Summer Slushy

Sip... aaaaaaah. So refreshing. Want some? Easy recipe is below!

Mommy likes it!

Ingredients:

Makes 3 extra large slushies (135 calories/slushy)

• Juice of 5 lemons
• About 4 cups cut watermelon 
• 5 large strawberries (stemmed and chopped)
• 2 nectarines (pitted and peeled)

Directions:

1. Freeze the cut-up watermelon in a Ziploc for 24 hours.
2. Allow watermelon to defrost for 10 minutes before you start.
3. Place frozen watermelon, lemon juice, and cut strawberries in your blender. 
4. Blend until chunky but drinkable.
5. Add in the nectarines, (skin removed.)
6. Blend again my friends. Until you have a lovely Summer Slushy! Quench your thirst and enjoy.

Blend it on up!

Zucchini Spaskinny

Imagine a rich bowl of spaghetti.... with your coveted pasta sauce and toppings... and feeling light and like a million bucks. If you are down, this Joyce Chen spiral slicer will do you wonders! It turns a fresh zucchini into long spaghetti strands!!!! Or as I like to call them, spaSKINNY strands ;-)

Ingredients:
Serves 2

• 2 freshly washed large zucchinis; try to find some that are not curved.
• 2 cups washed fresh basil
• 1/2 cup raw walnuts
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 handful of baby cherry tomatoes

Directions:

1. Whip out your spiral slicer! (Carefully though, the blades are sharp.)
2. Follow directions according to the slicer in order to turn your zucchini into spaghetti strands. For the Joyce Chen one that I use/love, I cut the ends off the zucchinis, then I cut each zucchini in half so you have shorter lengths to work with. I like my spaskinny to include the zucchini skin, but feel free to peel yours if you so prefer.
3. Combine basil, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper in a food processor until mixture becomes a beautiful pesto sauce.
4. Using your hands, lightly mix the spakinny and the pesto until evenly distributed.
5. Top with chopped cherry tomatoes.
6. HOW COOL!?

This Joyce Chen spiral slicer makes such beautiful spaghetti strands out of any long vegetable; it's worth $20 or so. (P.S. lookie, you can see my dad's head watching the game in the background.) Go Kings!

Tropical Waffles

I brought leftovers of these into work for Joe... and I quote: "Sasha, this is the best thing I think you've ever made." SUCCESS. I can now sleep well at night... thanks buddy!

Ingredients:
Serves 8

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup quinoa flour
• 3 tbs. chia seeds
• 2 tsp. raw coconut crystals
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1-1/2 cup almond milk

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix both the flours, chia seeds, and coconut crystals so evenly combined.
2. In a separate bowl, stir the vanilla extract, pineapple juice, coconut oil, and almond milk until consistent.
3. Add the liquid mix to the dry mix and vigorously stir until batter-like texture.
4. Plug in your waffle maker, and grease it well! I used vegan Earth Balance Soy Free Buttery Spread.
5. Pour in batter according to waffle maker's instructions.
6. Tropical Waffles. Boom. Serve with honey and/or maple syrup.