Cucumber‑Ginger Agua Fresca 🍹

Ingredients

• 4 cups cold water, plus extra for diluting
• 4 limes
• 1 large cucumber (or 2 small), scrubbed and roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and sliced (adjust if you like more zing)
• 1 cup sugar
• Ice, cucumber slices and lime slices, for serving

Directions

1. Boil 1 cup sliced ginger with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water, simmer until thick, strain and let cool.
2. Blend chopped cucumber, 4 whole limes (with rind and pith removed) and 4 cups water until smooth.
3. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Press/ squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids.
4. Sweeten by stirring in 1/2 cup of the ginger simple syrup.
5. Taste & adjust: add more water if it’s too strong, or tweak sweetness.
6. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let flavors meld.
7. Serve over ice, garnished with cucumber or lime slices.

Tips & Variations

• For extra zing, steep a few slices of ginger in the finished drink for 5–10 minutes.
• Swap out honey for agave or sugar to suit dietary preferences.
• Turn it into a mock‑tail: top with sparkling water or a splash of coconut water.
• Store leftovers in the fridge for 2–3 days; stir before serving.

Source

• https://www.tiktok.com/@modhippiehabits/video/7512952337359490346

Summer Garden Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing

Ingredients - Salad

• 1 medium cucumber, sliced
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 small zucchini, halved and sliced
• 4 to 6 leaves Bibb or butter lettuce
• 6 to 8 leaves fresh basil, torn

Ingredients - Goat Cheese Dressing

• 4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

For the dressing: Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salad: In a medium bowl, toss together cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, and zucchini. Distribute lettuce leaves among salad plates. Spoon vegetable mixture on top of lettuce. Garnish with torn basil leaves. Serve with goat cheese dressing.

Source

• https://www.ourstate.com/garden-party-4-bright-beautiful-salads/

Watermelon Feta Salad

Ingredients

• fresh watermelon, diced small
• goat's-milk or sheep’s-milk feta block, crumbled
• avocado, diced small
• cucumber, diced small

Directions

1. Combine all
2. Chill
3. Serve

Notes
What you really want to look for is goat's-milk or sheep’s-milk feta, whether domestic or imported from Greece or Bulgaria, which should have a much creamier texture and a flavor that balances saltiness with the characteristic funk of sheep’s milk.

Tzatziki Sauce for 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled
• 16 oz (2 cups) cold plain Greek yogurt (either full fat or fat free will work)
• 2-3 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped dill, fresh or frozen
• 1 1/2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (Juice of 1/2 lemon; please squeeze a real lemon)
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Peel and finely diced the cucumber and strain of it’s juices. I squeezed it really tight by the fistful. Getting rid of excess juice is important so that you tzatziki sauce isn’t watery the next day. 
2. Combine the strained and chopped cucumber with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dill, salt (add more to taste) and pepper. 
3. Mix everything together and add more salt to taste if needed. It’s best to refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving to let the flavors meld. It tastes even better after refrigerating overnight! 

Notes
Skill Level: Easy
Cost To Make: $4-$5
Serving: 3 cups

Source
http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/10/10/tzatziki-sauce-recipe