Thanks to this week's rain and windier weather, it's been a bit of an easier-to-live-with climate than last week's 40° C+ temperatures. Believe me, I'm not complaining about the heat - God knows it will be back to the frigid ice-caked Winter all too soon. When it is nice and warm (some would say hot) out, I fling on a tank top, shorts, hat, sunglasses and my SPF 75 and get out into the garden, where my tomatoes and pineapple groundcherries are just relishing the favourable weather. Of course, I make sure to hydrate properly - both the plants and myself need extra fluid and nutrients in the heat!
While the plants get an organic green cocktail of kelp and veggie plant food mixed with their water, I was never a huge fan of the green juice myself.
I am a huge fan of just plain water, and recently have been experimenting with adding some healthy flavourings to create my own gourmet "spa water". Being the season that it is, frozen berries, cherries, peaches, melons and even pineapple make delectable ice cubes, and steeping a combination of fresh mint, lemon slices and cucumber in a pitcher of plain H2O overnight makes for an ideal water bottle filling. As a bonus, by using the real fruit rather than a syrup or juice means that you get it's nutrients both in your water and when you eat the leftovers! For example, pineapple is filled with micronutrients needed to kick start your metabolism, and there are a host of antioxidants in all types of in season fruit.
But if you really need something "more" than a cool glass of water, I "Beat the Heat" with this accompaniment to a no-cook or outdoor grilled #SundaySupper - a bright, tangy limeade made with coconut water. Instead of watering down the delicate balance of sweet and sour with ice, I add frozen Summer berries that release their own delectable nectars as they thaw. Whatever's left in the glasses or jugs afterwards makes for a lightly coconutty fruit salad that you can either scoop out with a spoon or dress up with coconut milk and other tropical fruit for dessert!
This week's #SundaySupper is being hosted this week by Jen from Juanita's Cocina and is all about cooling off with no-cook, chilled out foods. Check out the other participant's refreshing options below:
#BeatTheHeat Appetizers:
Refreshing Chunky Shrimp Salsa ~ The Weekend Gourmet
Totally Cool Green Hummus ~ My Kitchen and I
Smoked Whitefish Salad Bagel Bites ~ Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Watermelon and Goat Cheese Bites ~ Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
Strawberry Gazpacho ~ Diabetic Foodie
Grilled Loaded Baked Potato Skins ~ In the Kitchen with KP
Sweet & Tangy Chili Lime Fruit Salad ~ Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
#BeatTheHeat Salads, Soups, & Sides:
Cool Cucumber Salad ~ Momma’s Meals
Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna ~ Shockingly Delicious
Hungarian Cucumber Salad Recipe – Uborkasaláta Recept ~ The Watering Mouth
Tomato Salad with Macadamia Cheese ~ Cooking’s Good Vegetarian Cafe
Char-Grilled Corn Salad ~ The Little Ferraro Kitchen
Summertime Sweet Pea Salad ~ Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
Apple and Poppy Seed Coleslaw ~ Damn Delicious
Cold Cucumber and Rice Salad ~ Mama.Mommy.Mom
Chilly Dilly Cucumber Soup with Shrimp ~ Comfy Cuisine
Mom’s Creamy Pea Salad ~ Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
Greek (Yogurt) Potato Salad ~ Family Foodie
#BeatTheHeat Main Dishes:
Rainbow Slaw with Steak and Chipotle Crema ~ Cooking By The Seat of our Pants
Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken ~ Make Dinner Easy
Rolling with Kimbap ~ Kimchi Mom
Ranch Chicken Tacos ~ Pippi’s In The Kitchen Again
Serrano Ham, Mozzarella and Arugula Sandwiches ~ Vintage Kitchen Notes
Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork ~ Cupcakes and Kale Chips
No Bake Pizza ~ The Meltaways
#BeatTheHeat Desserts:
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Supper for a Steal
No-Cook Egg-Free Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream ~ Chocolate Moosey
Peach Sorbet ~ Magnolia Days
Icebox Chocolate Pie ~ Doggie at the Dinner Table
Honey and Elderflower Ice Cream ~ Small Wallet Big Appetite
Blackberry Lavender Popsicles ~ Girlichef
Frozen Chocolate Bananas ~ In the Kitchen with Audrey
Strawberry-Lime Margarita Ice Cream ~ Cookistry
Elegant Fruit Jellies ~ Happy Baking Days
Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches ~ That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Baker Street
Vanilla Peach Swirl Frozen Yogurt ~ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
Espresso and Toasted Almond Semifreddo ~ The Messy Baker
Mango Ice Cream ~ Queen’s Notebook
Raspberry Mousse ~ Basic and Delicious
White Apricot & Honeysuckle Sorbet ~ Family Spice
Biscoff Ice Cream Cupcakes ~ Juanita’s Cocina
#BeatTheHeat Drinks & Cocktails:
Shirley Temple ~ Cravings of a Lunatic
Prickly Pear White Wine Spritzer ~ Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Classic Daquiri ~ Katherine Martinelli
Salty Lassi ~ Soni’s Food for Thought
Blueberry Mint Lemonade ~ Pescetarian Journal
Sweet Basil & Cucumber Melon Smoothie ~ Daily Dish Recipes
Wine Pairings Provided By: ENOFYLZ
Coco - Limeade
Makes 12 "martini" size servings or 6 (1-cup) tumblers
1 pint fresh blueberries, washed
6 large strawberries, plus 1 cup
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
4 cups coconut water
1 cup water
3 tbsp light agave nectar (plus extra as needed)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Thread half the blueberries onto 12 wooden or bamboo skewers.
Place skewers on a baking sheet in one layer along with the remaining blueberries and strawberries.
Freeze, uncovered, overnight.
In a jug, stir together the lime juice, coconut water, plain water, agave nectar and sea salt until well combined. Chill thoroughly.
Place one large frozen strawberry and one skewer of blueberries in the bottom of each martini glass.
Add the remaining blueberries and strawberries to the jug of limeade.
Pour even amounts of limeade overtop each berry base and serve immediately.
Amount Per Serving (includes fruit used for ice)
Calories: 99.7
Total Fat: 0.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 18.2 mg
Total Carbs: 24.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.7 g
Protein: 1.5 g
