passion fruit + lemon-ginger fresca (and a giveaway, too!) / January 13, 2016 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

passion fruit + lemon-ginger fresca | dolly and oatmeal

around this time each year i dream up of some sort of tropical vacation that never seems to pan out. i fantasize about adventures through balmy rainforests, white sand beaches, tan lines - maybe an overly sweetened tropical drink with one of those paper umbrellas. it seems like forever ago when we honeymooned in costa rica. we visited during the wet season, and on top of that we stayed in a tree house in a rain forest canopy- which was super dope - but our host explained that the humidity was at about 110%. so wet it truly was! at least once a day we would try to get down to the beach to relieve ourselves of the oppressive humidity and moisture. down we laid our incessantly wet towels on the sand and ran down the shore to the cool, refreshing waves. once we were back on our towels a man with a humble juice cart fitted with a machete would ask if we wanted a fresh drink. frank would get fresh coconut water, while i would usually get mango batido (made from fresh fruit, water, and ice). it was the most heavenly and enlivening thing to touch my parched mouth that i can still taste it if i think about it hard enough :)

so, whenever the doldrums of winter hit, you can usually find me summoning tropical vibes in some sort of fancy beverage. this year with so many friends and family going dry for january, wanting to keep their diets clean, or giving their digestive system a bit of a break, i thought there was no better thing than to fuse 2 of my favorite things to drink: tropical batidos + kombucha! KeVita's kombucha is one of those super power beverages i love to slurp on its own, the thought of all those beneficial probiotics aiding my digestion and my wonky immune system leaves me feeling invigorated and comforted. while this is a loose interpretation of a batido, the fresh fruit juice mixed with KeVita's Sparkling Probiotic lemon-ginger drink (my flavor of choice) is a new favorite! the lemon and ginger whole plant extracts that KeVita uses, mixed with fresh passion fruit juice and a bit of passion fruit seeds make this my non-alcoholic go-to that is awesome for a late afternoon sipper or a more luxurious evening beverage.

and the best part is that KeVita was generous enough to give 1 lucky reader a 6 month supply of KeVita! to enter:

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this post was created in partnership with KeVita, all opinions are my own, thank you for supporting dolly and oatmeal's sponsors! see the store locator here to see where you can purchase KeVita in your neck of the woods ;)

passion fruit + lemon-ginger fresca

i use passion fruit here because i love its flavor and the texture its seeds lend to the drink. however, passion fruit can be hard to locate in some places around the globe, so another tropical fruit juice like that from mango, dragonfruit, papaya, or pineapple would work beautifully here as well!

| serves 1 |

ice
1 tablespoon fresh passion fruit juice*
4 ounces KeVita lemon ginger Sparkling Probiotic Drink
1-2 tablespoons mineral water or sparkling water
fresh thyme springs, for serving
passion fruit pulp, for serving

*passion fruit juice

1 ripe passion fruit
2 tablespoons water

method

in a lowball glass or a glass equivalent in size, add a couple pieces of ice, the passion fruit juice, lemon ginger sparkling probiotic, and 1-2 tablespoons sparkling water (depending on the size of your glass). garnish with a sprig or two of fresh thyme and a good spoonful of passion fruit pulp and seeds.

enjoy!

*to make the passion fruit juice, cut the passion fruit in half. use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and seeds; add to a blender along with the 2 tablespoons of water. blend on high for 1 minute. strain the juice over a bowl with a fine mesh sieve. transfer juice to a lidded jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

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grapefruit + lime-grape cooler w/ crushed mint

grapefruit + lime-grape cooler w/ crushed mint / September 3, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

grapefruit + lime-grape cooler w/ crushed mint | dolly and oatmeal

labor day weekend is generally the summer cut-off, the weekend before school starts, and before summer fridays end. but i think a lot of us forget that the late summer season is still hanging around for nearly the entirety of september, so i'm not hanging up on summer yet - no squash, or pumpkin, or spiced baked goods just yet for me. i'm still savoring the mounds of green goods at the market, the vast array of ripe tomatoes, and the mighty harvest of peppers and potatoes. but by far this time of year is my absolute favorite as far as late summer fruit. the lavendar-lilac tones of figs, grapes, and plums make my eyes sore in the best way. they can be almost too sweet sometimes, but when paired with something to balance it out, be it savory, or in this case some acidity, it all makes complete sense.

with help from the lovely folks at Sanpellegrino, i made you all a beverage for your picnic, get-together, or labpr day party needs. Sanpellegrino Sparkling Fruit Beverages offers so many lovely citrus flavors, (my favorite growing up was their aranciata [orange] flavor) including the flavor i'm highlighting here: pompelmo, or grapefruit. it has such a wonderful zippy flavor, a perfect thirst-quencher for a these hot, late summer days! and with all this beautiful late summer bounty, i thought i would muddle some additional flavors in there for some fun! this is a wonderful balance of sweet grapes to tart grapefruit, and then there's a good amount of crushed mint leaves to freshen it up and give the drinks a subtle herb-y note. i love having a non-alcoholic recipe on hand especially on long weekends when friends or family come over, i never know who's got an allergy or who is expecting a little one - but if you're into an alcoholic version i've got you covered in the notes below ;)

happy weekend, and happy late summer! <3

*this post is sponsored by Sanpellegrino Fruit Beverages. beverages and compensation provided by Sanpellegrino. all opinions are my own.

grapefruit + lime-grape cooler w/ crushed mint

this drink would be perfect with a splash of vodka, a good gin (preferably not a gin that screams christmas in your mouth), or perhaps a good dry white wine. i would add just a splash to the amounts indicated below, or to taste.

| makes 8-10 servings |

lime-grape concentrate

8 ounces seedless grapes (roughly 1 1/2 cups)
juice from 1 lime

coolers

1 cup seedless grapes
1 bunch mint
ice cubes
2 cans (each 11.15 oz) Sanpellegrino pompelmo beverage
1 cup grape + lime concentrate
mint flowers or mint leaves, for serving
frozen grapes, for serving

method

for the concentrate

in a blender, blend together the grapes and lime juice until completely broken down, about 30 seconds. place a fine mesh sieve (or cheesecloth) over a clean bowl; pour the juice into the sieve and use the back of a spoon to press the juice through. pour juice into a lidded jar and refrigerate until ready to use. juice can be stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

for the coolers

place a few grapes and 4-5 mint leaves in a small 8 ounce glass, use a muddler or the end of a wooden spoon to crush the grapes and bruise the mint. fill the glass halfway with ice cubes and add 2.5 ounces of Sanpellegrino pompelmo beverage (roughly 5 tablespoons), and 1.5 ounces lime-grape concentrate (roughly 2 tablespoons), give a gentle stir and top with mint flowers and frozen grapes.
repeat process for additional drinks.

enjoy :)

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green mojitos / July 1, 2015 by Lindsey | Dolly and Oatmeal

so i didn't have a backyard garden market this weekend (darn you torrential rain!), BUT i did make use of lots of the kale and mint we've grown back there to make some major green juices, and then there's that bulk-sized batch of kale-basil pesto i made that we're still eating our way through. we also managed to clean up more of the yard, mainly the part all the way in the back that was composed of dirt, bricks, more dirt, and a really overgrown but charming potting table. frank leveled out all of that dirt, covered it with mulch, and hung the outside lights that we've been itching to get up since we got here, making it all a bit more cozy :) while frank was busy taking on the dirt, i planted a bed of meadow flowers and beach grass, with some herbs and lavender weaved throughout. right now it's looking a little stark, but hopefully after a few more rains and some hot summer sunshine it'll fill out and give off that easy breezy, wild flower vibe i'm going for :) we've also got another patch of dirt right outside our door that we've attempted to grown grass on. after the grass grew in patchy with a ton of weeds, we realized we didn't want to buy a lawnmower for a 6x6' lot of grass. so we scrapped the whole idea and plated creeping thyme that we're hoping will grow and spread - fingers crossed!

some of you may know the tess masters from her blog, The Blender Girl, her app, or her new cookbook! i was lucky to receive a copy of her latest book which has 100 smoothie recipes ranging from light, mild, exotic, and leaving you with some high vibe dessert smoothies (the peach crumble smoothie is totally on my summer to-do list!). this green mojito (sans liquor - i know, i totally should have spiked it), is incredibly light, fruity, savory, and tangy all in the same sip. all of the ingredients are easily found in your pantry or at the market, and you don't need a super crazy high-speed blender, which i know is a plus for a lot of folks out there. the lime and mint really shine through in this drink, and truly makes it reminiscent of a traditional mojito - minus that buzz ;) ;)

happy july, everyone! xo

green mojitos (v + gf)

the recipe below states 2 cups of frozen pineapple, however since i'm not the biggest fan of pineapple, i substituted it with 1 cup of frozen mango, and 1 cup frozen peaches. i also didn't have liquid stevia, so i replaced that with 1 teaspoon maple grade B syrup. as for tess's "optional boosters" i added about 1/2-inch worth of ginger, and 2 teaspoons coconut oil; i also reduced the amount of limes from 3 limes to 2.

| serves 2 |