On hot days, we often reach for various frozen snacks, including: ice cream, sorbets and smoothies. They perfectly quench thirst and constitute a great snack. Thanks to them, we can replenish fluids in our body. Sorbets and ice cream smoothies are a great way to increase the proportion of fruit in your diet. Moreover, ice cream is also worth eating during intense mental effort - the energy provided by frozen snacks not only helps us refresh the body, but also the mind, positively affecting our concentration. On hot days, there is nothing better than refreshing delicacies. These home-made alternatives to store-bought sweets are not only delicious, but also natural. In this article, we will present some ideas for sorbets, ice creams and smoothies that you can prepare in your kitchen and enjoy in hot weather.
Sorbets
They are perfect for hot days, as they consist mainly of water and fruit. Sorbet is ice cream with a slightly grainy texture, which, unlike ice cream, does not contain milk or cream. To prepare sorbets you need a blender and a freezer, and the ingredients are simple - water, fruit and sugar.
Apple-mint sorbet
List of ingredients:
- 4 apples
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
- a few mint leaves
- juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
Cut the apples into smaller pieces and put them in a pot with sugar and water. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes until the apples are soft. Blend the apples together with lemon juice and a few mint leaves. Pour into ice cream moulds and place in the freezer for a few hours.
Smoothies
This is another delicious alternative to sweets for hot days. Smoothies are a mix of juicy fruit, yogurt, milk or water that can be added to ice or blended together. Smoothies are a great way to cool off on hot days and can also replace food in hot weather. Instead of a heavy dinner, you can have a fruit smoothie with yogurt or without it.
Apple-banana smoothie
List of ingredients:
- 2 apples
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of natural yogurt
- 1 spoon of honey
- several ice cubes
Method:
Peel the apples and banana and cut them into smaller pieces. Put the fruit in the blender with milk, yogurt and honey. Add a few ice cubes and blend everything until smooth. Pour the smoothie into tall glasses.
Ice cream
It’s a very popular holiday food! Instead of buying ready-made ice cream from the store, it is worth trying to make it yourself at home. Making ice cream at home is simple and easy, and you can adjust the ingredients to your liking. The most common way to prepare ice cream is to use butter or cream, eggs and sugar - but you can also make ice cream based on plant milk or yogurt. You can also make fruit ice cream by adding yoghurt and soft fruit to the mix and then freezing it in a container.
Apple ice cream with cinnamon
List of ingredients:
- 4 apples
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup of cream
Method:
Cut the apples into smaller pieces and put them in a pot with sugar, water and cinnamon. Cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes until the apples are soft. Blend the apples until smooth and add the cream. Pour the prepared mix into ice cream moulds and place in the freezer for a few hours.
The presented recipes for ice cream, sorbets and smoothies can be freely adapted to your preferences. It is also advisable to experiment with different fruits and flavours.
Apples are one of the most frequently consumed fruits in Europe and in the world. We can subject them to culinary processing, make tasty desserts, salads, mousses and cakes. Apples are also used to make juices, compotes, cider and vinegar. Preparing a natural apple snack for hot days is one of many pretexts to see for yourself the high quality of fruit produced in the European Union.