Tag: icecubes


Jun
2013

Cucumbertini ___ To spike it or not!

categories: Drinks, Summer

Cucumbertini1

 This is the ultimate summer drink!

This is THE summer drink!!!

I swear… This is the best cooler posted on my blog till now..

So simple yet so refreshing..

If you are sipping on this in the midst of a scorching noon heat or in a humid summer evening, I swear you will forget all about the weather and swim in the serenity of this concoction! It’s got a knack to calm your soul. Believe me… It is THAAAT GOOD!

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Have it as it is or spike it with vodka to create a sophisticated cocktail.. Definitely a party-pleaser and ideal for girls’ night-in!

Both version will certainly make your Saturday evening stunning!

What are you waiting for??!! Mix it up & chillax! 🙂

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Cucumbertini

Yields: 2 large glasses

Ingredients:

  • 3 fresh petit English cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp Monin’s Cuaracao Triple Sec
  • Juice squeezed from 1 lemon
  • 1 Tbsp caster sugar (optional, I did not use)
  • 1/4 cup + 1 cup cold water
  • 6-8 ice-cubes, a couple more to add to the glasses

Directions:

  1. Take cucumber and celery in a blender. Pour 1/4 cup cold water and blend til it is pureed. Take a sieve and strain the puree.
  2. Pour strained liquid back to the blender. Add triple sec, lemon juice, caster sugar, 1 cup cold water, ice-cubes and blitz it. Pass the potion through a sieve again. Your cucumbertini is ready to be served on the rocks! Garnish with a lemon wedge.

*Spoon the foam out from the cucumbertini before pouring in glasses if you prefer a clear concoction.

This recipe is my entry for Event by Archana’s Kitchen – Summer Fiesta

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Jun
2013

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of Basil

categories: Breakfast, Drinks, Summer

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of basil1

A true breakfast smoothie which is wholesome on its own and will keep you full till lunch hour.

This summer, I am trying to bring you as many mango recipes as possible before we run out of them for another year. Of course, we can freeze its chunks or pulp but it won’t be as good as having them fresh in the heat of summer when they are in abundance. Gosh! It would be good to be able to have mangoes all year round, isn’t it?! Anyways… I definitely plan on freezing lots and lots of mangoes til I run out of place in my freezer. Today’s recipe calls for frozen chunks of mango. So you can dice mango in pieces at night and freeze them overnight to make this smoothie in the morning.

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of basil2

Mango and banana is a classic combo! You can’t go wrong with it. Juicy, succulent mango whipped with creamy bananas. Heaven!

I am going to use frozen chopped bananas as well. It helps me attain smooth, thick and luscious consistency. These have become a true staple in my house. I deliberately buy them only to chop them and toss them in airtight container to freeze away.

Added to this classic combo is spoonfuls of quick-cooking oats. Anyone who hates oats won’t even know you have put them in there! So great for those picky-eaters! (I mean kids, of course! Not me!!! 😛 )

The huge flavor kick comes from the basil leaves added to the smoothie. So it is must.. do not skip or it wont taste the same!

Another benefit of this smoothie is that it is sugar-free. Mangoes in my part of the world are super-sweet and bananas I used were overripe which means they were pretty sweet too which helped me in omitting the sugar completely. If you feel the mangoes you have got are not sweet enough, add spoonful of honey to your smoothie.

You can easily make this smoothie vegan by using coconut milk or soy milk. Personally, I think coconut milk would go really well with mango and banana.

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of basil3

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of Basil

Yields: 3 large or 4 small glasses

Ingredients:

  • Frozen chunks from 1 mango
  • Frozen chunks from 2 bananas
  • 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 4-5 basil leaves
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup cold water or a little more
  • 6-8 ice-cubes

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to the blender and blitz them into smooth mixture. Add more water if consistency is too thick for you. Garnish with fresh cherry and serve immediately.

*Add 2 Tbsp of honey if mango used is not sweet enough.

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