Watermelon Granita

It's 40 degrees (104 Fahrenheit). 40. degrees. It's at that point where you feel as if your insides has stuck together like gum and basic human functions like breathing and eating take too much energy. 30 degrees is great for creamy nicecream and icy smoothies and refreshing salads, but at 40 I rarely get hungry and if I do I have to peel myself off the couch and there is no way in this fresh hell that I am turning on an oven.

Watermelon is the perfect summer fruit; it's refreshing, hydrating, and digests quickly so it doesn't leave you feeling heavy. Also, digesting high calorie and denser foods requires more energy from the body, which produces heat. It's really a minuscule difference but I'm willing to try anything.

After my birthday where three people brought watermelon because they don't know what else vegans eat, I was in abundance of this juicy fruit and didn't want it to go to waste so I froze it thinking about some sort of healthy slushie (I don't know if you have these where you're from; they're also called slush puppies or like the frozen cokes from Maccas) idea for later. The first time I made it it was literally just frozen watermelon blended and it was the best meal I had eaten in a while.

RECIPE

There really isn't a recipe to this. Just blend:

• frozen watermelon cubes

• coconut water (make sure no sugar is added if not using fresh)

• fresh mint or basil

• a squeeze of lime juice (if you're not sensitive to this food combining)

• frozen berries if you so desire (I really like strawberries with this)

• chia seeds (again, optional because again, this isn't really a recipe)

And that's really it. The ratio of watermelon : coconut water determines if this is sorbet, granita, or a slushie. Play around and see what suits you best.

Good luck for coping with the summer heat (if you're in the Southern Hemisphere). Global warming is real. Peace out.