DIY Horchata Pops

I've had this post completely ready to go, pictures taken, recipe finished for almost a solid month now and literally have not had 10 minutes to actually read it over and click publish. I'm learning the meaning of time management more than ever before. I'm learning how to exist on 6 hours or less of sleep, and by the time the weekend comes all I want to do is sit on my couch with Pumpkin and watch New Girl! So I'm blaming my lateness on this Indian Summer we are having because it's nearly October and it's still in the high 70s most days here. I think I'm the only one ready to bust out those sweaters and the le creuset! 

Before we moved to Chicago, the Calabasas Farmer's Market became a Saturday morning tradition. Few places in life are better than a farmer's market towards the end of summer. Cherry tomatoes sweet as candy, peaches so juicy you almost need a bib to eat them, and dirt cheap zucchini and summer squash are our stables all summer long. And don't even get me started on how much better eggs from pasture raised chickens are. No hesitation on forking over $6 for a dozen. So earlier this summer we spotted a homemade popsicle truck with the most interesting flavors at the farmer's market. One lick after trying the horchata flavor and I was hooked. 

Believe it or not this was my first time making popsicles (I've always been more of an ice cream person!). A popsicle mold is one of those silly kitchen gadgets I insisted on keeping but never actually used. So homemade horchata pops! They are the easiest way to savor horchata in all it's cinnamon-y goodness! Enjoy. 

DIY Horchata Popsicles 
Makes about 12 small popsicles 

one batch homemade horchata 
1 teaspoon cocoa powder (optional)* 
cinnamon, for dusting 

Pour horchata into popsicle molds and place towards the back of the freezer. After 15-20 minutes remove from the freezer, stir, then return to the freezer. After about 30-35 minutes, once partially frozen, add popsicle sticks, return to the freezer for at least 6 hours. 

To remove, run the base of the popsicle molds under warm water to loosen. Dust the popsicles with cinnamon and enjoy! 

*I actually like these better without the cocoa powder, but feel free to experiment with adding some to half or 1/4 of the popsicles. 

Cucumber Mint Lemonade

Few things in life feel more appropriate for summer than this lemonade. It is crisp, cool, and insanely refreshing without being overly sweet. The mint adds subtle sophistication, and the fresh cucumber juice is packed with cooling health benefits perfect for hot days. We are just obsessed. 

Cucumber Mint Lemonade
Makes about 8 cups 

2 cups fresh lemon juice ~ 18-20 lemons worth
large bunch fresh mint ~ 1 oz  
2-3 large cucumbers, peeled + chopped ~ 2 pounds
3/4 cups sweetener of choice, or more
4 cups water 

Combine mint, cucumbers, sweetener and 3/4 cup of water in a blender. If it doesn't fit, feel free to do it in two batches. Blend on high until completely pureed. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. You can use a spatula to help it through. Discard the solids. Mix the cucumber juice mixture with the lemon juice and add remaining 3 1/4 cups water. It's not a very sweet lemonade, but feel free to adjust to taste adding extra water or sugar. Keeps fresh for about 2 days. 

Notes:

• Though totally not a problem, if you don't peel the cucumbers completely the lemonade will be slightly green in color. 
• Feel free to play with the amount of mint. I've made this lemonade with a small handful of mint leaves, a giant bunch (1.5 oz) and a medium bunch (.75 oz). I think the strong minty flavor is super refreshing and love the giant bunch, but for something subtler go for less. 
• What about a juicer? I wanted this recipe to be accessible to non-juicer owners so I experimented first with the blender/sieve technique then the juicer. Both work, and I could be crazy, though I found the blender method actually produced better minty flavor.
• I've tried this lemonade with coconut sugar, cane sugar, and agave. All work great. 

Watermelon Cucumber Coolers

I fell in love with the science of Ayurveda, the sister science to yoga, a couple years ago after reading Vasad Lad's Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies, then Eat, Taste, Heal which applies ayurvedic principles solely to nutrition. What I love most about Ayurveda is that it approaches health from a completely holistic perspective. It acknowledges that every body is different. What is good for one, may not be good for another, and knowing your own body's unique constitution and eating food which supports it creates optimal health. 

There are three doshic types, Pitta, Kapha, and Vata. In Ayurveda, Summer is Pitta season. And for people with pitta as their primary dosha, summers can be particularly difficult. My husband is the perfect pitta-stereotype: driven, hard-working, hot-headed, and completely intolerant of heat. I swear it could be snowing and he'd still be sweating. This translates to rough summers, with a serious need for heat management. Enter, watermelon cucumber coolers. 

According to Ayurveda, cucumber and watermelon are some of the most cooling, pitta-pacifying foods out there. So we juice them, and drink them over ice, when hot valley summers feel too much to bear. I recently added coconut water, another shockingly cooling beverage, and the result is summer-perfection. Refreshing, cooling, hydrating and pitta-pacifying. 

Watermelon Cucumber Coolers 
makes about 8 cups 

3.5 pound small watermelon 
2.5 pounds cucumbers ~ 3 large 
1 cup coconut water 

Juice watermelon and cucumbers. You will have to do this in batches and they both produce a lot of liquid. Transfer the juice to a large pitcher and stir in coconut water. Adjust to taste - for a sweeter beverage add more watermelon. 

Alternatively, if you don't have a juicer, you could blend the watermelon and cucumbers until smooth, then pour through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. 

Best if consumed within 24 hours.