Watermelon Basil Slushie

When I was little, I used to love getting things like Sno Cones, Mr. Mistys at Dairy Queen, and Hawaiian Ices at the fair.  They were so refreshing...and so sugary.  Just what my 10 year old self loved!  I can't say I have had anything like that in about 15 years, but good memories go along with those because they were always consumed at places I had a lot of fun at as a kid!  I guess the large amount of sugar turned me off and the fact that most of them are not made from actual real fruit.  Eric still loved slushies, and still buys them at the gas station by our house.  Because he does not care if they are sugary.  He often comes home with a large one. You know the bright red and blue ones you know are just sugar water and color?  He loves them.  I am trying to get him to drop some of the refined sugars, but you know how that goes.

So, I thought I would make a healthy slushie.  Just to prove that they don't have to be loaded with sugar and color to be good.  I had a watermelon waiting for me at home, and I was in need of some cooling down so it was perfect!  It was super simple to make, save cutting the watermelon which can be a little time consuming.  But once that is out of the way it goes really fast.  I picked some fresh basil from my patio and added that, along with some lemon juice and a little stevia.  I buzzed it up in the blender and voila!  Refreshing deliciousness!  It was so good!  Way better than any of the slushies I remember having as a kid.

If you wanted to make this a little boozy and add some tequila that might be good too, but I was just looking to hydrate at that point.  The watermelon made it a lovely pink color naturally, and it was sweet but not sickeningly so.  I will have to remake this again and share it with Eric, since I just made it for myself this time.  I can't believe I have never tried making anything like this before, it is pretty awesome, and is perfect on  hot day!

Watermelon Basil Slushie
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 3 cups watermelon, cut into chunks
• a few Tbsp fresh basil leaves
• juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
• about 1/2 tsp liquid stevia (or to taste)
• 3 cups ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender with the watermelon at the bottom, and blend (but not too long or it will be all liquid) until the ice is finely crushed.  Pour into a nice tall glass, and enjoy!