Frozen Treats

Watermelon Slushy (above)

Cantaloupe Granita (middle)

Watermelon Sorbet (below)

My 16-year-old daughter starts school tomorrow and my 7-year-old starts soon after. Summer's almost over! What happen? It seemed like yesterday that summer break began. Any-who. These frozen treats are my way of keeping summer around a bit longer and have something fun for the kids to snack on after school.

Cantaloupe Granita

2 c chopped cantaloupe, approx. 1/2 melon, seeded

1 c ice cubes

1/4 cup agave nectar

Juice of one half lemon juice

Purée ingredients in a blender until smooth, then pour into a metal pan and freeze until mixture becomes a firm slush, at least 1 hour. Scrape with a fork and serve in chilled glasses.

I originally tried putting this recipe in the ice cream maker to create a smoother texture but the ice cream maker wasn't having it. So I let the blender do the grunt work instead. The same ingredients are used for the slushy and sorbet. It's just various freezing processes that make the differences in the two frozen treats.

Watermelon Slushy/Sorbet
4 1/2 c diced watermelon, seeds removed

1/2 cup agave nectar

Juice of one half lemon

1/8 t sea salt

Puree watermelon, agave nectar, lemon juice and sea salt in a blender. Pour mixture into metal container and place in the freezer for about 40 minutes. When it is semi-solid (with liquid beneath the surface), mash it up with a fork. Pour in a chilled glass for a Slushy drink.

To create the sorbet, Instead of pouring into a glass, take the mixture and refreeze again. When frozen, place in a blender and process until smooth. Refreeze until serving time.

RAW NEWS YOU CAN USE- Ode to Raw Almonds

Okay it pays to read you email before you blog. I just got this "Raw News You can Use" sent to thedailyraw@yahoo.com

This is from PRNewswire-USNewswire

The pasteurization of raw almonds have been postponed until March 1, 2008. Follow the link to the story "Controversial Almond Treatment Faces Delay" http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-06-2007/0004639546&EDATE=

"Calif. Almond Growers Seek Delay of Rule"
By Garance Burket, The Associated Press

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/07/AR2007080700330.html

I came across one of the original articles about the raw almond contamination in 2004. The article is by Gary Gentile for The Associated Press. Have a look see. http://www.marlerclark.com/news/almonds7.htm