Eskimo Nebula

Eskimo Nebula
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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Join Me for Merienda: Summer Refrescos

So, I am cutting it close right now for it will soon be August in less than an hour.
If I weren't so particular about my entries; you would already have stacks upon stacks of digital entries from me. Alas, I guess that I can dedicate this one to my family and the spirit of Mabuhay. A cousin of mine was asking me for some juicing ideas; so I've just been tagging her in my latest photo posts to my food album on the book of face. Well, pinsan ko (my cousin) here are some formal recipes for drinks or 'Summer Refrescos,' as I have been calling them in my photo posts. She asked me to make sure that they fit the criteria for her part of the world, which means using mainly things that can easily be found in the Philippines; so this project was fairly easy to accomplish. I mean, they have some absolutely amazing varieties of fruit with which to work and if I had my hands on them year round.... ooooh!  

Here are some simple ideas for drinks to help quench your thirst on a hot summer day or just a hot day in general depending on  in which part of the world you live ;) 

All of these recipes are really simple, which is the way we should try to keep everything in our lives, right?

I save a lot of money by buying whole fruit and doing the cutting, prepping and freezing of them myself.
I always have labeled bags/containers of them in my freezer at all times; so it makes it very easy to experiment with different combinations.

The further nutrition boosting items that I use in most of my blends; usually include either organic flax, organic chia, a raw nut/seed, green tea powder (Matcha), Malunggay powder (Moringa Oleifera) or other greens like organic baby kale, spinach etc. The greens I usually prep and freeze them as well for ease of use. If you freeze your items; then there's no need to add in ice.

Jesscafé's Frozen Limeade

Ingredients:

1C filtered water or if you want to make it even more spectacular; use coconut water
Juice of 1-2 limes
Handful of ice
Dash of Agave syrup or the sweetener of your choice (may I recommend anything natural over artificial? =)
*For a bit of heat; you could add in a small dash of either Powdered Smoked Chipotle or Cayenne pepper

Optional: you could add in a few leaves of mint or basil before blending for an herbal note

Method:

Simply put them in your blender or in my case a Nutribullet and blend until the ice is slushy
Pour in a glass and enjoy!

Ah, Limemade, how you quench my thirst =)

Jesscafé's Watermelon and Tamarind Chiller

Ingredients:

1C filtered water
Handful of Frozen Watermelon Chunks
1-2 Tb of pure Tamarind puree* (this can be found at Asian or Indian groceries)
1-2 tsp of ground organic flax/organic chia
Dash of Agave or any natural sweetner to taste

Optional additions: Dash of Cayenne pepper for some heat

*Tamarind adds a tangy and sour element; so adjust it to your taste

Method:

Simply put them in your blender or in my case a Nutribullet and blend until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

So slushy!

Mabuhay!

Jesscafé's Cantaloupe Whirl or Ode to Filipino Ice Candy

Ingredients:

1C filtered water
Handful of Frozen Cantaloupe Chunks
2-3 Frozen Pineapple Chunks
1-2tsp of Organic ground flax or organic chia
1tsp of Malunggay powder*
Optional: Dash of organic Agave to sweeten, but if your fruit was ripe when you initially froze it; then you won't need any additional need for sweeteners

*If you cannot find Malunggay powder; you can simply omit or substitute it with spirulina 


Method:

Simply put them in your blender or in my case a Nutribullet and blend until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

The ingredients in the Nutribullet cup before blending. I used Salba chia in this blend.

All mixed up and ready to drink!

Okay, well I am going to polish this post a bit more tomorrow, but look for more of my 'Summer Refresco, ' series. It seems to be working at the moment =)

Mabuhay! Cheers! To your Health!

Love,
Jessica