Beat the Heat: Watermelon Slushies

Is your mouth watering yet?

I'm sure you're tired of hearing me and all the other bloggers talk about how darn hot it is - I know I certainly am tired of talking about it.  It's not going anywhere, so let's move on to a slightly cooler topic, shall we?  I thought I would talk about one of the ways that I like to stay cool and refeshed on a hot summer day.  Watermelon smoothies!

These are a perfect way to use up extra watermelon that you might have in your fridge.  And they're completely healthy to boot.  Watermelon is full of antioxidants and is about 92% water, so it will help keep you hydrated and flush out .  My recipe will fill 3 pint jars.

Watermelon Slushies

 Ingredients

• 5 cups watermelon (seedless or seeded, depending on your preference*)
• 10 ice cubes (optional if the watermelon is frozen ahead of time)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp honey (optional - personally, I don't like the taste of honey with watermelon)
• Sugar (to taste if the watermelon is not as ripe and sweet)
• Mint leaves for garnish
• Red sugar (if you want to sugar the rims of the glasses)

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Serve in your favorite glass with a sprig of mint and a garnish of leftover melon. 

*Did you know that watermelon seeds are supposed to help reduce bloating? The food processor will grind these up, so you won't even know the seeds are in there.

This is the simple recipe that I use, but there are also all kinds of variations.  You might consider trying one of these add-ins:

• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt to make it creamier
• 1 cup lemon or lime sherbet
• 1 can ginger ale or citrusy soda like Sprite or 7-Up
• 12 oz container of frozen lemonade or limeade
• 1 cup strawberry ice cream
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• whole strawberries - replace 1 cup of the watermelon with strawberries for a sweeter taste

I promise I won't tell if you slip a little something something in there.  Like an ounce of voka or Everclear?

And here are a couple of other ideas:

Watermelon sorbet:  Freeze the slush mixture and then reblend it for a nice sorbet with dinner.
Melon pops:  Pour the slush into popsicle molds for a sweet treat for the kids.

Trust me, watermelon slushies are really good.  I hope you'll try this recipe out and, if you come up with any interesting twists on this recipe, I'd love to hear them.

This post was shared with:  You Capture!, Homesteader Blog Carnival, Barn Hop, Raising Homemakers, Home is Where the Heart Is, Encourage One Another, Wow Us Wednesdays and Farmgirl Fridays.