Turbinado Lemonade

One of the many reasons a lot of people consider going vegan is the lifestyle's beneficial impact on the environment. In the United States, 80% of our agricultural land goes toward farming livestock, a process which also pollutes the air with dust and bacteria and is responsible for using thousands of gallons of water, the vast reduction of which could drastically reduce drought and be better served on grains for direct human consumption. A lot of vegans don't stop there, though. They buy items from health food stores in bulk, collect reusable shopping bags, recycle, shop secondhand and do a lot of other things to reduce their environmental impact. We try to do a lot of these things, Chris and I, especially when it comes to reducing our use of plastic.

My partner, Chris, listens to public radio religiously. She heard about Glass Dharma, reusable glass straws, during a segment on one of her favorite shows. We quickly ordered our own and have been incredibly happy with our purchase. These straws are stylish, lightweight, and durable. They come in different designs as well, and can be ordered with carrying sleeves for when you eat out, and straw brushes, too. They really are just so pretty and I love to use them. Don't you think they're attractive? Check out those reusable ice cubes I picked up at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, too.

I like them so much and wanted to write about them I decided to write to Glass Dharma and see if I could give you some for free! They said, "yes!" and are going to give one lucky winner a $25 coupon code to redeem for glass straws and accessories. Woo hoo! Their lovely straws come in different lengths and widths and can also be ordered with decorate "dots" (see my photos). They also have a design with a slight bend for you bendy straw lovers! For $25, you could purchase a "sipper" sized straw with carrying case and have a bit leftover to go toward a cleaning brush. Or you could buy three "ice tea" or "sipper" sized straws and have some of your credit leftover for an accessory. However you want to make it work!

And, as per usual, you'll have to use the Rafflecopter widget located just below in order to enter. The first thing you have to do is "Like" the lizz delicious page on Facebook. All other modes of entry are optional, but will increase your chances of winning by three or five times! If you do not follow the instructions, any incomplete entries will be deleted once the giveaway deadline has been passed. Here's the widget! And once you're done, scroll down for a recipe from my book Summertime Sippers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Turbinado Lemonade

Lemonade is such a wonderful treat! I love making it and do so pretty regularly. It's so easy, too. I always have a bottle of lemon juice in my refrigerator, ready to go. This was another recipe I developed prior to having the idea for Summertime Sippers, my first cookbook which is devoted entirely to iced cold beverages for enjoying on warmer days of the year. If you'd like, you can even try three more recipes from the book by visiting its page on this website. Today I decided to make the recipe variation I included in the book, which uses turbinado sugar as opposed to white sugar. It gives the lemonade a rich, creamy flavor, similar to "brown sugar lemonade" you might find at some restaurants. The flavor is just slightly different. You can always use regular sugar, if you'd prefer.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup lemon juice
3/4 cups turbinado sugar
Water and/or ice

DIRECTIONS
In a 2-quart container, dissolve the sugar in slightly warmed, room temperature, or from the tap water. Stir or swish until dissolved. Add lemon juice and some ice and fill the rest of the container with cold water to the 2-quart line. Stir. Let chill completely before serving or serve over ice immediately!

Makes 2 quarts.

Thanks for reading, as usual!