Amp up your summer ice cubes with these 10 cool ideas.

A scorching Summer calls for cool beverages – preferably iced. But where’s the fun in run-of-the-mill ice cubes? Sure, they cool things down, but they also dilute many an iced coffee or a cocktail, which is not okay. This is where flavored ice cubes enter the scene – they’re easy on the eyes and add more taste than water ever did. Impress guests (and yourself) with these 10 flavored ice cube ideas.

Coffee

Cool down your coffee without diluting it! Freeze coffee that you would normally drink hot and throughout a sizzling week, use the cubes in your daily cup or blend them into a smoothie for some extra coolness and caffeine.

Herbs

Wow a crowd by adding chopped herbs to an ice-cube tray. Cool water with cubes infused with chopped mint leaves and dried ginger and bring extra taste and sophistication to the table.

Coconut Water

Coconut water has an electrolyte balance similar to human blood, so it’s super nourishing. Add coconut water ice cubes to an smoothie or glass of water in place of regular water ice cubes for a refreshing energy kick.

Colorful Fruit

For a beautiful presentation, add raspberries and blueberries or slices of pineapple, mango, and other sweet fruit to an ice-cube tray. They not only make a glass of water look festive but also leave it with a fruity hint that intensifies with each sip.

Edible Flowers

This one is mostly for show. The summer is all about outdoor barbecues, pool-side treats, and nature. Ice cubes with colorful edible flowers sprinkled in simply fits the bill.

Lemon Juice

Save the slice. Freeze lemon juice, and cool down on a blistering Summer afternoon with a tall glass of water with lemon ice cubes.

Old Wine

Old wine can be salvaged! Freeze remaining wine into cubes and melt them on the stove top into recipes that call for wine. And don’t dilute that sangria with water ice cubes, use red wine ice cubes instead to retain the alcohol level (very important) and taste.

Wheat Grass

It may be one of the healthiest juices on earth, but it sure doesn’t have a shelf life. Wheatgrass in its liquid state goes rotten quite quickly. Freeze the juice into cubes and use them in smoothies or use them to cool fruit and vegetable juice, all the while offering you some blood-cleansing benefits.

Milk

Milk ice cubes can be added to a hot cup of coffee or tea to cool it down but bring up the richness of the drink.

Chocolate

Melt dark chocolate, let cool to room temperature, and freeze into cubes. Toss the frozen chocolate cubes into a glass of milk. As the chocolate melts, you have yourself an increasingly richer chocolate milk that is as fresh and cooling as it is decadent and delicious.

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post 10 Things to Turn into Ice Cubes appeared first on EcoSalon.

The peanut butter cup gets a new look.

For a dessert, I often take walnuts, drizzle them with honey, add a few chocolate chips and call it a night. I then got to thinking how such a combo would work as a variation of the classic peanut butter cup, only deconstructed. This recipe does just that. It glorifies my makeshift dessert into something a bit more crave-worthy and gourmet. It’s also super easy!

Walnuts are the star of this desert. Almonds are garnering a lot of spotlight these days, and for good reason, but walnuts deserve some stage time too. In fact, walnuts contain nearly twice the amount of antioxidants than the same portion of any other nut. Walnuts also contribute to heart health, reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, prevent Type 2 diabetes and are packed with protein and fiber.

I use 70-percent dark chocolate in this recipe to minimize sugar content, but you could go ahead and use any chocolate you’d like.

Honey Walnut Butter Chocolate Bark

Ingredients:

• 200 grams dark chocolate (about 2 bars)
• 2 cups walnuts
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of sea salt

Recipe:

Melt your favorite dark chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Continuously mix the chocolate to break down the pieces. Be careful not to burn the chocolate.

Pour half the melted chocolate onto parchment paper. Spread until it forms an eighth-inch thick piece and put it into the freezer to harden. Set aside the other half of the melted chocolate for later use.

While the chocolate firms up in the freezer, spread the walnuts on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and drizzle evenly with honey.

Pop into a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 12 minutes, or until the walnuts just begin to brown. Stay near the oven to prevent the walnuts from burning.

When finished, remove the walnuts and let them cool for a few minutes before placing them into a food processor to blend. When blending, standby as the walnuts turn from chunky to grainy. Once mealy like flour, add the sea salt and cinnamon. Continue to process until smooth but clumpy. Be patient – it will form butter. When it is complete, you should be able to shape the walnut butter with your hands.

Remove the chocolate from the freezer and, keeping about 1/2-inch in from the edge of the chocolate, place an even layer of the walnut butter atop the chocolate. You will have to pat down the walnut butter between your hands before placing onto the chocolate, as it’s too thick to be spreadable.

Pour the rest of the melted chocolate atop the walnut butter, sealing the edges.

Place the bark back into the freezer one last time to harden for another 10 minutes. When finished, break the bark into chunks for sharing (or not)!

Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Recipe: Honey Walnut Butter Chocolate Bark appeared first on EcoSalon.