Coconut Lemon-Lime Virgin (or not) Mojitos
Refreshing and Healthy Libation — Alcohol optional
Just in time for the weekend!
When my friend came over for the Bean-Free Falafel dinner the other night I had told her about my mojito experiment earlier in the summer; She expressed a keen interest in trying these, so I put the cold bowl of my Cuisinart Ice Cream/Sorbet maker in the freezer to have it ready.
Mint is also a green!
From my late spring planting, the only crop that did well this year was mint, so I had lots of fresh mint on hand to make these. The only other ingredients needed are: lemons, limes, coconut water, sweetener (agave, honey, coconut nectar or even stevia) and of course, the optional rum. For my guest I added some Parrot Bay coconut rum.
Mint is green and that means it has chlorophyll, a life-giving elixir. So maybe this qualifies for a nighttime “green smoothie.” :- )
Whole fruit or juice
The advantage of having a high speed blender, like a Vitamix or Blendtec (I have the former) is that all I did was cut away the outside peel on the lemons and limes, leaving the nutrient-rich pith and seeds to be pulverized by the blender blades.
If you are using a low speed blender you may want to do a combination of juice and full lemons/limes or it may be too stringy. You can also remove the seeds.
With a Vitamix, just adding enough ice would give it a slushy consistency, but I wanted to get it as close to sorbet as possible so I used the ice cream maker. In the photo above, I had scooped some out about 10 minutes beforehand and in hot and humid early-August South Florida, it was already turning to liquid, as you can see.
This not only tastes fantastic, it is very hydrating. Coconut water is a great electrolyte replenisher.
Coconut Lemon-Lime Mojitos
Serves 2 or 3
Ingredients:
1 lemon
3 limes
11 oz coconut water
1/2 cup mint leaves
3-4 TB. agave, honey, coconut nectar or sweetener of your choice
1 cup ice
Coconut rum optional
Directions: Peel or juice the lemon and the limes and throw in blender along with other ingredients. If you do not use the whole fruit, you may want to add more coconut water or ice to make up for the bulk. Sweeten according to your taste. Blend well and you can either serve as is or place in an ice cream/sorbet pre-frozen bowl and process for 20-30 minutes. Add optional coconut rum afterward and stir gently.
This would also make a nice dessert sorbet after a heavy meal.
Here is a photo of my lovely friend, Dawn, enjoying her Coconut Lemon-Lime Mojito with an appetizer of raw vegan garlic bread with pistachio butter as I was putting the final touches to our Falafel dinner. Dawn is also one of our Natural Wellness Coaching Candidates and is excited about sharing the Raw Fusion Living philosophy and practice as a Holistic Health Professional.
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