Coca Cola | Gypsy Luster

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Coca Cola, Coconut Water, Cucumber Watermelon Juice, Perrier, Starbucks Coffee, summer drink recipes, Summer Drinks, Toasted Coconut Vanilla Limeade

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This Summer heat is making us thirsty!! There is nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold beverage this time of year. Today we’re dreaming of kicking back on an exotic beach! Toes in the sand, soaking up the sun with a cold drink in hand, but instead we’ll just take the ice-cold beverage! Our usual go to for quenching the thirst is Grapefruit Perrier or Coconut Water, but we’re looking to spice things up so we found some fun recipes that we thought we would try. Give it a go and let us know what you think…

Toasted Coconut Vanilla Limeade

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For 4 cups:
1 cup lime juice (about 10 limes), fresh squeezed
1 cup sweet coconut flakes, packed
2 1/2 cups hot water
1 1/2 cups coconut water (optional, just use regular water if you prefer)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste)

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Lightly toast the coconut on a baking sheet, thinly spread out, for about 5-7 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Juice the limes and put all of the used halves into a bowl, along with the coconut and vanilla bean (or vanilla paste), and cover with 2 cups of hot water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. The hot water pulls all of the natural oils out of the lime skins and adds so much flavor. Strain into a blender and add the coconut water, lime juice, and agave nectar. Blend until just incorporated. Pour into a pitcher and chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Cucumber Watermelon Juice

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2 cups seedless watermelon chunks
1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded (about 3/4 cup sliced)
Juice from 1/2 of a fresh lemon
3 fresh basil leaves
1 cup ice cubes
Natural sweetener, if needed

Add watermelon, cucumber, lemon juice and basil to blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. Add ice cubes; cover and blend until smooth. Sweeten to taste. Pour into glasses.

Makes 2 servings (about 2 cups)

Tip: You can substitute fresh mint for the basil.

Or another great idea is to add fresh fruit to ice water for a refreshing healthy non-sugary drink. Here are some great combinations. Just smash the fruit into a jar then add ice and water and chill. Easy and yummy!!