It’s Summer! The temperature is at its peak and in places like my hometown Kerala, the heat is unbearable. I was on vacation a few months ago and although it was way cooler, I struggled to survive. The drastic climate change in the recent years, recurring heat waves, lack of rains, sun burns, etc. take a toll on you and the foremost thing you need to keep yourself healthy is to stay hydrated. How better can it be than this wonderful granita recipe to cope up the heat, the perfect summer refreshment!!!

So, let’s talk about Granita!!

Granita is a semi frozen dessert made from fruit puree, sugar and other flavoring agents. The consistency is similar to shaved ice but with a coarse crystalline texture. Sorbet comes pretty close to a granita in terms of taste, but has a texture which is creamy and is made by a different freezing and churning process.

So how do you make a granita? The recipe is super simple with only three ingredients:

• A fruit puree – which acts the base. Use any fruits like watermelon, berry, mango, orange, cantaloupe, peaches… the options are endless.
• Sugar – you may add granulated sugar or honey for sweetness, although it is completely optional.
• Flavoring agents – like lime juice, lime zest, herbs, or even a dash of alcohol for that extra zing.

Blend all the ingredients together and freeze. The key to transform this frozen puree into a granita is the step which comes next; 3 to 4 rounds of scraping, shaving, and freezing until its turns into a crystalline granular texture.

Serve granita as-is by scraping it into your serving/dessert glasses, or top with whipped cream to make it extra fancy.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking…!

Interested in more Watermelon recipes? Check out this refreshing cooler Watermelon Cucumber Agua Fresca 

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Watermelon Lime Granita

A Light n Refreshing Watermelon Lime Granita… just three ingredients
and you have a Perfect Summer Dessert to keep you Cool…!!!

Course Dessert, Drinks

Cuisine Italian

Keyword granita, watermelon lime granita

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Freeze time 5 hours hours

Servings 5

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 4-5 cups of watermelon (cubed)
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup water
• Grated lime zest from 1 lime
• Mint leaves (to garnish)

Instructions

• Puree watermelon along with lime juice and then strain to remove the seeds. Pour the strained puree into a 9*13 inch baking pan or any freezer safe container.
• In a separate pan, combine sugar with water and lime zest. Stir on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool.
• Pour the cooled lime syrup into the watermelon puree, and stir to mix it well.
• Freeze for 30 minutes (uncovered). Once it starts to set along the edges, scrape using a fork to break the ice into tiny crystals, and freeze again. Repeat this process at 30-minute intervals for the next 3-5 hrs or until it has formed a shaved ice consistency.
• Keep it frozen until ready to serve. Serve by scraping into the serving glass and top with mint leaves.

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Hey Hellooo… It’s Spring already and I’m all set to welcome the Summer party anytime now! My cocktail glasses are out, spirits lined up, and there you go… Hands down to one of my favorite cocktail drinks; an Orange Lime Crush – Citrusy, Boozy, n Fizzy! I bet for the extreme heat now back home in Kerala(my hometown), this drink would be a best-seller!!

I personally prefer freshly squeezed orange juice over store bought ones, but either ways work for this drink. Although my recipe calls for a spoonful of sugar, you might want to check the sweetness before adding any, especially when using store bought juices as they tend to be sweet already.

If you are not big into cocktails, then do check out my Refreshing Orange Mint Mocktail for which I have received rave reviews and is an all-time favorite!

Cheers!!!!

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Orange Crush

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword cocktails, orange crush

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 2 oz vodka
• 3 oz orange juice (pref. freshly squeezed)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 oz triple sec / orange liqueur
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Ice cubes
• Club soda / carbonated water

Instructions

• Add vodka, triple sec, lime juice, orange juice, and sugar to a cocktail shaker and shake to mix well.
• Into a glass filled with ice cubes, pour the mix and top-up with club soda.
• Garnish with orange slices, Enjoy!

Notes

1. Try out this recipe with a berry flavored club soda to top up, an excellent variant which I love.

The post Orange Crush appeared first on Pepper Delight.

I just can’t believe that summer is almost over! The summertime produces in stores will soon get replaced with that of Fall. Pumpkins, apples, & figs would start popping up every nook and corner… Well, in a way that is the beauty of every season. Time flies fast and somehow I feel that I have not had enough of this summer yet, loving this weather so much.

So, before fall arrives let me share one of my favorite drinks which uses a summer fruit as its main ingredient… Peach! The end of August is perhaps the best season for Peaches, they are so ripe, juicy and the aroma makes you want to scream for peach inspired desserts and drinks. Well, then how about a margarita with peach? Yeeppp, that’s a winner!

I’ve always loved a classic margarita, but this peach version takes it to the next level. It’s fruity flavours along with a hint of lime is so refreshing and perfect to beat the summer heat. All you need to do for this recipe is to puree fresh peaches and mix with tequila and triple sec. That’s it & You’re done – in less than 10 minutes!

This drink has a slightly thick consistency quite similar to that of a frozen margarita, but if you want it to be perfectly smooth, then strain the peach juice after pureeing.

Cheers!!!!

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Peach Margarita

Fruity, Sweet and Refreshing… Peach Margarita. A Perfect Companion to Beat the Heat and enjoy the rest of your Summer!!!

Course Drinks

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword cocktails, margarita, peach

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 2 peaches
• 2 oz tequila
• 2 oz triple sec
• 3-4 tsp sugar
• Juice of half a lime
• Ice cubes
• Sea salt (optional, to rim the glass)
• Peach slice and lime wedge (for garnish)

Instructions

• Peal, slice and pit the peaches, and then puree in a blender with sugar and lime juice. You can add sugar according to your sweetness.
• Rub a lime wedge around the rim of each glass and dip in the salt. Set aside while you prepare the drink.
• Combine the peach puree with tequila and triple sec, stir to combine.
• Add ice cubes into the prepared glasses and pour the drink. Garnish with peach slices and lime wedges.
• Enjoy, Cheers!

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Although Summer is starting officially in a few weeks, the heat has already kicked in here at St. Louis and its time for something cooling & refreshing.

Here is my summery take to the classic Moscow Mule, combining fresh raspberries with its core ingredients, making it a truly delightful cocktail. It’s refreshing, colorful, fruity n crisp.

Moscow mule is perhaps the easiest cocktail to make, because it has got only 3 core ingredients – Vodka, Ginger Beer and Lime. The lime keeps you refreshed on any hot day, while the ginger beer keeps your equally warm and cozy during the winters. So, to me it’s a drink favored throughout the year. This cocktail is usually served in a copper mug which keeps it chilled and fresh, but regular cocktail glasses would do as well.

Cheers!!!!

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Raspberry Moscow Mule

A Toast to this Summer with a Twist to a Classic Cocktail… This Refreshing Raspberry Moscow Mule is definitely going to be your Favorite Drink of the Season…!!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword cocktail, drinks, moscow mule

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 10 -12 raspberries
• 2 oz vodka
• 6 oz ginger beer
• ½ lime squeezed
• Ice cubes
• Mint leaves (garnish)
• Lime wedges (garnish)

Instructions

• Muddle the raspberries and strain into a cocktail shaker.
• Add lime juice and vodka, shake the shaker well to mix all the ingredients.
• Into a copper mug filled with ice cubes, pour the contents of the shaker and top with ginger beer.
• Garnish with mint leaves, a lime wedge, and fresh raspberries (optional).

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It’s Hot…really hot in St. Louis. Summer is at its peak, rocking the 100s! Every now and then you hear about heat advisories n heat waves in the news. At this temperature if you plan to do a barbeque or an outdoor summer party, you might want to really think about a good refreshment, something which both kids and adults enjoy equally! And if it’s made with berries, I’m sure it’s going to be a winner…

I love to make fresh fruit drinks, especially with berries. The bright colors are so eye catching and appeasing that you know something way cool is coming up! During my early school days in India, the only colorful drinks we had were either soft drinks or squash, both made artificially. Our go-to refreshments were Coconut Water, Lime Soda, and Kulukki Sherbet. Coconut being abundant in my home town, we had no dearth of coconut water which is an evergreen and the healthiest drink of them all. After drinking all the water from the coconut, we used to hand it back to the seller and have him cut it open to then savor the ooey gooey tender flesh. In fact, he used to make a natural spoon out of the husk for us to eat it without dirtying our hands!

Lime soda was preferred more during the summers; lime squeezed into a chilled soda with some salt and sugar. There is no natural energy booster better than a fresh lime soda; one drink and you are all pumped up to get onto your next task of the day.

Talking about Kulukki Sherbet, that was a drink found only in certain towns during those days but now has gained a lot of ground. Kulukki means ‘shaken’ in Malayalam, and the drink was named so after how it was made. It’s a mix of lime juice, sugar syrup, soda, basil seeds, and a few other spices, all shaken vigorously until well mixed and frothy… n that was my Favorite! I remember those days when my brother used to take me to the beach in the evenings and on our way back home we used to stop at the juice stalls in awe to see the art of making these sherbets. The stalls were so crowded in the evenings with people back from a tired sunny day’s work, all looking for some refreshments. The server used to shake the sherbet for minutes and I used to wonder how they kept on doing it all day without feeling tired? But every drop of that drink was worth their effort…!

Anyways let’s get back to my drink of the day… have you tried making ginger syrup? This was the first time I tried one and it was simple, it’s just sugar syrup with ginger infused. So here I have for you today, a light fruit drink with blackberries and YES, it’s non-alcoholic. To prepare this drink, simply muddle blackberries with lemon and mint leaves, stir in the ginger syrup and top with soda. It’s Light, Refreshing and soo Delicious, Cheers!

Enjoy…!

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Blackberry Lemon Ginger Cooler

Cool off this summer with a Blackberry n Lemon infused Cooler in a Ginger Syrup… Flavorful, Refreshing & Light, Perfect to keep the heat at bay…!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword blackberry drink, summer drink

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Akhila

Ingredients

For making ginger syrup

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 inch ginger (peeled and thinly sliced)

For making Blackberry Ginger Cooler

• 10-12 blackberries
• 8-10 fresh mint leaves (plus for garnish)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup ginger syrup
• Ice cubes
• ½ cup water
• Club soda/carbonated water

Instructions

• To make the ginger syrup, combine water, ginger and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring it to boil. Allow it to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and keep the syrup aside to cool.
• Muddle blackberries with mint leaves until properly mashed together. Add the ginger syrup to the mix and squeeze the juice of a lemon, stir well. Strain and pour to the serving glasses with ice cubes.
• Top with club soda. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and blackberries.

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So we are finally home from our vacation at Orlando and I’m back to my world of blogging; pumped up and excited! The last week of January, up all the way till Valentine’s Day is usually the busiest time of my year, in fact the most memorable ones too. It starts with my Blog Anniversary, followed by our Wedding Anniversary, which includes our Annual Vacation trip, and then Valentine’s Day; Aaaaaahh…!! So much of activity & happening in a short period, right from the preparations, blog posts, travel planning, packing, travelling, blogging, and so on. This year I had a wonderful time at Orlando; visiting Universal Studios, Disney, parks, beaches, exploring new restaurants and cuisines.

Coming back to my drink of the day, have you ever considered using vegetables in your smoothies? My first attempt of making a Green Smoothie  with spinach was a huge success, I’ve prepared it many times since then and my husband loves it. For my next recipe I just wasn’t convinced with the vegetables I had planned for, and that’s when I accidently stumbled upon beetroot. Though I use beetroot a lot in my kitchen for savoury dishes (check out my Hummus and Pachadi) I have never used it raw in any dish. I was a bit apprehensive initially but the raw beetroot perfectly balanced the sweetness of the apple and pomegranate, and the end result just cleared all my doubts, I must say this is one healthy smoothie you would definitely enjoy.

Now why do I call this a Power Smoothie? Well, it’s because this drink mainly focuses on the purification of your liver which is the power house of your body. A healthy liver diet is vital to eliminates harmful chemicals and toxins from your body, fight diseases, and supply essential nutrients to your body. For a healthy liver, eat the right foods which are fibrous, high in antioxidants & vitamins. To mention a few highlights of the fruit-n-veggie mix of ingredients of this power packed drink:

• Beetroot: Having the highest sugar content of all vegetables, they boost liver function, purifies blood and liver. They are high in antioxidants, with anticancer properties and also work great for pregnant ladies.
• Apple: With their anti-carcinogenic properties, apples are high in pectin which is the soluble fiber, helps to removes toxins and cholesterol from blood.
• Pomegranate: fibrous, high in antioxidants, and vitamins B, E, & C. The bright red color of beet and pomegranate gives your immune system a healthy dose of antioxidants.

Adding vegetables to your smoothies is another great way of open your palate to raw vegetables. Enjoy…!

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Beetroot Power Smoothie

Brighten your day with this Vibrant Colored, Power Packed Smoothie made with Apple, Beetroot and Pomegranate… Healthy and Tasty…!!!

Course Breakfast, Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword beetroot smoothie, post workout smoothie, smoothie

Prep Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 7 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 small beetroot (peeled and cut into small chunks, or grated)
• 1 apple
• 1 pomegranate
• 1½ cup water

Instructions

• Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Notes

A raw beetroot doesn’t blend that easily, unless you are using a powerful high speed blender in which case cut it into small pieces first before blending. Otherwise, grate it and then blend with the fruits.

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This Spanish drink; Spiced Red Sangria is a very popular alcoholic beverage in the US & Europe, and is widely gaining its attention elsewhere too. It’s a perfect drink to sip on your Christmas Eve or toast at your New Year Party, the aromatic flavors blend well with the holiday mood.

So how are your Christmas plans coming up? Damn, this year’s winter is pretty cold and I seem to be spending most of my holidays roaming around in heavy coats. I will surely need something to spice and warm things up and I bet I have the right refreshment in hand!

For those who love to try dry red wine but prefer something sweeter and fruity without giving away the kick, Sangria is the answer. It stands right in the midst ticking all your preferences but at the same being crisp, smooth and fresh like a fruit drink. This Red Sangria an evergreen all-season beverage, refreshing & smooth.

Traditional sangria is made of dry red wine, fruits, fruit juices, sugar, and an alcohol, preferably brandy or rum. The ones made with White wine are called Sangria Blanca. A Sangria gives you a wide range of options to customize your drink, to suit your occasion or color theme by varying the fruits and juices incorporated. Even the Rum or Brandy used can be varied to suit your palate. And just set the drink overnight for the fruits and spices to infuse, and the resulting beverage you get the next morning is a whole new experience.

So here I am, signing off my Christmas recipes for this year with a Traditional Red Sangria indulged a spicy touch of cinnamon and star anise.

Interested in more Christmas recipes? Check these out;

• Christmas Fruit Cake / Kerala Plum Cake (Alcoholic)
• Christmas Fruit Cake (Non-Alcoholic)
• Gingerbread Cookies
• Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Enjoy, Merry Christmas!!!

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Spiced Traditional Red Sangria

Crisp & Refreshing, Fruity rich with Apples n Oranges, Spiced with Cinnamon n Star Anise, Boozed in a splash of Rum… A Traditional Delight to celebrate your Winter Holidays… Spiced Red Sangria…!!

Course Drinks

Cuisine Spanish

Keyword christmas, sangria, wine

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Resting time 1 day day

Total Time 1 day day 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Akhila

Ingredients

• 1 bottle (750 ml dry red wine)
• 1 cup orange juice
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup rum / brandy
• 2 apples (sliced thinly)
• 1 orange (sliced thinly with rind on)
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 1 star anise

Instructions

• In a large pitcher, add red wine, orange juice, rum, orange slices, apple slices, cinnamon, star anise and sugar. Stir with a spoon to mix the sugar.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight for the fruits to infuse its flavor.
• Serve chilled.

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