Blend Until Smooth

In the summertime my blender becomes my best friend. Not only do I make salsas and such for all the summer cookouts... but I also whip up a lot of summer drinks. Yesterday I had a huge watermelon in the fridge and so we decided to celebrate Mexico's awesome victory over France in the world cup games with a dinner of chicken fajitas, beans, rice and a jarra of agua de sandia (a pitcher of watermelon juice). Aguas are a popular and healthy beverage that you can find all over Mexico. They are sold in large jars on street corners and served in a plastic bag (or cup) with a straw. My kids also love it when I make smoothies and liquado (fruit and milk mixture similar to smoothies that are served all over Latin America).
Right now we have so much fruit available in Central Texas that it is hard not to go overboard when you go to the store. The great thing about blender drinks is that they taste great made with frozen fruits. During the spring and summer I can freeze fruit that is starting to look over ripe or just whip up a smoothie or agua on the spot... and in the fall I can use the huge variety of frozen fruits available to make blender drinks... they are a year round treat. I usually keep a bag of frozen overripe bananas in the freezer for just this purpose.... Strawberries and other berries also freeze quite well.

Recipes:

Agua de Sandia

This recipe can be made with any type of melon, or even other fruits like pineapple, mango or papaya.

Fill the blender with chunks of watermelon. Add water to cover about 1/2 to 3/4 of the watermelon. Add a few tablespoons of sugar if you wish... although most of the time the watermelon is sweet enough on it's own. Blend until smooth, strain (if desired... I usually skip this step) and pour into a pitcher. You can also blend in some ice cubes to make an extra thick drink. Garnish with mint if desired.

Smoothies

This recipe is subject to artistic interpretation so use whatever seasonal fruits are available.

2 bananas
2 C. orange juice
10 ice cubes
3-4 T. plain yogurt

Place all ingredients in the blender and blend. Pour into 2-16 oz. glasses and garnish with nutmeg or cinnamon. Adding fresh berries to this base makes a wonderful variation.

Liquado

Like the other recipes this one can be made with the fruits of your choice... just blend away and find that perfect combination!

16 oz milk
1 whole banana (frozen or fresh)
A handful of fresh (or frozen) berries (optional)
sugar to taste
1 t. vanilla
cinnamon and nutmeg to garnish

Place milk, banana, berried, sugar and vanilla into blender and blend until smooth. If you use a fresh banana you might want to throw in some ice cubes. Pour into glasses and garnish with cinnamon and/or nutmeg.