Strawberry Lime Cooler

With the goodness of Strawberries to the tanginess from the lime, freshness of the mint and the soothing basil seeds… my perfect summer drink to cool you down… a refreshing Strawberry and Lime with Basil seeds Cooler…!!

It’s already pretty warm out here and the summer has just begun, it’s all set to get really hot and what you would really want is a drink to chill…! I love Strawberries, and now being the season with strawberry picking open across the farms in St. Louis, it’s the right time to try out recipes with fresh strawberries. And strawberries with lime… I guess I need not tell you how good they are together…

Also this is my first recipe with basil seeds, which is known for its medicinal value and specially its cooling nature. I love that it plumps up when soaked in water giving it a fleshy texture, and being tasteless in general it’s a wonderful ingredient to make any recipe pulpy without losing the original flavour.

FYI, basil seeds/sabja seeds are not chia seeds which it is always mistaken for. It is widely used in many places during summer for preparing drinks like sharbat as it can cool down your body heat and helps in digestion. You can find these seeds in Asian supermarkets/Indian stores.

Enjoy your summer, enjoy your drink… n Chill……

Prep time: 5-8 minutes
Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 6-7 strawberries (pitted and sliced)
• 1 lime (squeezed)
• 2 cup water
• 4-5 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp basil seeds (soaked)
• mint leaves (crushed)
• ice cubes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak basil seeds in a little water for 10 minutes allowing it to swell.
2. Leaving a few sliced ones, blend the strawberries well and make a syrupy paste out of it.
3. In a mixing jar, mix the blended and remaining sliced strawberries, lime juice, squeezed lime, sugar, crushed mint leaves, ice cubes, water and basil seeds. Shake well. Adjust sweetness according to your preference.