Ok, it's hot. I caved. I put the air conditioner on. I had been thinking that I would make it through the summer without it, but it's finally hot. Even my father turned his air conditioner on and he's 90, lived through the Great Depression and thinks air conditioning should be reserved for only special occasions.
Cooling things to eat and drink seem to be a good idea when it gets this hot. People start thinking mint tea and the quintessential summer fruit - watermelon. These are really helpful for beating the heat and you may want to try my favorite watermelon cooler.
Watermelon is power packed with natural antioxidants. It is a great source of vitamin C, A, beta-carotene and lycopene and also contains vitamin B6, B1, magnesium, and potassium. It is sweet, but because of its high water content does not have a lot of calories for its weight. In Chinese medicine watermelon clears heat, nourishes yin and relieves mental depression – just try to be grumpy when you’re eating watermelon! Mint and lime complement the watermelon by also clearing heat and moving qi. Mix up a batch of this and watch any irritability clear out quickly !
Ingredients:
About 6-8 cups seeded, cubed watermelon
6 cups water (You can adjust this depending upon how thick you want your cooler)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (you can use less here if you want it less tart)
Several springs of mint
Directions:
Process watermelon, mint and lime juice until smooth adding as much water as your blender or food processor can hold. Add more water after processing, stir and chill. You can garnish with additional mint or lime slices if you want. You can add vodka or light rum if you want, but remember that alcohol warms things up a bit - you may have to add ice. :)
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