Fruit Smoothies and Mint Mojitos Are Welcome Relief From the Heat

Summer has not arrived yet and we are already in the midst of our second heat wave.  Temperatures are expected to reach close 99 degrees today and the air is heavy with humidity.  I find myself daydreaming of frozen fruit cocktails and a swim in the ocean.   Because it is merely 2:00 and I am not on an island holiday, I’ll stick to a refreshing frozen fruit smoothie and will save the cocktail for later when my girlfriends visit for happy hour by the pool.

I purchased a KitchenAid 5 Speed blender this winter and found that it makes fabulous smoothies and frozen drinks.  Popular Mechanics convinced me to buy this blender after they tested premium blenders and discovered that the KitchenAid KSB560 outperformed its competition.  I am delighted with it and am pleased with all features of its functionality.  It

works wonders on ice cubes and frozen fruit.  I even found a way to blend mint mojitos utilizing it.

I experiment with my smoothies and attempt to vary ingredients as much as possible to keep the flavors fresh and interesting.  I make use of fresh and frozen produce equally, but noticed flavors tend to be more intense with frozen produce.  This is just due to ice diluting the intensity of ingredients.  The more you use frozen fruit, the fewer ice cubes you need.

Following are two quick and delicious blender drink recipes.  Both are ice-cold and are welcome refreshments for a hot summertime day.

Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie2 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup chilled pomegranate cranberry juice (100% juice variety)
1/2 cup chilled coconut milkPlace all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  Immediately pour into a tall glass and enjoy!  This smoothie is rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants.

Fresh Mint Mojitos for Two5 cups ice cubes
2 cups limeade (frozen concentrate variety, prepared as directed on can)
4 oz. rum (use your favorite type:  clear, lemon-flavored, spiced, or golden)
club soda
fresh mint leaves from 3 or 4 substantial sprigsPour 2 oz. of rum into each of two tall glasses.  Place the ice, limeade, and mint leaves in a blender.  Using the pulse mode, lightly crush the ice for a few seconds.  Immediately pour into the two glasses and shake or stir.  The mojitos taste delicious as they are or topped with a splash of club soda and garnished with a stick of sugar cane.  Cheers!