On hot days, the logical thing is that you want to be in front of a paradisiacal beach under some palm trees drinking a delicious coconut, but the reality is different and sometimes we must settle for being in front of the fan or the air conditioning with a lemonade in hand.
However, you can change the lemonade or coconut for delicious soft drinks rich in energy , vitamins and, why not also, very refreshing.
Learn about 3 refreshing smoothie recipes that will help you relieve the hottest days.
3 refreshing smoothie recipes
1. The green drink
The green drink is very refreshing and full of vitamins as it includes many green leafy vegetables and herbs, including mint and parsley. You can also mix them with apple, peach, lemon, cucumber and coconut water.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ of filtered water or a cup of cold coconut water
- 1 lime juice
- 1 ½ cups chopped vegetables
- 1 handful of parsley, coriander or mint.
- ½ English cucumber, diced
- 1 small apple, seeded and diced
- ½ cup ice cream + diced peaches or mango
- 1 piece of peeled ginger (optional)
Preparation
Combine all the ingredients in the blender in the specified order and blend on high for a minute or so. Once all the ingredients are fully incorporated you can consume it.
2. Strawberry, rose water and chia seed soda
This soda straight out of a fantasy tale is very simple to make. You just have to blend the strawberries with water (or coconut water to boost the electrolytes) and then mix with chia seeds, lemon juice and a little rose water if you have.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of chopped strawberries.
- 4 cups of water (or make a mixture of half coconut water with tap water).
- 2 tablespoons of chia seeds.
- 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice.
- 1 teaspoon of rose water (optional).
Preparation
- Combine strawberries and water in an upright blender.
- Blend on high speed until smooth.
- Pour the strawberry water through a fine mesh sieve, pressing down with a spatula to obtain the solid waste and seeds.
- In a pitcher, combine the strawberry water and chia seeds. Beat until you have a combination.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, allowing the chia seeds to gel.
- Once ready to drink, stir in the fresh chia.
- Next, add lemon juice and rose water.
- It can be served with lemon wedges and ice if you prefer.
3. Carrot and ginger lemonade
You can update traditional lemonade with the help of some tasty carrots sweetened with maple syrup or agave nectar to balance the flavor of lemon juice and spicy ginger. The best thing about this drink is that you don’t need a juicer to make it. You just have to chop, mix, strain and drink.
Ingredients
- 1 large lemon or 2 small lemons, peeled and chopped
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 small pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 4 cups of water
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave nectar.
Preparation
- Prepare a large bowl or pitcher with a fine mesh strainer on top.
- Blend the lemon, carrot and ginger with the chopped water.
- Blend on high for 1 minute or until mixture is completely liquefied.
- Pour the mixture through the fine strainer, pressing the pulp into the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Transfer the strained liquid back to the blender.
- Add the maple syrup or agave nectar of your choice and mix on high for 20 seconds.
- Check if the soda is comfortable, and add more syrup or nectar if necessary.
- Serve over ice or store in the refrigerator to cool completely.
References
- The First Mess. 7 Refreshing Drinks for When It’s Too Hot to Move. For Greatist. [Revised August 2016]
