Recipes

Minted Lemon-Lime Watermelon Agua Fresca

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon grated lime rind
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 12 cups cubed seeded watermelon
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Combine 1 1/4 cups water and sugar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 30 seconds or until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently.
2. Remove from heat; stir in mint, lime rind, and lemon rind. Let stand 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl; discard solids.
3. Place one-third each of sugar syrup and watermelon in blender; process until smooth. Pour puree into a large pitcher. Repeat the procedure twice with remaining sugar syrup and watermelon. Stir in lime and lemon juice. Serve over ice, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir before serving.

Cooking Light

 

Cucumber Cooler

In a blender, puree 3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (6 cups), and 1/4 cup water. Pour through a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl, pressing on solids. In a pitcher mash 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves with back of a wooden spoon until bruised. Add cucumber juice, 1 lime, thinly sliced, 24 ounces club soda, and 2 tablespoons of agave nectar or honey; stir to combine. Server over ice topped with thinly sliced cucumber.

Everyday Food

RASBERRY-ORANGE MINT COOLER

Ingredients
1/4  cup  packed fresh mint leaves
1/4  cup  honey
2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
6  cups  pulp-free orange juice, chilled
1 1/2  cups  frozen raspberries, thawed
Ice cubes
Garnish: fresh raspberries
Preparation
Process mint leaves, honey, and lemon juice in a blender until mint leaves are finely chopped (about 30 seconds); pour into a pitcher. Add 2 cups orange juice and 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries to a blender, and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Pour raspberry mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into pitcher, discarding seeds. Stir in remaining 4 cups orange juice; serve over ice. Garnish, if desired.

Yield: Makes about 7 cups

Southern Living

ICED ORANGE-MINT TEA

To make iced tea for a crowd, begin with a strong infusion that can be watered down as needed. Prepare several hours in advance, and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

Ingredients:

12  Earl Grey tea bags

1/2  cup  packed fresh mint leaves
5  (3-inch) orange rind strips
5  trays ice cubes or 5 pounds crushed ice
Garnishes: fresh mint sprigs and extra orange rind strips

Preparation:

Place tea bags in a 2-quart heatproof glass pitcher. Squeeze mint leaves gently to release flavor, and add with orange strips to pitcher. Add about 2 quarts boiling water, and let cool to room temperature.

Strain tea infusion, discarding tea bags, mint leaves, and orange rind, and return to pitcher. Cover with a plate, and set in a cool dark spot (not the refrigerator) until ready to serve.

Fill 10 iced tea glasses halfway with ice, add tea infusion to level of ice, and fill with water. Garnish, if desired.

Cottage Living

HOT MINT-AND-LEMON DRINK

"Cooking Light" says this soothing herbal drink is thought to calm an upset stomach and reduce stress.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

INGREDIENTS:

1  lemon

1/4  cup  mint leaves

4  cups  boiling water

PREPARATION:

Carefully remove rind from lemon using a vegetable peeler, making sure not to get any of the white pithy part of the rind, and reserve lemon for another use. Place rind, mint leaves, and boiling water in a large bowl; cover and steep mixture 5 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and discard rind and mint. Serve immediately.

MINT LOVERS' TEA

"Cooking Light" suggests you prepare the ice cubes first and freeze them several hours until firm. Store them in the freezer until ready to use. For a flavor twist, you can use flavored mint, such as orange or peppermint, in both the tea and ice cubes.

Yield: 9 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

INGREDIENTS:

Mint Ice Cubes:

4  cups  boiling water
2  cups  fresh mint leaves, crushed

Tea:
5  cups  boiling water
2  tablespoons  loose gunpowder tea
1  cup  fresh mint leaves, minced
3  mint-herb tea bags
1/4  cup  lime juice
1/4  cup  honey
Mint sprigs (optional)

PREPARATION:

Ice Cubes:

Combine water and mint leaves in a medium bowl; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve; discard mint. Pour liquid evenly into 28 ice cube tray compartments; freeze until firm.

Tea:

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; cover and steep 10 minutes. Discard tea bags. Strain mixture through a fine sieve; discard mint and tea leaves. Stir lime juice and honey into tea.

Serve tea over Mint Ice Cubes. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

ICED MINT TEA

Ingredients
4  cups  water
1  cup  sugar
1/3  cup  lemon juice
2  family-size tea bags
1  cup  loosely packed fresh mint leaves
4  cups  cold water
Ice cubes

Preparation

Bring 4 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in 1 cup sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until sugar dissolves; remove from heat.
Stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice, tea bags, and mint leaves. Cover and let stand 1 hour.

Remove tea bags from water, squeezing gently; discard tea bags.

Pour tea mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a 2-qt. pitcher, discarding mint leaves.

Stir in 4 cups cold water.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Serve over ice.

Southern Living

FRESH LEMON-LIMEADE

1 cup sugar
2 cups water
4 lemons
4 limes
1 cup seltzer

Combine sugar and 1 cup water in small saucepan.
Bring to simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat.

With vegetable peeler, remove 6 strips peel from the 4 lemons.
Remove 6 strips peel from the 4 limes.
Squeeze lemons to get 3/4 cup juice; Squeeze limes to get 1/2 cup juice; reserve.
Add lemon and lime peels and 1 cup cold water to pan.
Transfer to a pitcher; chill 2 hours.
Slice 1 lemon and 1 lime.
Stir slices into pitcher along with lemon juice, lime juice and seltzer.
Serve in ice-filled glasses.

Source:  Good Housekeeping

RED BELL PEPPER AND TOMATO JUICE

1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, cored
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

Cut the tomato in half and squeeze out the seeds.

Place in a blender with the pepper.  Puree.

Strain and serve chilled.

Source:  "PEPPERS - A Cookbook" by Robert Berkley