Cool Your Jets With These Summer Recipes

Looks like summer has landed! Cool your jets with these delicious recipes from Susan Jane White, Paula Mee and Lorraine Maher, Rosanna Davison and Finn Ní Fhaoláin.

The Virtuous Tart Papeback by Susan Jane White

Strawberry & Liquorice Ice Cream

Serves 1-3

Think of strawberries as beauty bullets. Soaked with anti-inflammatory compounds, antioxidants and skin-plumping vitamin C, strawberries can help deter the pesky ageing process. And likely, increase your chances of a Helen Mirren bikini moment. Make this ice cream and feel the vitamins dance towards your skin.

Ingredients

1 banana

Big palmful of frozen strawberries

Pinch of liquorice powder or 1 teabag

A trickle of plant-based milk

Directions

The key to this ice cream is using slightly more frozen banana to frozen strawberries, but 50-50 will still work beautifully. Before freezing the banana, chop into small discs, and freeze on baking parchment making sure each slice does not fraternise with its neighbour. When they freeze successfully, you can store them in a large glass jar and use as needed.

I buy great-value frozen strawberries at my local four-letter German supermarket, so I rarely bother freezing fresh ones. If you prefer to freeze fresh berries, follow the same route as the banana above.

Blend the frozen fruit with the liquorice on the highest setting you have. A Vitamix or Omniblend will do this in 5 seconds, a regular blender 15 seconds. You’ll need a splash of plant-based milk – we use oat’s milk for children’s parties if there’s someone with a nut allergy.

Scoop into pre-chilled tumbler glasses and tuck straight in. Leftovers don’t refreeze very well. I doubt you’ll hate me for it.

Variations to play with, if you are making it every summer afternoon:

1. Fresh mint leaves from the garden
2. 1-inch chunk of frozen ginger, grated into the processor bowl
3. Chocolate chips
4. 1 green cardamom pod, black seeds coaxed into the food processor bowl
5. Raw honey or stevia, to sweeten
6. Beetroot powder

You can buy the paperback of The Virtuous Tart online with Gill Books, Eason, Dubray, Amazon and in all good bookshops!

Catch up with Susan Jane on her website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Gut Feeling by Lorraine Maher and Paula Mee

Antioxidant Soothing Slushie

This drink contains peppermint, which has been known to help soothe a troubled tummy. The ideal portion is 200ml.

Portion size: 200ml Kcals: 49 Fat: 0.5g Saturated fat: 0.03g Carbs: 8.7g Sugar: 8.4g Fibre: 3g Protein: 0.9g Salt: 0.01g Allergens: None

Ingredients

250ml peppermint tea (cold)
100g strawberries
60g/1 kiwi
50g blueberries
50g/about 5 ice cubes

Directions

Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until really smooth. Pour into a tall glass and serve immediately!

You can buy Gut Feeling online on our website, Dubray, Amazon and in all good bookshops nationwide.

Follow Lorraine on Twitter and Facebook and Paula on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with their latest news and advice.

Eat Yourself Fit by Rosanna Davison

Blue Warrior Recovery Shake

This smoothie is a staple for me after a challenging resistance workout, as it provides protein to repair torn muscle fibres, anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat to help soothe muscle pain and antioxidants to mop up the free radicals that are normally released during a strenuous workout.This helps to protect your cells from oxidative stress.

Serves 1. 212 Calories. 1.8g Protein. 25.4g Carbs. 6.3g Fat.

Ingredients

125ml unsweetened almond milk

125g fresh blueberries, rinsed

1 handful of baby spinach (optional)

1 scoop of Sunwarrior vanilla protein powder

1 tbsp milled chia seeds or flaxseeds

1 tsp vanilla extract or powder

4–5 drops of liquid stevia, to sweeten (optional)

2–3 ice cubes

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a blender, beginning with the almond milk, and combine until smooth. Serve chilled. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for two or three days.

Eat Yourself Fit is available on our website, Eason, Amazon and in all good bookstores.

Keep up to date with Rosanna on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on her website Rosanna Davison Nutrition.

Finn’s World by Finn Ní Fhaoláin

Watermelon Slushie

While slushies in the college days were associated with neon-dyed, high-sugar tubes that may or may not have been spiked with vodka, this little fella is of the more saintly variety. With no added sugar or colouring whatsoever, it is the perfect pick-me-up on a hot summer’s day. What you decide to do with it in the evening is entirely up to you (rum, the answer is always rum).

Makes 4–6 large glasses, depending on the size of your watermelon

Ingredients

1 watermelon – yep, that simple! I find the smaller ones less inclined to have the big seeds, so getting a few of the wee ones means less cowboy-style spittin’ while you sup.

Directions

Cut the watermelon in half and lay each half flat-side down on a chopping board. Dear God, please be sure it’s not one of those damn chopping boards that’s permanently infused with the taste of garlic!

Slice the top off and then peel down the sides. You should be left with just the pink flesh (creepy …) of the watermelon. Chop it up into little cubes.

Lash the cubes in a container and pop it in the freezer for a few hours. They don’t need to go rock solid, just slushie-esque!

Take ’em out, pop ’em in a big jug, blast with a hand blender – all done!

To Serve

Looks lovely with a barbecue table spread – I like one big jug decorated with mint and then individual glasses for people to help themselves. This is also delicious with honeydew melon – prepare it exactly the same way.

Top Tip

If you want to make it into a cocktail (did someone mention rum?), squeeze the juice of a few limes, dip the rim of your glasses in the lime juice and roll the still-wet edges in some coconut sugar. Fill the glass with the watermelon slushie and add a dash of spiced rum!

Get your copy of Finn’s World online with Eason, Dubray, Gill Books and Amazon or in all good bookshops nationwide.

Follow Finn’s daily adventures on www.finsfitfood.com. Follow @finsfitfood on Instagram, @finsfitfood on Facebook, @fins_fit_food on Twitter, or search for Finns World on snapchat.

We hope these recipes help cool you down this summer...the real task is deciding which one to try out first!