This Summer's Top 3 Cooling Drinks

Summer certainly seems to have come early this year (not that I am complaining!) but this does mean we will be on the hunt for ways to stay cool and keep our body temperature regulated both during the day and at night.

In India where temperatures soar during the summer months, yogurt is often used to make drinks known as lassi's to help people stay cool. Yogurt is naturally cooling on both the digestive system and body generally and when added to water, it becomes a great hydrating drink to quench that thirst!

A Traditional Lassi is usually savory, seasoned with cumin, salt or cilantro or all of these things. I have put a more middle eastern twist on this first recipe with sumac, another spice known for its cooling properties.

Serves 2

1/2 cup greek yogurt (full fat please!)
100 ml cold water
1/4 tsp Spice Sanctuary cumin ground
1/4 tsp Spice Sanctuary sumac

Mix all ingredients in a blender and drink cold!

My second version of lassi is using watermelon, another cooling ingredient in itself and buttermilk. Buttermilk is essentially a fermented milk drink with acidity in its taste which actually benefits the gut as it acts like a probiotic. For a little exoticness, I've added rose water into the mix to further boost the cooling nature of this delicious drink! And for spice, I chose fennel seeds and fresh mint. Both of these work on the digestive systems, dispersing the heat away from there and also cooling the body down too. So much of our body heat and internal heat resides in our gut and it is important to cool this area down as much as any other.

Watermelon Mint & Rose Lassi

Serves 2

1 cup watermelon chunks

1/2 tsp Spice Sanctuary Fennel Seeds

2   fresh mint leaves

1/2 tsp Rose water

200ml Buttermilk (or you could also use kefir as an alternative probiotic)

Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy cold over ice.

Last but not least, since the base of lassi is always dairy based, I would be remiss if I didn't create a recipe suitable for those with lactose intolerances. 

This Peach and Pistachio Lassi is quite rich and decadent and so easy to make.

Serves 1

100-125 ml cold Pistachio milk (made from pistachios and water, blended and strained - no need to soak)

1/4 tsp Spice Sanctuary Cardamom Ground seeds

1 Peach, cut into chunks with skin on

drizzle maple syrup to taste

Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy immediately!

There you have it, 3 easy ways to help you sip on something cool this summer and guaranteed to be patio pleasers too!

Spicing it up with Juices

With the bounty of summer produce and fruits well on their way to stores and farmers markets, I have become obsessed with juicing. And not just obsessed with the act of juicing but the fact that I have another outlet for creating recipes and incorporating spices into them!

Juicing is a really good way to detox the body without depriving it of essential nutrients and always use organic produce. Here are just a few of the recipes I have been working with and some ideas on how to bring those digestive spices out to help clean out the system even more!

Beet, Carrot & Cumin (pictured)

1 medium beet, peeled

8 juicing carrots, peeled

2 mini cucumbers

1 tsp toasted cumin seeds (added at the end)

Carrot, Apple & Ginger

8 juicing carrots, peeled

4 red apples, peeled, cored and cut into pieces

2 celery stalks

2 rhubarb stalks

tiny piece of fresh ginger

Mango, Apple & Cardamom

2 Ataulfo or very ripe mangoes

4 apples

1 banana

1/2 tsp Coorg Bold Cardamom (add at the end)

Other spices that would go really well with any vegetable and/or fruit juice include:

Turmeric Powder

Black Pepper (try it with pineapple or orange)

Paprika (great with a green juice)

Nigella Seeds (if juicing squash or sweet potato)