A non-alcoholic drink on Mixed and Mashed?!  Has the world gone mad?!  Well, I thought I would give my liver a break and share this yummy recipe for Hydrating Watermelon Coconut Water.  (And you can always make this an adult beverage with the addition of some vodka – just sayin’……)

In my opinion, it wouldn’t be summer without watermelon.  Since it is already 90% water, what better way to consume this incredible summer fruit than to turn it into a delicious, Hydrating Watermelon Coconut Water beverage?  Already packed full of electrolytes, watermelon is an excellent way to naturally replenish fluids after a workout or hot day in the sun.  Combine it with some coconut water (another one of Mother Nature’s natural sport drinks) and you have a match made in Heaven!  I know a lot of people don’t care for the taste of coconut water in general (my dear husband is definitely one of them), but the sweetness of the watermelon and tang from the mint and lemon will convert even the staunchest of coconut haters.

The best part about this recipe is that you don’t need a fancy juicer to make it at home.  All you need is a blender or food processor, a fine mesh sieve and little bit of patience.  Of course, if you do have a fancy juicer at home, then you are good to go in mere minutes!  The hardest part of the prep in general is peeling the watermelon, but I have a simple trick that will make life so much easier!  Simply cut off the top and bottom ends of your watermelon so that you can stand it up on your cutting board.  Starting at the top of the melon where the red flesh meets the with rind, carefully slice the white and green parts off using a diagonal angle with your knife.  Continue doing this around the melon until all of the rind is gone and you are left with the delicious, juicy red center.  (Note – You will need to rotate the melon throughout this process and eventually turn it on the side to fully remove the rind from the bottom.)  Once the rind is fully removed, you can easily slice the watermelon into manageable pieces.

For tips on how to pick out the best watermelon, check out this article at thekitchen.com.

 

 

Try my Hydrating Watermelon Coconut Water recipe today and let me know what you think.

 

Hydrating Watermelon Coconut Water

Yield – approximately 40 ounces

Total time – approximately 15-20 minutes

 

Ingredients:

• 1 personal size seedless watermelon (less than 6 pounds), rind removed and cut into 2 inch pieces 
• 1 handful of fresh mint
• Juice from one lemon
• 1-2 tablespoons of honey or agave syrup (depending on your taste)
• 1 to 2 cups of plain coconut water (depending on your taste)
• Special Equipment: Blender, food processor, fine mesh sieve, pitcher
• Garnish:  sprig of mint

Directions:

• Place the watermelon and mint into your blender or food processor and puree until all chunks are completely broken down.  You may need to do this in batches.
• Place your fine mesh sieve over a medium size mixing bowl.  Working in batches, carefully pour about one third of the puree into the sieve and set the rest aside.  Using a spoon, press against the solids in the sieve so that you extract as much of the juice as possible into the mixing bowl.  Once you are no longer getting juice from the puree, scoop out the spent solids and discard.  Repeat with the remaining puree.
• Pour the lemon juice in your serving pitcher and add the honey/agave syrup.  Whisk well until the honey is dissolved.  Add the watermelon juice and one cup of coconut water.  Stir and taste.  Add more honey or coconut water depending on your taste preference.  Serve in glasses over crushed ice and garnish with sprig of mint.
• It wouldn’t be Mixed and Mashed if we failed to provide of a way of making this more of an adult beverage, so feel free to add 1.5 ounces of vodka when serving!