Slightly Sweet & Totally Refreshing Lemon Cucumber Ice Cubes with Lemon Basil

Just like Greg and I have been getting a ton of zucchini from our garden, we have also been getting tons of cucumber! I have been making cucumber salads galore and even juicing cucumbers for a healthy detox drink. The other day I came across these Lemon Cucumber Spa Pops on Family Fresh Cooking. I don't have any popsicle molds (but I think I really need some), so I decided to make ice cubes instead. They are very refreshing! I just added 2 - 3 ice cubes to an eight ounce glass of water and it tasted perfect. On the Fourth of July, we took some friends out on the boat, and we took the ice cubes with us and drank refreshing beverages out on the Chesapeake Bay. I added lemon basil to the ice cubes because it is also growing in our garden, and I am not exactly sure what to do with it. If you don't have any, you can use regular basil.  Enjoy & be refreshed!

Recipe for Slightly Sweet & Totally Refreshing Lemon Cucumber Ice Cubes with Lemon Basil

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup of cold water
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)
2 - 3 Tbsp. of pure maple syrup
1 small cucumber, peeled
6 lemon basil leaves (or regular basil leaves), torn in small pieces

DIRECTIONS:
Peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler to get thin pieces from the harder part of the cucumber (don't use the soft and seedy part). Cut the thin pieces in half or in thirds to get small pieces to put into the cubes. Put the cold water, lemon juice, and maple syrup into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup and stir well. Pour into an ice cube tray (or trays) and fill each one about halfway full. Drop the pieces of the cucumber and lemon basil into each one. Fill up with the rest of the lemon mixture. Put into the freezer for a couple hours. Drop desired amount of lemon cucumber ice cubes into a glass of water for a slightly sweet and totally refreshing beverage!

Recipe Adapted from: Family Fresh Cooking

Have you  ever used lemon basil in a main dish? What did you put it in? I am looking for ideas! 

Mango Lassi with Coconut

Do you know what a mango lassi is? I might have never known what it was, if I had not been introduced to Indian food. Some close friends and I used to get together at Akbar, a great Indian restaurant in Columbia, MD. Whenever I visit the restaurant, I order a mango lassi with my meal. They are so good!
Traditionally, a lassi beverage is yogurt-based and mixed in with water and spices. A mango lassi is a yogurt-based drink with mango (of course). I have tried a couple times to recreate the mango lassi in my kitchen with not so great results. Not until today that is....

Greg has been out working on our deck since morning, and hopefully he has accomplished something. My point is, he has been outside and I have been in the kitchen, so I have had the chance to make a lot of different recipes. Today I made the batter for coconut macaroons, some tomatillo salsa, some cilantro-peanut sauce, AND a mango-coconut lassi. The lassi was amazing. I added a tablespoon of condensed milk and a tablespoon of coconut to it, and it made the flavor extra tasty (I was making the lassi simultaneously with the coconut macaroon batter). 

I love the thickness and sweetness of the lassi. I almost feel like I'm in a tropical paradise while sipping on it. Almost...

I hope you will also fall in love with the lassi. Enjoy! 

Recipe for Mango Lassi with Coconut 

INGREDIENTS:

3 ripe mangos, chopped

1 1/4 cups of milk

1/3 cup of granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. of condensed milk (if you don't have this on hand, add an extra Tbsp. of sugar)

1 Tbsp. of sweetened shredded flaked coconut

1/2 cup of Greek yogurt

Crushed or Cubed Ice

DIRECTIONS:

Put all ingredients EXCEPT for the ice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Place the blender in the fridge for 30 minutes. If desired, pour over ice when ready to sip.

***Original Recipe***

NOTE: When you are ready to drink the mango lassi, you might want to put it back on the blender and mix for a few seconds. This drink is best when it is sipped with a straw - even better when sipped with a bright and colorful straw.