Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
This year's summer went off to a hot start. With temperatures circling 25 Celsius and above for multiple weeks in a row, Toronto residents are looking for anyway to stay hydrated amidst the unrelenting heat. As always, O'Shanter is here to provide answers, with three easy recipes sure to keep you refreshed all summer long!
1. Watermelon Feta Salad
A classic summer staple, watermelon is the perfect fruit to incorporate into your weekly meals. To prepare this refreshing dish, all you need is half a watermelon and approximately 1/2 a cup of feta (to taste). Paired with a salty chunk of feta cheese, watermelon's sweet hydrating flavour gets a fresh kick. Together, these two ingredients become the perfect sweet and salty snack, to be eaten alongside grilled fish, meat, or even on its own.
To take your refreshment to the next level, you can chop up some mint leaves and sprinkle them on top of the salad with an added drizzle of olive oil, as a refreshing garnish. Despite its simplicity, this recipe is a consistent crowd pleaser and sure to refresh any overheated guests you may choose to entertain.
Image Source: Watermelon Feta Salad (Tori Avey)
2. Classic Margarita
Cocktails can be an exciting yet overwhelming prospect come summertime, as the impulse to throw together a unique, thirst-quenching beverage is often offset by the amount of ingredients and skill needed to prepare your favourite drink. Enter the classic margarita. Tequila, orange liqueur, agave syrup, and lime are all of the ingredients you will need to enjoy this refreshing summer beverage. To make one margarita, combine 2 ounces of tequila (preferably blanco), with 1/2 ounce of orange liqueur, 1 ounce of lime juice (freshly squeezed), and 1/2 ounce of agave syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Next, shake until the mixture is well chilled, pour, and enjoy!
However, not everyone's shelf may be stalked with more than one bottle of spirits at a time. In this case, there is always "The Budget-Marg." Comprised of nothing more than tequila, lime, and simple syrup, the Budget Marg takes the same measurements of tequila and lime juice as is used to create the Classic Margarita, and replaces the orange liqueur and agave with simple syrup. Simple syrup is a liquid sweetener that takes refined white sugar and boils it in hot water until both the sugar and the water become a single solution. It is also secretly the easiest and most useful mixture to keep stalked in your fridge. Requiring under five minutes to make, the simple syrup can be used over and over again to add a dash of sweetness to your morning iced coffee, tea, or an alcoholic beverage of your choosing.
Image Source: Classic Margarita (Gimme Some Oven)
3. Chips and Guacamole
Perfect for lounging on the beach, or reading by the pool, this delicious combo satisfies a salty craving, while keeping you refreshed and satiated all summer long. To make the guacamole you will need 3 ripe avocados, 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 lime, and 1 onion. After slicing the avocados in half, scoop their insides into a bowl. Then, mash the avocado into a chunky puree. Next, dice half of your onion and both of your tomatoes, to mix into the avocado. Lastly, squeeze 1 lime's worth of juice into the mixture, sprinkle in 1 teaspoons' worth of salt, and garnish with 3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro. After making your guacamole, all you have left to do is grab some Tortilla chips, dip, and enjoy!
Image Source: Guacamole (Downshiftology)