Blackberry Ginger Ale

Welcome summer!I say that because, today felt like the 'real' summer after last week's cold showers and the temperature dropping in the 50's!! Well this week is going to be good according to the weather pundits and I'm really looking forward to the sun's gleaming rays warming up the outdoors!I'm so looking forward to the schools closing next week, and all of us enjoying some outdoorsy time!I love sitting out in my backyard watching the kids play while enjoying a cool refreshing drink like the one I've got for you today!

Its a mocktail bursting with flavors from the Blackberries, Mint and Basil!The longer the herbs sit in there, the stronger their flavors develop and so does their aroma.Super easy and extremely delicious, this drink will cool you off and make you yearn for more~

Blackberry Ginger Ale
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Ingredients:Serves 1
Ice cubes
Blackberries-4
Mint-few leaves
Basil-few leaves
Ginger Ale-8-10 oz

Process:

Muddle the blackberries, mint and basil in a mixing tin/jar.Transfer it into a serving glass and top up with Ginger Ale!Enjoy!

Carrot, Celery and Apple Juice

Today I'm going to share with you my hubby's recipe of a juice drink. As much as I like to cook, he is also very adept at his kitchen skills and churns out pretty good stuff from time to time :)

That comes in handy especially when I'm too tired to cook :).We got our juicer after watching the documentary 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' about two months back and have been juicing away ever since enjoying the fresh, pure fruit and vegetable juices to our heart's content :)

Hubby has been quite busy experimenting with different combinations of fruits and veggies.All the combos have been absolutely delicious to say the least.The fresh vibrant colors and flavors just combine beautifully to make gorgeous drinks and the fact that its homemade and healthy just makes you feel so good :)

The addition of celery makes all the difference in this juice and not being a big celery lover myself, I was surprised by the amount of flavor it adds to it.The carrots bring the earthy sweetness, almost creamy texture and the apples just bring their great flavor.Have it right after you've juiced it to get all the nutrients and the fresh taste.It lacks the same if you've left it for too long in the refrigerator.

Carrot, Celery and Apple Juice
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Ingredients:

Large Carrots-3 cut in half
Celery stalk-1large
Apple (any)-1

Process:

Wash the ingredients and juice them in your juicer, stir to mix.Pour into glasses and serve immediately!

Salty Lassi ~ Beat the Heat #SundaySupper

In the scorching heat reminiscent of an Indian Summer, one drink that promises to bring relief is a good old lassi. Lassi is a yoghurt drink mixed with either milk or water along with spices, sometimes fruits, sugar or salt. But growing up I’ve had more Salty Lassi than the sweet ones mainly because I didn’t have much of a sweet tooth back then! Now its a different story because now, I have a sweet tooth like no other J Salty Lassi is relatively unknown outside India unlike its cousin, the Sweet Lassi or the ubiquitous Mango Lassi! In my opinion, all versions are equally delicious though! So when my friend Jen from Junaita's Cocina suggested ‘Beat the heat’ as the theme for this #SundaySupper, I knew it had to be Salty Lassi for me J

Salty Lassi has a cooling effect on your body with unique digestive and health benefits. It’s also a great alternative to the alcoholic beverages during the summer and you can flavor it with any spice you want. Traditionally Salty Lassi is flavored with roasted cumin seeds and mint, sometimes ginger.You could also add a little bit of sugar.

The roasted nutty cumin adds a smoky flavor to the lassi.The mint is a perfect garnish to contrast the color and imparts a clean, crisp, minty flavor! Cool, delicious and spicy! Perfect to ‘beat the heat’~

Salty Lassi-Makes 2-3 servings

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Ingredients:

Plain Yoghurt (any)-1 cup

Water-2 ¼ cup

Roasted and ground Cumin-1 tsp

Salt-1 tsp or to taste

Mint-to garnish

Process:

Cumin-Dry roast some cumin seeds in a pan on medium heat until its golden brown and releases a nice aroma.Allow it to cool and then just crush using a pestle and mortar.

Blend all the ingredients except the Mint until smooth. Pour into servings glasses and garnish with mint. Serve chilled!

See what my friends are serving this #SundaySupper to "beat the heat"!
Scroll down for the fab menu J


#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