With summer just around the corner and thus the sweaty and sticky days upon us, turn to this cucumber cooler drink recipe to bring a wave of welcome chilly sensations to your body.

Better yet: the entire family can enjoy this beverage! But, that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t slip a shot of gin, vodka, rum, or tequila into your glass of cucumber cooler during the after hours. Enjoy!

Chilled water is refreshing and all, but it doesn’t take much to elevate water to the next level. This non-alcoholic cucumber cooler recipe is so easy to put together and requires ingredients you likely already have in your refrigerator. Fresh cucumber is blended with water and ginger and then paired with lime juice and a touch of low-glycemic stevia for the ultimate earthy-sweet-tart combination. The mixture doesn’t go through a sieve, so it retains a light texture and packs in even more flavor.

Not only does this refreshment live up to its namesake – it cools you down – but also offers some health benefits. Cucumber is known for its cooling effects, but it is also low in calories, fights constipation, and has the ability to remove accumulated pockets of old waste materials and chemical toxins. Meanwhile, the fresh ginger functions as a panacea of all your health woes – it’s high in age-preventative antioxidants, combats inflammation, prevents nausea, prevents and suppresses cancer, and boosts heart health. Lime juice is high in vitamin C and is said to aid in weight loss.

There’s nothing to lose and so much to gain from this fuss-free non-alcoholic cucumber cooler drink recipe. Enjoy!

Cucumber Cooler Drink Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup peeled and chopped cucumbers
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1-inch nob fresh ginger
• 1 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 5 to 8 drops liquid stevia or 2 packets stevia powder
• Ice
• Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Directions

Toss the cucumbers, water, and nob of ginger into the blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large pitcher and add in the stevia and lime juice. Stir.

Serve the cucumber coolers over ice and garnish with fresh mint leaves.

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The post The Cucumber Cooler is Here: Drink This All Summer Long! appeared first on EcoSalon.

This cucumber sandwich recipe is a vegan take on a refreshing and light snack, bursting with seasonal freshness and so fully satisfying.

Vegan cream cheese acts as a thick and creamy binding element between the sandwich bread, cucumber slices, and fresh mint. The result is a light meal or snack you can feel good about.

If you take a look at the ingredients list on the back of any mainstream cream cheese, you won’t be impressed. Besides its base in pasteurized nonfat milk and milkfat (something about that doesn’t scream real milk to me), regular cream cheese is infused with hard-to-digest whey protein, stabilizers (like xanthan, carob bean, or guar gums), and preservatives (like vitamin A palmitate). Bottom line: you can do better.

The beauty of cashews–the base of this vegan creamy cream cheese–is that when raw, soaked, and blended, they turn into a creamy spread that can take on the flavor profile of just about anything. You are only ever a few add-ins away from an array of diverse dishes, such as a savory cheese, a dense raw cheesecake, or an herb dipping sauce. The possibilities are endless. In this cucumber sandwich recipe, the cashew cream cheese sticks to the theme: vegan and light. It gets a light cheesy flavor from nutritional yeast and a burst of tasty energy from chives. Spread on as thick of a layer of this vegan cream cheese as you’d like – no one’s judging.

The cashew cream cheese recipe makes more than you’ll need for your sandwich, but it is intentionally listed that way so you can keep the extra stored in your fridge for later use throughout the week. Whenever you crave cheese or anything dense, reach for the cashew cream cheese and use it as a dip, spread, or sauce. Enjoy!

Cucumber Sandwiches With Vegan Cream Cheese and Fresh Mint

Serves 1

Ingredients

For the sandwich

• 2 slices of whole grain bread, toasted
• 2 tablespoons of cashew cream cheese (recipe below)
• 8 cucumber slices
• Dash of salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• A few fresh mint leaves

For the cashew cream cheese

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked, drained, and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives (optional)

Directions

For the cashew cream cheese, soak the raw cashews in water overnight. Drain and rinse before using. Add the soaked cashews to a food processor or high-speed blender along with the remaining cream cheese ingredients. Blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until needed.

For the sandwich, spread one side of each toasted bread slice with one tablespoon of the cashew cream cheese. Sprinkle atop each cream cheese layer with scallions. Arrange a single layer of the cucumber slices over one of the bread slices. Sprinkle the cucumber slices with salt and pepper and then finish it off with a layer of fresh mint. Place the other bread slice over the cucumber bread. Slice in half and eat!

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The post Cucumber Sandwiches With Vegan Cream Cheese and Fresh Mint appeared first on EcoSalon.

Easy to make recipes for a 4th of July bbq revamp.

Nothing captures the 4th of July quite like images of outdoor eating with family and friends. It marks the beginning of barbecue season and kicks off the summer with cheer. All is fun and games until you stop by the food table, which boasts fare that is everything but forgiving to your waistline. But there’s no need to miss out on that which makes the 4th of July so special! We’ve revamped typical July 4th barbecue dishes so that you can have a happier and healthier holiday feast without missing out on the tastes you expect from an outdoor summer celebration.

Potato Salad

Mayonnaise makes this otherwise vegetable-centric dish a nightmare for health enthusiasts. One tablespoon of mayonnaise contains some 90 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 5 milligrams of cholesterol. These stats alone are reason why the potato salad actively contributes to heart disease and weight gain.

Switch up the traditional recipe with a Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Herbed Vinaigrette, which includes hearty  dried cranberries, nuts, parsley, sage and arugula. And whistle while you work to a playlist fit for a potato salad maker!

Burgers

We’ve explored the nutritional downfall of the Big Mac, but homemade versions are not always much better. If you are still using white buns and cooking animal protein, there still exists the hurdle of empty calories and saturated fat.

To give the burger a healthy twist, use a whole-wheat or whole-grain bun and cut the saturated fat by using lean cuts of meat and reducing other superfluous additions, such as bread crumbs and egg yolks. For a much healthier alternative, nix the animal protein and opt for a Chickpea Burger. Not only is this variation healthier but also packs a ton of flavor.

Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are severely low on the scale of nutritional value. Hot dogs are processed meat crammed with some 18 grams of fat per serving. They clog arteries and increase the risk for heart disease. Hot dogs are also loaded with sodium – up to 1,000 milligram – leading to weight gain, water retention, bloating and increased blood pressure.

When searching for a hot dog to lay out on the grill, keep your eyes on nutrition labels. Look for a brand with no more then 3 grams or less of saturated fat and 370 milligrams or less of sodium per serving. Remember that the less ingredients there are, the better for your health the hot dog is bound to be. Avoid white flour buns and opt for either a whole-wheat or whole-grain bun or eat the hot dog wedged between lettuce leaves. Avoid sugar and sodium-packed condiments and opt for a topping of fresh vegetables. Check out the My Vegan Cookbook website for an excellent Seitan Hot Dog recipe.

Chips

Original variations often included the preservative, Butylhydroxytoluene, commonly known as BHT. This fat-soluble chemical is also used in petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. BHT can lead to cancer when consumed in high amounts. Other health violations include high levels of sodium, artery-clogging trans-fats and calories. However, there are now so many brands offering healthy alternatives – vegetable-based or baked –without sacrificing the taste and crunch.

Homemade chips may be an intimidating endeavor, but they’re much more hassle-free than you think. Try these simple Sweet Potato Chips and then individualize them with your favorite spices and oils, like as was done for these Mustard and Dill Potato Chips.

Pickles

Pickles are essentially cucumbers that have soaked in vinegar and salt and fermented over time. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the average 4-inch long dill pickle has about 1,181 milligrams of sodium, which is nearly your maximum daily intake requirement. As a basis of comparison, a 4-inch cucumber prior to pickling contains only 6 milligrams of sodium.

To avoid the sodium overload, soak a sliced cucumber in a bowl with red apple cider vinegar for a few hours before serving. The cucumbers will soak in the sourness of the vinegar without the addition of salt. If you are keen on the pickled effect, homemade pickling is a great way to control what goes into the process. Fermented vegetables are exceptionally good for you. The healthy bacteria created during pickling benefits your gut flora when consumed, improving digestion. Try the Healthy Green Kitchen blog’s Spicy Lemon Cucumber Pickles, which keeps the sodium in check and the flavor on high!

Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob is a health violation that really shouldn’t be. All is well until the butter is slathered and the salt is shaken one too many times. To make this July 4th staple healthier, try brushing the corn with olive oil instead of butter to ensure less saturated fat. Also, dash salt into your palm first, as opposed to shaking it directly over the corn, in order to avoid over seasoning.

To bring some extra nutritional value to the dish, chop some chives, parsley, garlic, dill, or any of your favorite herbs and mix them with olive oil before applying to the corn.

Baked Beans

Beans are full of heart-healthy fiber and plant-based protein, but canned baked beans are often so full of sugar, their nutritional benefits are canceled out. The sugary syrup that canned beans generally come with will only cause an increase in blood sugar and insulin levels, contributing to heart disease and diabetes.

Check out the Homemade Classic Baked Beans from the Recipe Renovator blog to slim down the traditional recipe without compromising taste or texture.

Condiments

Ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayonnaise are barbecue mainstays, and for good reason. We often don’t realize how heavily we rely on them to kick up the flavor, and we often ignore their significance in our daily diets. However, it’s in these condiments where we find those empty calories. Ketchup, mustard, and relish are no stranger to sugar, sodium, and preservatives while mayonnaise has a lot of artery-clogging saturated fat.

Why settle for store-bought sugar and sodium-packed condiments when you can make your own in a matter of minutes? Even if you aren’t slicing the fat and calories, it’s always important to keep the ingredients real and untainted by preservatives, coloring and other sketchy add-ins.

Seltzer with Bitters

Regular soft drinks have been linked to stroke risk, elevated blood pressure, obesity, cancer and kidney failure. They’re full of sugar, and even their zero-calorie alternatives hold some dreaded preservatives and chemicals.

Get the bubbly without the downsides. Prepare a Honey, Ginger Sparkling Lemonade with Rosemary and expect to quench your thirst in a much more refreshing and aromatic way.

Dessert

A lot can go wrong come dessert time. First there’s the obvious bad guys – nutritionally-empty white sugar and white flour – and then there’s the addition of butter that has you worried.

Try your hand at some healthier alternatives, such as Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Sea Salt, Avocado Chocolate Pudding, Fig and Coconut Walnut Cake, Peanut Butter Cookies, and Vegan Strawberry Shortcake. These recipes are forgiving to the waistline and overall easy crowd pleasers.

Photo by The Recipe Renovator. © 2012. Used with permission.

The post Extreme Makeover: Revamping the Traditional 4th of July BBQ appeared first on EcoSalon.