Mango Mint Shake - Get Summer Started!

 


I love summertime! In my neck of the woods summer stays for a couple of months before the season fades to winter again.

No matter, every moment is enjoyed - and with this drink, you'll be sure to savor all of that summertime flavor.

I enjoy nothing more than relaxing in my yard after a good day's efforts and sipping on a drink that not only cools me, but I know is good for me.

Fruit smoothies you buy at the stores or fast food places can't touch a home made concoction! Those other drinks? Not much but sugar in all of its various forms.

Instead of spending too much money on that stuff, why not try this......

Mango Mint Shake

2 cups fresh mango chunks
1½ cup chilled almond milk
12-15 fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons honey, or according to taste (this recipe originally called for sugar, but I have adapted it).

Blend together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Serve in tall glasses, and garnish with mint leaves.

Thanks to Induget'sCooking for the recipe!.

Lemon Dream Bars

Lemon Dream Bars
Makes 6 bars

Crust:
1 cup raw pecans
2 pitted and chopped dates
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 - 2 teaspoons of honey
Pinch of sea salt

Filling:
1 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup coconut oil softened at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 1/2 - 4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon honey
Pinch of sea salt
Zest from rind of one small lemon

1. Place the pecans and cashews in separate bowls and fill each of them with water. Let the nuts soak for 2 hours.
2. For the crust, drain and rinse the pecans and place them in a food processor with the salt and dates. Blend the nuts until finely chopped. 
3. Add the lemon juice and honey to the food processor. Blend until the nuts are a dough-like consistency. Taste and add more honey or a little olive oil to make sure the nuts stick together.
4. Fill a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Use 2 liners for each compartment, which will provide added strength.
5. Gently press a portion of the nut crust into the bottom of each cupcake liner in the muffin tin. Use a spoon to flatten the nuts together. Place the muffin tin in the freezer for about 30 minutes to let the small crusts firm up.
6. When the crusts have been in the freezer for about 30 minutes, start making the filling.
7. To make the filling, wash your lemon. Grate or zest the outermost rind of the lemon.
8. Drain and rinse the cashews. Place the cashews in a high-speed blender. A Vitamix blender works best for this filling. 
9. Add the coconut oil, vanilla, honey, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water. Blend until the mixture has the consistency of thick melted ice cream. 
10. Taste the filling and add more lemon, honey, water, or vanilla to develop the flavor to your liking.
11. Take the muffin tin out of the freezer and pour a portion of the filling on top of each tiny crust. You may have some leftover filling that you can use as a topping on fresh fruit.
12. Place the muffin tin back in the freezer and let your lemon bars harden. This might take a couple of hours. You can leave them over night in the freezer and serve them the next day if you choose.
13. Before serving, take the muffin tin out of the freezer, remove each lemon bar (still wearing its cupcake liner), put them on a plate, and place them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to let your lemon bars soften a bit before eating.