This is the perfect summer drink, for kids and adults alike!
INGREDIENTS:
10 cups Seedless Watermelon Cubes, frozen for at least 24 hours
2–4 tbsp Maple Syrup to taste, or use liquid stevia
Juice of 1 large Lime
1/4 cup Fresh Mint or Basil leaves, loosely packed (Optional, but recommended)
1 1/2 cup Filtered Water (or seltzer water!)
This is an absolutely delicious recipe for a warm summer night, plus the leftover vegetables are amazing on sandwiches or in pasta!
2 sweet bell peppers, cut in half, cored and halves cut in half
2 medium zucchini, trimmed and sliced lengthwise in half or into thirds or sliced on a diagonal into ½-inch slices.
1 medium eggplant, trimmed and sliced crosswise into ½-inch slices
1 red onion, cut cross-wise into ¼-inch slices
Lemon-Basil Dressing: (this makes a lot of dressing, but if you cut it in half the blender doesn't have enough stuff to blend well):
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon sea salt
2 small garlic cloves
¾ cup basil leaves
½ cup unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
Unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
This salad is perfect for an evening out on the patio enjoying an early summer evening!
1 medium eggplant
3 ears corn
2 medium zucchini
2 small or one medium summer squash
1 whole red onion
1 bunch asparagus
1 red pepper
¼ cup herb infused oil, for grilling
2 pounds mixed grape, cherry and mini sunglow tomatoes (or any of your own favorite varieties)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into a thin chiffonade
4 ounces Gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
For the Dressing:
¼ cup herb infused oil
Zest of half a lemon
Juice from one lemon (1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
Few grinds black pepper
All three of these ingredients can be found at our local farmer's markets! The Palos Heights Farmer's Market is on Wednesday mornings at the municipal lot at 122nd and Harlem!
2 cups fresh asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
2 heaping cups fresh spinach
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced in half
1 large spring onion, chopped
1/2 cup pea shoots
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
See the entire recipe and directions at Spoonful of Flavor.
This smoothie is perfect for summer- for adults and kids alike! We have been drinking this ALL THE TIME- my daughter is a huge fan. The nice thing is that it's so easy to make- every time you cut a fresh watermelon, put a few ziplock bags of watermelon chunks in the freezer and you'll be good to go!
Ingredients:
2 cups frozen cubed watermelon
1 cup water
2 tablespoon of raw honey
optional: stevia to taste (it's definitely tastier for kids with a bit of added stevia)
optional: a few leaves or fresh mint, or any herb in your garden
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Add stevia to taste if desired (stevia is an all natural sugar-free sweetener that has become my new secret weapon in convincing my daughter to drink "healthy smoothies"). It changes this recipe from being moderately tasty to something that tastes like it came from Starbucks.
Add a straw and enjoy, preferably sitting outside in the sun!
