The Nourishing Gourmet

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summer

Blackberry Ginger Kombucha Mock-ito

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This sparkling, cultured mocktail is filled to the brim with wild summer flavors - fresh mint, ripe blackberries and a spicy-sweet ginger syrup. The bubbliness comes from mineral water and your choice of kombucha or water kefir - fermented beverages that you can easily make at home! -- The Nourishing Gourmet

By Natalia Gill, from An Appetite For Joy

This sparkling, cultured mocktail is filled to the brim with wild summer flavors – fresh mint, ripe blackberries and a spicy-sweet ginger syrup. The bubbliness comes from mineral water and your choice of kombucha or water kefir – fermented beverages that you can easily make at home!

With mint overflowing in a pot on the deck and plenty of kombucha in the fridge, I started making mock classic mojitos to beat the Georgia heat – lime, mint, coconut sugar and kombucha.

But I was craving the addition of ginger so I made a mildly spicy simple syrup using the root and coconut sugar. It was delicious!

Bonus: candied ginger! Did you know that once you make ginger simple syrup, you are one step away from candied ginger? Once you strain the syrup, simply dehydrate the ginger (or bake at a very low temperature). Get step-by-step photos and directions here.

For more refreshing summer drinks, check out these great recipes:

This sparkling, cultured mocktail is filled to the brim with wild summer flavors - fresh mint, ripe blackberries and a spicy-sweet ginger syrup. The bubbliness comes from mineral water and your choice of kombucha or water kefir - fermented beverages that you can easily make at home! -- The Nourishing Gourmet

 

Blackberry Ginger Kombucha Mock-ito

This sparkling, cultured mocktail is filled to the brim with wild summer flavors – fresh mint, ripe blackberries and a spicy-sweet ginger syrup. The bubbliness comes from mineral water and your choice of kombucha or water kefir – fermented beverages that you can easily make at home!

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 teaspoons ginger simple syrup (below)
  • 1/2 lime, juiced (about 1.5 tablespoons juice)
  • 5 mint leaves
  • 5 blackberries
  • 1/2 cup kombucha
  • 1/4-1/2 cup sparkling mineral or soda water
  • Ice to fill the glass

Directions:

1. Pour the ginger simple syrup and lime juice into a glass. Add the mint leaves and muddle with a wooden spoon to release the oils.

2. Add 2 of the blackberries and muddle some more.

3. Add the kombucha and sparkling water. Fill the cup with ice and the remaining blackberries.

4. Stir and enjoy!

 

Ginger Simple Syrup

This spicy-sweet syrup is great in drinks or as a topping for yogurt or ice cream! Makes enough for 2-3 Mock-itos (up to 1/4 cup syrup). Keep refrigerated for up to one month.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced ginger
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar or sucanat
  • 1/3 cup water

1. Combine the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer, stirring as the sugar melts. Continue simmering uncovered, stirring occasionally until the volume of liquid reduces by about half. Strain the ginger and cool the syrup to room temp.

Ginger Simple Syrup
 
Author:
Recipe type: Sweetener
Serves: ¼ cup syrup
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This spicy-sweet syrup is great in drinks or as a topping for yogurt or ice cream! Makes enough for 2-3 Mock-itos (up to ¼ cup syrup). Keep refrigerated for up to one month.
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced ginger
  • ⅓ cup coconut sugar or sucanat
  • ⅓ cup water
Instructions
  1. Combine the ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer, stirring as the sugar melts. Continue simmering uncovered, stirring occasionally until the volume of liquid reduces by about half. Strain the ginger and cool the syrup to room temp.

 
Blackberry Ginger Kombucha Mock-ito
 
Author:
Recipe type: Mocktail
Serves: One
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This little mocktail is a sippable mosaic - bubbly kombucha, tart limes, sugar and pops of fresh mint and ginger. Your tastebuds won't miss a thing!
Ingredients
  • 2-3 teaspoons ginger simple syrup (above)
  • ½ lime, juiced (about 1.5 tablespoons juice)
  • 5 mint leaves
  • 5 blackberries
  • ½ cup kombucha
  • ¼-1/2 cup sparkling mineral or soda water
  • Ice to fill the glass
Instructions
  1. Pour the ginger simple syrup and lime juice into a glass. Add the mint leaves and muddle with a wooden spoon to release the oils.
  2. Add 2 of the blackberries and muddle some more.
  3. Add the kombucha and sparkling water. Fill the cup with ice and the remaining blackberries.
  4. Stir and enjoy!

Cold Mixed Berry Fruit Soup (Gluten, Grain, Dairy, and Sugar-Free)

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FruitSoup1

Nothing says summer like juicy, sweet berries. At the peak of the season, these tasty morsels are bursting with flavor, as well as all sorts of nutrients for the body. This cold mixed berry fruit soup is full of summer flavor and is the perfect end to an evening meal. This dessert won’t leave you feeling overly full and weighed down — it is light and refreshing. The lime juice adds a kick of brightness to your palette, while the balsamic adds a rich depth of flavor. Both acids work well to enhance the flavor of the fresh fruit.

Berries are one of my favorite foods. I don’t eat a lot of fruit, but when it comes to berries, I’m a fanatic. Especially blackberries. Those are my favorite and for good reason. Not only are they a tasty way to soothe my sweet tooth, but berries in general are low glycemic and full of fiber. Strawberries are a rich source of vitamin C, as are raspberries and blackberries. My mother always told me to eat for color. The richer the color of the fruit or vegetable, the more nutrition was in it. The rich reds, blues, and purples of berries means they are full of phytonutrients and antioxidants. All berries are good sources of minerals too, provided they were grown in healthy, living, mineral-rich soil.

Other recipes on The Nourishing Gourmet that include these amazing berries include the following: Summer Berry Ice Cream Pie, Strawberry Fool, Black Cod Salad with Blackberry Dressing, Blackberry Cream Gelatin, Strawberry Kefir Popsicles, Honey-Sweetened Raspberry Sauce.

FruitSoup5

For this recipe, any combination of berries could be used, depending on what is in season and available to you locally. This is a combination that I like, but I encourage you to experiment and come up with your own family favorite! Frozen fruit will also work, though it is a little thinner of a consistency than if you use fresh berries. Depending on the sweetness of your berries, you may not need any additional sweetener, but a little stevia or honey work nicely. Maple syrup even works well and adds a hint of additional flavor to the soup. You don’t have to, but it is simply divine topped with whipped cream, crème fraîche, yogurt, ice cream – you name it. If you’re dairy-free like me, Kimi’s whipped coconut cream is an amazing topper for this soup.

FruitSoup2

Cold Mixed Berry Fruit Soup (Gluten, Grain, Dairy, and Sugar-Free)
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 4
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Juicy, flavorful berries make this delicious cold soup a tasty, refreshing summertime dessert.
Ingredients
  • 5 ounces fresh organic strawberries
  • 5 ounces fresh organic blueberries
  • 5 ounces fresh organic raspberries
  • 5 ounces fresh organic blackberries
  • ¼ cup, plus 2 tbsp. fresh squeezed organic lime juice
  • 1 - 2 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
  • ½ - 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
  • Honey or stevia to taste (optional)
Instructions
  1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and purée until smooth.
  2. Pour the mixture through a strainer to catch all the seeds and pulp.
  3. Chill the soup in the fridge for a few hours or overnight before serving.
  4. Serve with a dollop of yogurt, crème fraîche, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, etc., and a few sprigs of mint.

Hi! My name is Jessica and I am a real food nut, avid reader and researcher, blossoming yogi, and animal lover. I have had a life-long passion for food and being in the kitchen is where I am the happiest and most comfortable. I began helping my mother cook and bake around the age of three and I’ve been in the kitchen ever since. I ended up working in a restaurant in my hometown for almost a decade, working in every position there and finally becoming the lead chef. My main mission in life is to provide real food recipes that are simple, yet delicious, as well as show how eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I love to show people how making even small changes in their diet and food selections can make a huge difference in their lives. Along the way, I’ll share stories of my own real food and health journeys, as well as ideas for how to live a healthier, more natural life. I’d love it if you’d stop by and visit me at my blog, Delicious Obsessions.