Well, friends, we made it... The official kick-off to summer,
Memorial Day Weekend is upon us!
To many this holiday weekend is the ending of the school year and the beginning of beach days and summer fun. But let us not all forget to remember the veterans and the soldiers who have given so much to defend and fight for our country's freedom. A gift for sure. And, if you are related to, or heck, see a veteran this weekend- stop, and say thanks! They need to be recognized and loved! :)
I recently bought a stevia herb plant at my local farmer's market. I do not know why it took me so long to actually buy or plant one. Craziness! Anyways, it is a beautiful, full green plant with sweet leaves that you can juts pick off and chew or eat. Quite a fun and spectacular treat. I learned a little bit more about stevia from a blog friend- Kelley at the Spunky Coconut. It is an all-natural herb people. So nothing to be scared of- it's a PLANT and it's free of sugar too. It is just naturally sweet-like and so it has been used for hundreds of years as a sweetener supplement. I just recently started getting excited about it, and love having it in plant form too. There are a few ways to buy it: plant, dried, ticture liquid, dry powder, and I am sure there are other ways I don't even know about.
So, I have some springs sitting on my counter, while my plant is enjoying the outdoor sun. And decided that this holiday weekend (and 'forecasted' almost 90 degree weather) deserved some fresh stevia sweetened lemonade. Wouldn't you agree?!
Stevia Sweetened Lemonade
8 cups of pure water
2 ts. of ground stevia powder (I used Sweet Leaf brand) add more/less if you desire...
1/4 cup fresh stevia herb leaves chopped (optional addition)
6 lemons squeezed fresh or about 1 cup of lemon juice
In a large water pitcher, or pot if you prefer for mixing. Mix together the water, lemons and ground stevia powder. Mix well and taste to see if you prefer more sweetness or more lemon. Add more if you desire. Then lastly add some fresh chopped green stevia leaves for added color and touch of fresh sweetness. Also a great addition to this lemonade would be a few springs of some fresh mint. Also, you can use limes if you prefer, just make sure you have about the same amount of lime juice as you would use lemon juice.
I have to say, stevia makes the PERFECT lemonade. Perfect pair. But, if you do not have any or prefer other sweeteners, honey, agave and maple syrup could be good as well. Also, I have added fresh squeezed or crushed berries into my lemonade's as well....raspberries, bluberries, and strawberries.... you get the idea. :)
Serve fresh from your pitcher with ice cubes, fresh lemon slices and mint or stevia leaf. This recipe will serve anywhere from 4-8 people.
Stay cool, and ENJOY!
Now, to some ideas for holiday-cookout-summer goodness:
Some fun snacky-munchy appetizers...
Coconut Cashew Cream Fruit Dip with your favorite variety of seasonal fruit
Family Salsa Recipe with your favorite organic corn chips, and add some avocado or guac as well
Fudge-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites (could also serve as dessert treat)
Some fresh, main dish ideas or could be sides as well...
Chickpea Pattie Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing
Purple Cabbage and Carrot Salad
Some after dinner sweet treats...
Strawberry Sauce over your favorite dairy-free ice cream (So Delicious Coconut Vanilla Bean ice cream)
Do you know how much liquid stevia would be the equivalent of the powdered stevia, as that is all I have on hand? Is there a taste difference between the liqid and powder forms (more concentrated, bitter etc.)? Thank you for the refreshing recipe.
ReplyDeleteCorinne- I have not tried making this lemonade with liquid stevia. I would start with 10-12 drops, and then taste and then maybe add 5-6 more as you add more and then go with your own tastes. The stevia really does mix well with the lemons so I wouldn't bee too afraid of over-doing-it and having a yucky tastes. Just start smaller and work up. Let me know if you try it, and I could add your results to this post...
ReplyDeleteThanks, and much love!
Such a delicious and refreshing lemonade. Everyone loved it! Also bought myself a Stevia plant but used the packets of Sweet Leaf brand of stevia to sweeten. Just can't get enough of your blog. Thanks for sharing such yummy foods.
ReplyDeletehttp://nonasnotes.blogspot.com
MG- thanks for the blog love. glad you liked the lemonade... :) I made some yesterday myself! :)
ReplyDeleteYUM! I could have used that lemonade yesterday! it WAS hot in GR wasn't it!!! I will make it sometime this summer :) Where did you get your plant if you don't mind me asking?
ReplyDeleteP&P- It was hot in GR! surprising and a big bang into summer. I found my stevia plant from one of the herb ladies at the Fulton Street Farmer's Market in GR. They have small ones for 2$ and larger ones for 3.50$... they are fun because you can just eat the leaves off of them if you want. Thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteThank You! I will have to visit Fulton soon.
ReplyDeleteI just bought a stevia plant too! And then there was a storm and it kinda fell over...oh no! I do want to make this lemonade though. Sounds delightful.
ReplyDeleteOh I want to cry! I feel so lucky to have found your blog. I started following the same diet as you due to systemic candida and will be maintaining it for the rest of my life because a year in it has given me hope of dealing with a 10 year battle of insomnia (oh and the bipolar as well, I think the meds, pushed my body out of balance, but I had to have a predispostion). It also made the terrible sinus colds go away (that would be the dairy), cleared up my skin (combination of sugars, dairy and gluten I suspect) and my stomach is much happier with me. I still have goat's yogurt and goat's cheese and don't react, but I can't do dairy at all. Not even lactose free.
ReplyDeleteI've heard kefir recommended as an excellent way to rebuild healthy bacteria in the gut but I can't go near dairy or my sinuses give me hell. I'm curious as to what your take on keffir is and how you fit probiotics into your diet.
Gotta go make that lemonade. Been so hot...Haven't been sleeping well.
Ruth- Thanks for your kind words and your comment! I used to eat keffir a lot more 5 years ago when I ate more dairy ( even goat dairy) Lately I don't eat any dairy, but have been drinking kombucha and taking powder probiotics to keep good bacteria building in my gut. BUT, if you can handle goat dairy or even dairy with probiotics in it, then I would for sure recommend keffir because it has lots of good bacteria and lots of protein and amino acids. Hope that helps! Much well and many blessings for you to sleep better soon!
Delete