Hi, foodies in the Hive!

We are going through a heat wave in northeastern Venezuela. The hottest days are forecast to be today, tomorrow (Sunday), and Monday. I don't know if the forecast is accurate, since in my opinion, Friday was much hotter than today, for example. Anyway, for these hot days, we must stay hydrated. That's why today I want to share with you the recipe for a smoothie made of Malay apples, coconut water, and plums that will keep you all hydrated, cool, and with a good attitude to face the sun.

I think you'll agree that it's special for those who want to cool off on a hot or busy day; it's vegan and contains no added sugar, so anyone may want to take a sip. I love it and I hope you will, too.

Heatstroke, a severe heat illness

Once I was on my way to work and saw an old man in his eighties suffering from what looked to me like heatstroke. The man was sitting on the ground, sweating profusely and unable to move; as I was about to cross the street to help him, I saw a boy arrive with a glass and a pitcher of cold water that he had brought from his house a few meters away from the man. Before I could act or yell at the boy not to give him the water, a woman arrived and took the jug of water from the boy and poured it on the man's head. Long story short, the woman was a nurse and divinity had put her there at that moment to save the life of that old man. The boy was shocked.

We must be especially careful with our children and the elderly, as they're the most likely to get dehydrated in high temperatures--or becuase of exertion--and suffer a "heatstroke." Cold drinks are meant to be consumed before exposing yourself to the heat and not during a heatstroke, so watch out!

A heatstroke is first and foremost a stroke, so it can cause serious damage to your organs and even kill you if you don't know what to do immediately or don't receive proper medical attention. Once you suffer a heatstroke, you can cool your body by immersing it in cool or cold water as soon as possible; you can also put damp compresses on your skin, all over your body. Many people who don't know how to proceed will think of giving you cold fluids to drink, but this will only give you stomach cramps and worsen your whole situation seriously.

So during the hot season, drink plenty of water and treat yourself to a delicious hydrating smoothie, like this one I have prepared for you today.

2 cups of Malay apple cut in pieces of 3-4 cm.
2 cups of cold coconut water
plums for garnish

Before we get down to business, let me tell you about the advantages of the ingredients in this smoothie for the heat season.

Malay Apples

I plucked these apples from our tree in the backyard. They are not too big, but they're sweet and juicy.

Personally, I find this fruit delicious; it leaves an aftertaste of fresh grape wine--in fact, Malay apples are used to make wine--. It's not a nutritional bomb, but it has plenty of minerals and vitamins, and it has fewer calories than an apple.

Plums

I bought these plums at Los Gochos; they always have ripe and fresh plums at a good price, $2.4 a kilo. I used these for decoration--because smoothies like looking good.

On the other hand, ripe plums have a lot of water, almost 90%, and are also very low in calories.

Coconut Water

When I make coconut milk, I use regular water instead of the coconut water; in this way, the milk I make lasts more days in my fridge--fresh up to a week. Then sometimes I use the coconut water to naturally sweeten smoothies.

Finally, although it's a scientific fact that coconut water doesn't hydrate you more than just water, it's also a fact that it contains natural electrolytes, such as potassium, manganese, and sodium, which help our body maintain normal levels of fluid inside our cells and transport nutrients to them. I don't know if I anyone can tell you that coconut water is not perfect for quenching your thirst on a hot sunny day, especially if you are near the sea.

Making a smoothie is as simple as can be. All you need is frozen fruit and cold liquids to help your blender process the fruit. So the process of making a smoothie starts hours before, when you wash, peel (if necessary), cut into pieces and store your fruit to freeze.

Malay apples are a little hollow at the top; so it's easy for an insect or dirt to get in. I soak them for half an hour in enough water to cover them and add a splash of apple cider vinegar (to kill bacteria). This helps them hydrate and make them very pretty; a trick, in case yours are looking wilted--which happens often as they are so delicate.

Then I cut them into pieces and put them in plastic containers I reuse.

These containers go into the freezer.

Make sure the every Malay apple is cut into small enough pieces to prevent your blender from working too hard. Also, discard the seeds. Cut the sides of the plum, avoiding the pit, and set aside. Reach for your blender and start blending!

Pour the Malay apple pulp pieces into the blender. Pour the coconut water well chilled; if possible, half frozen. Blend until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy; this is the smoothie consistency.

I used plums to decorate my smoothie. I saw this on the web some time ago: you take a slice of fruit and stick it to the wall of the glass to make the drink more eye-catching. With plums, this is very easy, as every slice will adhere like a suction cup; just place the pulp side towards the glass and press a little bit.