Happy Galentine’s Day!
Today I am sharing a cute, fun recipe you can make with your gal pals to celebrate Galentine’s Day, in collaboration with one of my dearest female friends, Margaret (The Plant Philosophy). With Margaret and I’s shared passion for vegan food photography and blogging, it was only a matter of time for us to do a Galentine’s Day collab. If you aren’t following Margaret already, please check out her site–she is seriously the coolest.
When Margaret and I hang out, we go all out to relax or work on content. We are completely in our element, whether it’s chilling over a Harry Potter marathon with nachos, or hustling to perfect recipes and get the perfect food photo shots (also Harry Potter related). Every time I spend a weekend at Margaret’s place, as soon as I step inside, I feel a great sense of peace and inspiration! I am greeted by the warmth of lovely, sweet animals and Margaret’s cozy kitchen dapples with sunny promises of a truly rejuvenating weekend ahead. Last time we hung out, we made a Unicorn Bark recipe and Margaret graciously let me use her space to create my Lemon Lavender Candied Ginger.
I feel like I can totally be myself and execute my creative process with no inhibitions–plus, no one is going to judge me for obsessing over a food-styling detail, since Margaret herself is a food photographer who knows the struggle! She. Understands. Me. Ugh, I can’t appreciate her enough. I should also mention, Margaret and I desperately cannot wait to have a future collaboration with Krystle (The Minty Anne) at some point–somehow, every time we hang out, we end up gushing about her and texting her to tell her how much we love her, too. So much love. I love it!!
This dreamy recipe for unicorn hot chocolate (white hot chocolate with lavender and whimsical fixings) is sweet, soothing and cozy–much like my friendship with Margaret. It’s also cute AF, which perfectly describes us, I would say…haha. 🙂
My friendship with Margaret has blossomed into a constant source of incredible reaffirmation, inspiration, encouragement and solidarity (she and I are the only vegan food bloggers in our general area). I am always my own worst critic, and a lot of times it can inhibit me from progressing or believing in my abilities–luckily, Margaret and I lift each other up and re-affirm each other all the time.
The best kind of friends are the people who believe in you and support you (and vice versa) even if you don’t get to hang out regularly. I’m so thankful to have a friend like Margaret, who understands and supports my dreams and aspirations. With my grad school schedule, it can be nearly impossible to fit in a social life, and Margaret is one of the few people that I always prioritize to hang out with at least once a semester in between the long projects. Hanging out with her is what I love to do after an especially grueling project–she keeps me sane and inspires me constantly. Exchanging support and empowerment with other creative, passionate women who dream big is soo important to me. I sincerely hope you have a #girlboss like this in your life!
Unicorn White Hot Chocolate
makes 2 medium servings (or 1 large serving)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups non-dairy milk (I used cashew)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender buds (optional–you can also increase if you want it stronger)
- 1/2 cup vegan white chocolate chips (I used this brand–but feel free to experiment with cacao butter if you’re feeling fahncy~)
- a splash of pure vanilla extract
- Toppings: coconut whip, more dried lavender buds, vegan marshmallows, pastel colored sprinkles, and beet juice (for that marbled effect!)
Method:
- In a saucepan on medium heat, heat the milk and lavender until it simmers.
- Remove from heat and let the lavender steep for about 5 minutes.
- Strain the lavender. Return milk to the stove and stir in the white chocolate until it’s all melted. Add a splash of vanilla. Add more milk or sweetener to your taste. I found the white chocolate was sweet enough for me!
- Whisk until frothy and pour into mugs.
- Garnish with coconut whip, marshmallows and sprinkles. If you want a marbled effect, swirl some beet juice on top of the coconut whip (before adding other garnishes).
- Enjoy with your favorite inspiring gal pal and tell her how awesome she is! Or make a double batch and have a cozy party with a group of inspiring ladies. 🙂
Do you have female friends who inspire you? I would love to hear about them–let me know about them in the comments–let’s promote the heck out of the amazing, badass ladies who inspire us!
If you haven’t already, please go and be delighted by Margaret’s Unicorn Bark recipe! We had so much fun making this–I hope you will enjoy it too.
plantcrush 
My heart. I’m literally just sitting down to catch up on reading after my camping trip and this post was at the top of my list. Ann, I adore you. You inspire me to be unapologetically myself, despite my constant battles of self-doubt. You remind me to stay grounded when things get hectic and you’ve always made me feel safe and loved. Ugh, I’m teary-eyed! I cannot wait to hang out with you again!!! This collaboration was so much fun. Thank you for teaming up with me and sharing your creative energy. My home is always open to you ❤
What a beautiful friendship you two have! I know that self-doubt all too well and I think it is amazing that you have someone like Margaret in your life to lift you up, inspire you, and empower you! I think you’re both amazing! ❤ Love this collab and these photos are gorgeous!