The sweltering heat of the summer days is withering away down here in Sydney, and as always, I can’t help but feel a little sad…I have always been a summer girl, chasing the sun and feeling incomplete if my days are void of its comforting warmth and sorrow-banishing shine.
I think this is what growing up in Egypt does to you; we are spoilt when it comes to weather because hardly a day goes by without sunshine back there, even in the depths of winter. Gloomy grey skies are a rare occurrence, rain rarer still & snow non-existent…so even a city like Sydney, renowned for its beautiful weather, falls a few steps behind Egypt in the weather department (and ONLY the weather department, mind you).
So, to cheer myself up in the dwindling final days of 25+ degree weather, I made these simple and bright mango & raspberry popsicles. Packed with fruity flavour and vibrant colours, they are sure to make any day a little bit sunnier.
Fruit popsicles in general are a great little treat to have on hand in your freezer. Any bits of fruit blended up with a bit of liquid, with or without additional flavours like herbs or spices and maybe sweetened with a touch of honey, will do the trick. Pour into popsicle moulds (which are available at most kitchenware stores these days) or even plastic cups, stick in wooden paddle sticks or spoons, throw in the freezer and you’ve got a supply of emergency sweet treats at a moment’s notice!
(This Instant Pineapple sorbet is a pretty great quick & summery sweet treat as well!)
Healthy, refreshing and dead easy, as well as endlessly customizable, you cannot go wrong with having a few of these frozen delights stashed away…and the kids go CRAZY over them! BONUS!
Here’s to long, lazy, lingering summer days…until next year
Mango & Raspberry Popsicles
Ingredients
FOR THE MANGO LAYER:
- 1 large mango peeled, pitted and cubed (about 250g net)
- 1/2 tbsp lemon/lime juice
- water/coconut water as needed
FOR THE RASPBERRY LAYER:
- 100 g frozen raspberries
- 1 tbsp honey
- water/coconut water as needed
Instructions
- In a blender, combine your mango chunks with the lemon juice and start blending, adding liquid slowly through the top hole in the blender’s lid about 2 tablespoons at a time. You want the consistency to be that of a thick but pourable smoothie. Taste and adjust as needed with more lemon juice or some honey if needed, although mango is usually sweet enough. Pour into a jug and set aside.
- In the same blender (no need to wash it), combine the raspberries and honey, and repeat the process of adding liquid slowly as you blend until it is smooth and pourable. Taste and adjust sweetness. If you dislike raspberry seeds, now is the time to strain it through a sieve, although I personally don’t mind them.
- In your popsicle moulds, pour your alternating layers of fruit purees; if you want the layers to be super tidy and separate then freeze each time for 10 minutes before adding the next layer. Once you have added all your layers, place popsicle mould covers on and freeze till solid. If you are using paddle sticks/spoons, then you will need to freeze the popsicles for 10-15 minutes first so that they are partially frozen & you can place the sticks in upright and not have them fall to the side, then return them to the freezer to freeze completely.
