Coconut Cilantro Cooler
Contributor: Ashley Neese
Photographer: Ashley Neese
A few months back I was invited to contribute a series of recipes to my friends over at Freunde von Freunden. This recipe was included in our feature and I wanted to share it on the blog too. I had a blast making this recipe which was inspired by a delicious coconut ice cream I had years ago in San Francisco. I love pairing fresh herbs in sweet drinks and smoothies. It makes for such a punchy flavor and has loads of health benefits to boot!
The beauty of this cooler is it uses stevia as the sweetener which is a zero on the glycemic index. If you are watching your sugar intake stevia is a wonderful alternative. It’s very sweet so start with 5 drops and work your way up! If stevia isn’t your thing feel free to add a couple of dates or a small spoon full of raw honey to this instead.
Coconut milk is wonderful in the summer for replenishing electrolytes and the aloe juice is hydrating for the skin. Cilantro is a powerful heavy metal detoxifier which is important to make part of your regular wellness regime.
The secret ingredient in this cooler is the lemongrass essential oil which adds another cooling element to the drink. This is really beneficial hen we feel overheated. Because essential oils are so potent, just put a drop on a toothpick and stir the toothpick into the cooler. Trust me, don’t get crazy with the lemongrass oil, it will make the cooler bitter.
Coconut Cilantro Cooler
Serves 2
I N G R E D I E N T S //
1 young coconut
1 c. Aloe juice
1 handful fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
5-10 drops liquid stevia
1 drop lemongrass essential oil on toothpick (see above)
M E T H O D //
Crack open the coconut with a sharp cleaver. Start by cutting off of the husk on the top then use the edge of your knife to crack it open completely. Here is a How-To video that shows you the best way to crack it.
Once opened, pour the coconut water directly into your blender. Scoop the meat out of the shell. Use a small, sharp knife to remove brown, pieces of shell from the meat. Then add the meat to the blender.
Add the aloe juice and blend that with the coconut water and meat until smooth. Next add the cilantro, lime juice, stevia and lemongrass oil. Blend well.
Pour into glasses and serve.
The juice can be kept in the fridge for 1 day. Blend before serving. If you prefer a different sweetener, dates or raw honey would work really well in this.