Watermelon + Hibiscus Paletas

Latin paletas {also known as ice pops or popsicles} are usually made from fresh fruit ... some are cream-based, but most are water-based. 

Watermelon + Hibiscus are common flavors for authentic agua frescas ... they work perfectly together for paletas too!  These delicious flavors make a mouth-watering, refreshing pair.  

WATERMELON + HIBISCUS PALETAS

Perfectly sweet + hydrating ... these paletas will keep you happy + cooled off throughout the summer. 

Equipment: Medium-Size Saucepan w/ Lid, 8-Cup Measuring Cup or Large Bowl, Fine Mesh Strainer, Cutting Board, Sharp Quality Chef's Knife, Blender, Popsicle Molds 

{Affiliate links included help support this blog.}

Ingredients

• 2 cups filtered water  
• 2 tablespoons hibiscus flowers*
• 2 tablespoons raw honey {or sweetener of choice}
• 3 cups fresh or frozen organic seedless watermelon, cubed 

Instructions

1. In a medium-size saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to boil.  Remove from heat and add hibiscus flowers.  COVER with a lid and let steep for at least 1 hour {covering helps keep all of the beneficial properties in the tea}.  For a bolder flavor, I steep mine for about 2 hours or more.  

2. Over a 8-cup measuring cup or large bowl, strain tea through a fine mesh strainer, set aside and allow to cool {by this point, it should be close to room temperature, if not, stick it into the refrigerator to cool completely}.  

3. Prep watermelon: wash the rind {I use a water-vinegar solution} before cutting into watermelon; using a cutting board and sharp quality chef's knife, cut watermelon flesh into cubes.  

4. Add watermelon cubes, honey + 2 cups of the cooled hibiscus tea to a blender.  Blend on medium speed to combine.  Puree until liquified and no watermelon chunks remain.

5. Pour watermelon-hibiscus mixture into popsicles molds. 

6. Place in freezer for at least 7 hours or until completely frozen.  

7. Enjoy on a hot day!

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 paletas ... with a little bit leftover to sample. 

Tip: Once paletas are frozen, run popsicle mold under hot water to release the mold from the paleta. 

*Notes: If you would prefer to use tea bags instead of bulk herbs, try substituting with this or this.  I use these BPA free popsicle molds ... if you prefer a stainless steel set, check these out.  

Vegan Option: Replace honey with sweetener of choice. 

Where Do I Buy Bulk Herbs? I buy bulk organic herbs, spices + more here.  

OTHER PALETAS + POPSICLES TO ENJOY

Cantaloupe Mint Paletas from Rubies & Radishes 

Strawberry Rose Paleta from Nutrition Stripped 

Paleta de Sandia y Frutas from The Nourishing Gourmet 

Delicious Lime Creamsicles from Just Making Noise 

Homemade Fudgesicles from Recipes to Nourish

Kiwi Apricot & Mango Pops from The Spunky Coconut

Cherry Cheesecake Popsicles from A Girl Worth Saving
Coconut Milk Popsicles from Hybrid Rasta Mama
Strawberries & Cream Popsicles from The Coconut Mama

   

HAVE YOU EVER HAD PALETAS BEFORE?

Amazon and Mountain Rose Herbs links are affiliate links, prices are the same for you.  Should you decide to purchase through my blog, thank you in advance and much gratitude for supporting Recipes to Nourish.

Watermelon Granita

Granitas are the perfect summertime treat.  They’re usually made from fruit juices, but this one is made with the whole fruit.  Watermelon is 96% water content, so it works perfectly in this treat.

Watermelon Granita 

Equipment: Blender, 13 x 9 inch Baking Pan, Fork

·      3 cups organic watermelon chunks (fresh or frozen)

·      1 cup filtered water

·      ¼ cup raw honey (I use local creamed clover)

·      Juice of half an organic lemon

1.    Wash watermelon.  Cut in half, chunk and remove seeds (if you have a seeded watermelon). 

2.   Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.*  [Note: If you don’t have a high speed blender, I don’t, it will not blend as fast, you will have to pulse several times before everything incorporates.]

 

Note: I used frozen watermelon, so it's more slushy here.

3.   Pour mixture into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, cover and place into freezer.

4.   Every 20 minutes or so, take the pan out of the freezer and scrape the mixture with a fork (this breaks up the liquid and eventually turns to slushy/”snowcone” ice texture).  Put back into the freezer and repeat until all the liquid is frozen (this will take several hours).

5.    Serve when frozen.  Enjoy!

Yield: About 6-8 servings

* I used frozen watermelon (when I get a huge watermelon, I freeze the flesh so it stays fresh longer).  This will speed up the process of freezing, but it’s not necessary. 

Tip: Ever buy a mushy/mealy, not very sweet watermelon?  Don’t throw that watermelon away!  This is the perfect recipe to use up that watermelon.  Just chunk and deseed the watermelon and add to freezer bags or freezer containers and save for later.  

OTHER WAYS TO ENJOY WATERMELON

Watermelon Cucumber Juice

Watermelon Ice Cream

Watermelon Lemonade - Blended

Watermelon-Carrot Juice

Summer Sangria w/ Watermelon Juice

This post is part of Melt in Your Mouth Monday @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Allergy Free Wednesdays @ The Tasty Alternative, Healthy 2day Wednesdays @ day2day joys, Simple Lives Thursday @ My Humble Kitchen, Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, and Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage.

Summer Sangria

Enjoy a glass of this Summer Sangria at the end of a hot summer day.  It’s so refreshing and full of summer fruit. 

Summer Sangria

Fresh, sweet and delicious.

Equipment: Large Pitcher or Large Measuring Cup (8 cup), Small Saucepan, Fine Mesh Strainer, Juicer (optional) or Blender

• 1 bottle organic white wine, chilled


• 1 ½ cups fresh organic watermelon juice*


• 1 cup sparkling water, filtered water or mineral water


• ½ cup lemon verbena simple syrup, recipe follows


• 1 organic lemon, thinly sliced


• 1 organic peach, peeled, thinly sliced


• 1 organic nectarine, thinly sliced


• 1 cup organic green grapes


• 15 lemon verbena leaves


• Crushed ice

1.     In a large pitcher or large measuring cup, combine organic white wine, watermelon juice, sparkling water and lemon verbena simple syrup. 

2.    Add sliced lemons, sliced peaches, sliced nectarines, grapes and lemon verbena leaves.  Gently stir to combine.

3.    Fill glasses with crushed ice and pour the sangria over the top.  Serve immediately. 

Yield:  Makes about 9 cups. 

Lemon Verbena Simple Syrup

• 1 cup honey or unrefined sweetener


• 1 cup filtered water


• 2 tablespoons lemon verbena leaves

1.     In a small saucepan, combine honey, water and lemon verbena.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. 

2.    Remove pan from heat.  Cool for about 20 minutes.

3.     Strain through fine mesh strainer. 

Yield: Makes about ½ cup Simple Syrup. 

Note: Use whatever fruit is in season.  Berries, plums and cherries would be lovely in this as well.  *If you don’t have a juicer to make the fresh watermelon juice, a blender will work just as well (it breaks down easily because of the high water content).  You can also remove the Sparkling Water and substitute with more fresh watermelon juice.  
Non-Alcoholic Version: Remove the White Wine and substitute with Sparkling Water. 

Tip: This is fabulous the next day too.  Make a batch up the day before if you'd like, the flavors really come together, it's even sweeter the next day.  

Please drink responsibly and do NOT drink and drive.  

This post is part of Mangia Mondays @ Delightfully Dowling, Melt in Your Mouth Monday @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands, Made By You Monday @ Skip To My Lou, Tuesdays At The Table @ All the Small Stuff, Tasty Tuesday @ Nap Time Creations, Good & Tasty Tuesday @ Stay At Home Babe, Turning the Table Thursday @ Around My Family Table, and Seasonal Sunday @ Real Sustenance.

Watermelon-Cucumber Juice

Watermelons and cucumbers are in season right now and my family is taking advantage and juicing them as much as we can.  Watermelon-Cucumber is probably my favorite juicing combination.  It’s so delicious and refreshing. 

Watermelon is known for being very cleansing for the whole body, especially for the kidneys.  It's a well-known natural remedy to help break up kidney stones + help prevent them from occurring.  Watermelon is full of antioxidants and is high in vitamin A (beta-carotene) and vitamin C.  It is also very hydrating.     

Cucumbers are high in vitamin C and antioxidants.  They are also known for having cleansing properties and dissolving kidney stones.  Cucumbers are very hydrating due to their high water content.  When juiced, they have a very mild, sweet flavor, which goes well with almost any juicing combination. 

Watermelon-Cucumber Juice

Pretty and pink, this juice has the most beautiful color.  It’s refreshing, hydrating and cleansing. 

Equipment: Juicer

·      4 cups organic watermelon, wash outside rind

·      4 organic lemon cucumbers or 1 large cucumber, washed

1.     Prep juicer, watermelon and cucumbers.  Cut watermelon in half, scoop out chunks of watermelon flesh with a spoon (I place the chunks in a 4 cup measuring cup and fill it).  Cut lemon cucumbers in half, then cut into pieces that fit into your juicer.  

2.    Juice the cucumbers then watermelon. 

My favorite helper, she juiced everything

Pretty and Pink

3.    Serve immediately, drink as is or pour over a small amount of ice. 

My Little Love with her Watermelon-Cucumber Juice

Yield: Makes about 4 cups of juice.

Note: Don’t forget to rinse the juicer parts after juicing.  You don’t want to have dried pulp remnants that your can’t clean off later. 

Tip: I love to fill 2 ice cube trays with the juice and freeze it (I use this + this is great too ... my absolute favorite ice cubes ever).  When I make smoothies, I pop a few cubes in.  The juice cubes are even great in a glass of water, adds a really nice flavor.  1 regular ice cube = 2 tablespoons.

Amazon links are affiliate links, prices are the same for you.  Should you decide to purchase through my blog, thank you in advance and much gratitude for supporting Recipes to Nourish.

Disclaimer: ALL information you read on Recipes to Nourish is purely for informational and educational purposes only.  I love to share and share with love, but I am not a health care practitioner.  This information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease.  If you have questions about food, diet, nutrition, natural remedies or holistic health, please do your own research and consult with your health care practitioner.  

OTHER WAYS TO ENJOY WATERMELON

Creamy Watermelon Ice Cream

Watermelon Granita

Watermelon Lemonade - Blended

Watermelon-Carrot Juice

Summer Sangria w/ Watermelon Juice

This post is part of Wellness Weekend @ Diet, Dessert and Dogs, Whole Health Weekend Link-Up @ Nourishing Treasures, Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, Mangia Mondays @ Delightfully Dowling, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, and Seasonal Sunday @ Real Sustenance. 

Creamy Watermelon Ice Cream

Watermelons are in season right now and have been a staple at our home lately.  We’ve been using them for their whole body cleansing properties.  Watermelon Lemonade has been a daily must, we’ve also been juicing watermelons and eating them as is.  To stick with our seasonal watermelon theme, we decided to make Watermelon Ice Cream and the result was amazing!  It has the most beautiful pale pink color and is so refreshing, creamy and sweet.

Enjoy!

Little Love kissing her first harvested watermelon.

Creamy Watermelon Ice Cream

Refreshing, cooling and simply delicious. 

Equipment: Juicer, Blender, Ice Cream Maker

• ½ cup freshly juiced organic watermelon
• 1 teaspoon gluten free organic vanilla extract 
• 1 cup raw whole milk* (See Resources)
• 1 cup raw cream (optional, if you don’t have cream, just sub w/ raw milk)
• ¼ cup raw honey (I use local raw clover creamed honey)

1.     Wash watermelon.  Cut in half.  With a spoon, scoop out chunks of watermelon and juice them in a juicer until you have ½ cup of juice.

2.    Add watermelon juice, vanilla, milk, cream, and honey to blender.

3.    Blend on a lower setting just until smooth and combined, about 5 seconds.  Be careful not to blend too long, you don’t want a lot of air in the mixture.   If any foam forms on the top, remove this with a spoon.

4.    Pour mixture into ice cream maker.

5.     Turn machine on and mix according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.

6.    Ice cream will start to have a “soft serve” texture when it is done.  This is my family’s favorite way to eat it.  If you prefer it to be a little firmer or need to serve it later, place in the freezer to harden. 

Yield: Makes about 2 ½-3 cups mixture, about 1 quart of ice cream. 

Dairy-Free Option: Substitute full-fat coconut milk for the dairy.  I use this brand ... it's organic, non-GMO + it's BPA free. 

*For California residents, check out my favorite raw milk from Claravale Farm.  They sell to stores and co-ops all over CA.

OTHER WAYS TO ENJOY WATERMELON

Watermelon Cucumber Juice

Watermelon Granita

Watermelon Lemonade - Blended

Watermelon-Carrot Juice

Summer Sangria w/ Watermelon Juice

Amazon links are affiliate links, prices are the same for you.  Should you decide to purchase through my blog, thank you in advance and much gratitude for supporting Recipes to Nourish.

This post is part of Tuesdays at the Table @ All the Small Stuff, Tasty Tuesday Party @ Nap Time Creations, Traditional Tuesdays @ Real Food Whole Health Blog Carnival Hop,  Made From Scratch Tuesday @ From Mess Hall to Bistro, Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands, Good And Tasty Tuesday @ Stay At Home Babe, Delectable Tuesday Blog Hop @ Home Sweet Farm, What's Cooking Wednesday @ The King's Court IV, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Gluten-Free Wednesdays @ The Gluten-Free Homemaker, Healthy 2day Wednesdays @ day2day joys, Foodie Wednesday @ Daily Organized Chaos, Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage, Turning the Table Thursday @ Around My Family Table, Simple Lives Thursday @ A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, Ultimate Recipe Swap @ Life As Mom, Cooking Thursday @ Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, Fresh Food Friday! @ La Bella Vita, Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health, Fight Back Friday @ Food Renegade, Freaky Friday @ Real Food Freaks, Friday Food @ Mom Trends, Living Well Blog Hop @ Jo's Health Corner, Allergy Friendly Friday @ Cybele Pascal Allergen-Free Cuisine, Whole Health Weekend Link-Up @ Nourishing Treasures, Sweets This Week Link Party @ Sugar Bananas, Whatcha Got Weekend! @ Lollu Jane Boutique, Fat Camp Friday @ Mangoes and Chutney, Homestead Barn Hop @ The Prairie Homestead, and Seasonal Sunday @ Real Sustenance.