this year. Homemade marshmallows among them! I've held off posting about them however for quite some time as I wanted an alternative for traditional gelatin, which most recipes call for and for which good sources can be hard to find. I have finally found a new recipe, but it uses carageenan, which until recently I thought contained nothing but evils. However, I've recently learned that natural carageenan is made from sea kelp and seems to be accepted in health food circles - who knew! Now perhaps I'll be less surprised to see this ingredient in many natural foods. 

For me, marshmallows are most enjoyed melted... over fires and in hot chocolate (also homemade). Homemade marshmallows are so fun - I'm not a very accomplished baker, and they seem so tricky it's really neat for me to be able to pull these off! And even nicer is to be able to enjoy this special treat minus the chemicals found in regular store-bought varieties. To make your own marshmallows, here is the recipe I suggest. I figure it's best to send you here because this author has put considerably more work into vegan marshmallows than me, and this recipe is tried and true. Further more, you can find lots of varieties to try or get some help troubleshooting should you need it.

Besides just making this for yourself, they make great gifts, packaged in glassine envelopes or vintage jars. They are best made and given fresh.

And this is what I'll be doing with mine... I make this hot chocolate with an at-home latte/espresso machine. It's amazingly rich and foamy. So good. Once you've added the marshmallows it will be over the top. Here's how to make your own hot chocolate:

• 1 cup 2% organic milk, soy or almond milk (per person)
• 1 tablespoon of organic, fair-trade cocoa... or more, depending on your taste
• 1-2 teaspoons of organic fine sugar (again, or more depending on your taste)

Mix together well using a whisk. You'll have to process it for a while to get the cocoa blended in. Heat and serve.

PHOTOGRAPHS 1, 2 & 3 by EverImages for Pure Green