Strawberry Lemonade

For the past couple weeks, the weather has been a bit unpredictable in the East coast. Sometimes, it gets crazy hot and super sunny which has you thirsty throughout the day. After debating whether to use the strawberries (that I had lying in my refrigerator for a while) in desserts or not, my mind kept leaning towards beverage of some sort. Mostly, I make fruit smoothie with berries and banana but wanted to keep it simple yet refreshing for a hot sunny day. So, here's a strawberry lemonade recipe to add to your list of summer drinks...

Ingredients:

1 cup strawberry pureé
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (adjust to taste)
4 - 4 1/2 tbsp raw sugar (adjust to taste)
3 1/2 cups chilled water

Method:

Prepare a pureé of the strawberries and strain it to filter the seeds from the pureé.

Squeeze some fresh lemon juice and add it to the strawberry pureé along with sugar and mix well.

Add the chilled water and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Store the prepared strawberry lemonade in the refrigerator and serve cold. Enjoy!!  

For a variation, you can add lemon lime soda for a frizzy strawberry lemonade.

Makes 4 1/2 cups.

Homemade Almond Milk

Almond milk is a popular substitute for dairy milk that has two simple ingredients - almonds and water. It is free of soy, cholesterol and lactose. After being used to buying almond milk from stores, I decided to make it at home (more so, out of desperation, as it is not commonly available in India). Almond milk can be prepared in plain, vanilla or chocolate flavors. I prefer the original unsweetened version as it works best in any recipe as well as in my daily cup of masala chai. The almond milk can be prepared in thick/creamy or slightly thinner consistency to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds, with skin (preferably soaked overnight or at least for 8-10 hours)

3-4 cups filtered water 

Pinch of salt, optional

Sweetener of choice (maple syrup/agave nectar/date syrup), optional

Flavoring of choice (cocoa powder/vanilla extract), optional

Method:

Soak the almonds in water overnight.  Drain the water from the almonds.

In a blender, add the soaked almonds, 2 cups of water, pinch of salt, sweetener and flavoring. Blend it for 1-2 minutes until it turns into a smooth paste. 

Add the remaining 2 cups of water and blend for another 2-3 minutes till it turns frothy (if you don’t have a big blender like me, you can grind them in 2 batches with half the quantity of nuts and water in each batch).

Place a thick layer of cheesecloth over a big bowl and pour the almond milk through the cheesecloth and strain it. Squeeze the cheesecloth to get all the liquid out (you don’t want to waste any of the milk, do you??).

Enjoy nutritious homemade almond milk with your favorite cereal or a cup of tea/coffee or in baking too. Don’t discard the almond meal inside the cheesecloth. Dry out the almond meal (air dry or stick it in the oven on low temp) and use it in baking, or in soups/gravies as a thickener.

Store the almond milk in the refrigerator and use within 3-4 days.

Note: For thicker milk, use 3 cups water and for lighter milk, use 4 cups water. I used 4 cups of water to make almond milk as I prefer a thinner consistency but 3 ½ cups would be a desirable consistency.

Makes 4 cups.

Avocado Shake

Avocados taste great raw, the most common variety being Hass. Avocados are mostly used in savory dishes but little did I know that in Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam, they are widely used in dessert drinks. The avocado shake made in Vietnam (known as Sinh to Bo) uses condensed milk along with the sugary goodness. I decided to make a lighter version using soy milk. One more sweet treat for your taste buds...

Ingredients:

1 large ripe avocado
1 cup soy milk or almond milk
Few ice cubes
1-2 tbsp agave nectar or honey (adjust to taste)
2-3 tbsp sliced almonds, chopped (optional)

Method:

In a blender, scoop the avocado flesh. Add soy milk, ice cubes and agave nectar and blend until smooth. Add more soy milk if you want a thinner consistency and adjust the sweetness to suit your taste (I used 1 tbsp agave nectar as I like mine less sweet). You can also drizzle some chocolate syrup on top or blend along with your shake. Garnish with chopped almonds and serve cold.

Makes 2 servings.

Mango Lassi

Lassi is one of the most popular Punjabi yogurt-based drink. The traditional lassi is made using yogurt, milk and indian spices. There are several variations like sweet lassi, salted lassi and mango lassi. It is also one of the easiest drinks to make.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup canned mango pulp
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp honey or 3-4 tbsp sugar (adjust sweetness according to your taste)
1/4 cup ice
1/4 cup mango, diced (optional)
Few saffron strands (optional)

Method:

Add mango pulp, nonfat yogurt, milk, sugar and ice into a blender and puree until the ice is crushed.  Now, mix the diced mangoes with the lassi and pour into individual glasses. Garnish with few strands of saffron and serve cold.

Makes 4 servings.