When I think of Agua Fresca I think of Mexican markets on hot days, of walking in from the street to a cool Mercado to find a fruit stand with rows of enormous glass jars filled with bright-colored refrescos – white for horchata – dark rich brown for Tamarindo – purple for Jamaica… and then there are the aguas made with fresh fruits and veggies, with less sugar but every bit as “quenchy” and delicious.
Here is a healthy recipe for Agua Fresca de Cucumber.
Agua Fresca de Cucumber is a refreshing way to get some veggies into your day and stay hydrated. Most of us don’t drink enough water every day. If one of your healthy habit goals is to drink more water, this is a great way of doing it. The added benefits to this agua de pepino is the pepino! Cucumber is rich in vitamins C, K, and B, and also according to WebMD, rich in minerals like copper, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. It’s hard to drink the 6 glasses of water a day and pepino is 95% water! This one has celery which adds even more vitamins and minerals, and lest we neglect our chilito, this one also has jalapeño!
This recipe for agua fresca does not call for straining the drink, but some agua fresca aficionados like to strain their aguas. You can strain or not strain. Up to you. We like to blend it and not strain it because the pulp contains fiber. But if you like your aguas to be more like the a traditional agua fresca that you would get in a Mexican market, strain away!
We encourage you to get creative and use other fruits such as watermelon and melon to make aguas. You can add a little sugar or stevia if you like them sweet. Make ahead, strain and leave in the refri for later.
Happy Healthy Drinking – ¡Salud!
De Las Mias 