I’m so happy to welcome visitors who have found my blog through Vegan MoFo! I’m already starting to realize how awesome this is for connecting with other vegans in the online community and giving/receiving some love and encouragement for our blogs. You guys are awesome and thanks so much for visiting!
Yes, I went AWOL for a few days. It’s okay! I will still be doing 20 posts, but it’s really hard for me to write posts on weekdays since by the time I get home from work, our awkwardly angled main window no longer has any direct sunlight, and all of my pictures look yellow and weird. You’re probably laughing at this because my pictures are so amateur anyway, but I do like to at least have enough light to show the real color and texture of the food I am photographing. And that right there was my entire knowledge of photography. Anyway, I have some seriously awesome stuff that I’m gonna be cooking this weekend, so expect some deliciousness tomorrow and Sunday :).
Also, speaking of work, a quick update on my new job: I LOVE IT. I am working with a great team of people, taking ownership of the software I’m writing, and being encouraged to pursue innovative solutions. But the very coolest thing? I am officially a bicycle commuter. I love the peace and calm of cruising down the street on my bike early in the morning. I love that a workout is built into my day every day (and that most of the uphills are on the way home!). I love that people in my office are asking about biking and thinking about doing it, too. And I love that yesterday, after J met me at an Indian restaurant for dinner, he took the bus home (as his bike is on the fritz) and I biked, and I beat him by 15 minutes. Bicycles rule and if there is such a thing as being a crazy bike lady, I am happy to take on that role.
It’s hard to top the healthy vegan banana fudgesicles that I made recently. Though it’s not saying much since my blog is pretty new, they were my most popular post so far. So let’s just say that one’s in the top of my chocolatey category, and these new popsicles are in the top of my fruity category. If you were to ask J to tell you why, he would say “those taste awesome, and they look pro”. The whole ‘ombre’ look is actually so easy to do. In fact, these popsicles in their entirety are so easy to do. The worst part is picking the seeds out of the watermelon, but I believe in you :).
I didn’t want or need to add any sweetener to these, because fruit is awesome and salt and acid did their job of bringing out the natural sweetness. But if you have a sweeter tooth than I do, by all means go for it. This recipe is pretty forgiving. As long as the mixture has some body and isn’t completely liquid, it will likely freeze up great, so taste as you go and trust. The trick to getting the wavy line between the layers is to add the second layer when the first is not completely frozen, so that you can swirl it in a bit. But obviously this visual is not needed for them to be delicious!
Easy Homemade Watermelon Mango Popsicles
This made about a dozen Dixie cup-sized pops, but yield will vary.
Mango layer
About 3 cups of frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup almond milk
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt
Watermelon layer
About 3 cups of frozen watermelon chunks (seeds removed) – for me this was 1/4 of a medium-sized watermelon
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp cornstarch or ground psyllium husk
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp salt
(Optional) 1 tb clear liquor – helps to keep it softer when frozen
Other
Dixie cups or Popsicle molds
Stir sticks or Popsicle sticks
Make these bad boys. Combine ingredients for the mango layer in food processor until smooth (but some chunks are fine). Fill cups or Popsicle molds about 1/2 full and place in the freezer. While those are freezing, combine ingredients for the watermelon layer in food processor until smooth. Place in the freezer in a bowl to keep cold, and wait 30 minutes to an hour or until mango layer is somewhat firmed up. Fill in cups or molds with watermelon mixture and put back in the freezer for another 3-4 hours or until completely frozen. And then enjoy like crazy.
Kelly G. says
The heat index is over 100 today, so I could really go for a freezer full of these!