Cucumber Lime Paletas

Weee it's FRIDAY!  The weekend is HERE! Sort of.  Almost.  Close enough, right?  Anyway, this weekend is supposed to full of absolutely beautiful weather, at least in New York, and I couldn't be happier about it. Governor's Ball is going to be amazing on Saturday, and I plan on enjoying every moment of it.  Sunshine, music, delicious food, and a whole day with friends- what more could anyone ask for, right?

Since this weekend is set to be full of sunshine and some hot weather, I figure that we could all use a refreshing paleta to cool off with.  Paletas are nothing new anymore, but in case you don't know, they're Latin American ice pops made from fresh fruit. They're incredibly refreshing, and are a summertime treat that I grew up with.  My mom would make me and my sister paletas all the time when we were kids with whatever fruit we happened to have around.  As much as I love ice cream pops, paletas really are my favorite frozen treats (aside from ice cream, of course).  They're so refreshing and can be made in an infinite number of flavors.  They're also ridiculously easy- all you have to do is stick everything in a blender, blend away until all your fruit is completely smooth, and then pour into ice pop molds.  A few hours later, you'll have the best way to cool off during hot summer days.  

I wanted to try something a bit different with these paletas, and I settled on this cucumber lime version as soon as I saw it.  I've never actually made anything with cucumber, but since I always hear that it's such a refreshing ingredient, I figured paletas made with cucumber water would be amazing.  The addition of a little lime and fresh ginger add a little complexity to the overall flavor of the paletas, but in the end, they're just a delicious and invigorating treat that you won't be able to get enough of; I promise you'll like these!  On a somewhat related note, I believe there's going to be a paletas vendor at Governor's Ball this weekend, so you'll know that I'll definitely get at least one (or two) throughout the course of the day, and I'm sure I'll get inspired to make more unusual varieties of paletas.  For now though, enjoy, and happy weekend!

Cucumber Lime Paletas
recipe from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

1 large cucumber, peeled
1 cup simple syrup, chilled
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon grated ginger

Directions

Combine the cucumber, simple syrup, lime juice, and grated ginger in a blender, and blend until smooth and liquified.  Pass the mixture through a strainer into a large measuring cup, and then pour into popsicle molds. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours.  Enjoy!

Makes 8 popsicles