Cucumber Agua Fresca – 4 ways

Aguas Frescas are refreshing latin drinks made by blending fresh fruit, sugar and water. They’re perfect for spring and summer as fruits are in abundance. Here I’m sharing 4 variations of Cucumber Agua Fresca. So delish!

It’s been almost a week since we got back from Cozumel and the realization that we’re back to reality has set in. It was such an amazing trip that we didn’t want to come back.  We even fantasized about getting jobs at the resort where we stayed (InterContinental Presidente). Mr. Delish’s job would be the “Origami Towel Guy” and I would be the lady that cuts the fresh flowers from the property to place in the guests rooms. Doesn’t that sound amazing? 🙂

During our trip we accomplished everything we set out to do: RELAX!!! Even though there are tons of things to do 0n this Island, we had no agenda and didn’t worry about having to do this or that. Well like I said except to relax, enjoy the food, the town and the water. Speaking of water, I actually got to snorkel for the first time in my life! I can’t believe I never did that before despite the fact that I pretty much grew up by the ocean at a beach house where my family spent almost every weekend, vacation & holiday.

Thru this experience, I learned about a fear I didn’t know I had: fear of breathing under water. See, I’m an excellent swimmer, I love the ocean, and certainly, I’m not afraid of what’s “under” there. Having an almost panic attack while I was snorkeling was very much unexpected! I started out by submerging my head into the water just to get used to the breathing. I had a hard time exhaling and inhaling thru my mouth but I thought I would get used to it so off I went into deeper water. During this entire time I was shaking deep inside and was feeling very anxious. This is supposed to be a relaxing activity, but that’s not exactly how I was feeling. It came to a point where I thought I couldn’t breath anymore and lifted my head up but couldn’t possibly manage to go back down again even after trying a few times. I started to panic.  My reaction caught my husband off guard.  He was with me the entire time and tried to calm me down and had me float on my back with his arms underneath me.

A lifeguard by the snorkel pier saw all this and asked if we were okay. I said yes. Oh and I almost forgot.  At one point my panic got us caught in the mooring lines so I could hold on and try to catch my breath.  Well who knew that if you hold on or rub against the lines, you get stung by all the little creatures living on there!  Yes stung.  Very badly.  Sort of like getting stung by a jelly fish.  Well we finally made it to shore and both my husband & I had to get vinegar from the lifeguard to put on the “rope rash” to help take the pain away from the stings.

I’m an adventurous person and have never felt this kind of fear before. Not even when I jumped out of a plane from 13,000 feet! How could I be scared by snorkeling when I love the ocean so much? The next day I put on my big girl panties and we tried it again as I was not going to let fear conquer me. After a few tries I was able to follow my husband and see one of the most amazing & beautiful things I have ever seen in my life! Tons of friendly fish, corals, part of a sunken boat and all different ocean life. It was as if we were in a 3D movie but 1,000 times better!

I still have lots of work to do with my fear and when I’m 100% ready, we’ll go for scuba diving certification. Yes, I’m probably a little ambitious but that’s how I roll 🙂 #Goals

Even with all the snorkeling excitement, I was still inspired during the trip to make some new dishes. I will share them soon on this blog. I was surprised how willing the various restaurant’s staff were to share recipes with me. One even told me how to do the dish step by step! Before I post them, I have to do a couple of tests to make sure it’s something you can make at home easily.

For now, please enjoy this nutritious and easy to make Cucumber Agua Fresca (Agua Fresca de Pepino). I used to make it without the cucumber’s peel but I changed that after my dearest cousin told me this is how she makes it. It was the best decision ever! The peel makes it more nutritious and adds a richer flavor. She also uses a stalk of celery for each cucumber you use so I may have to give that a try next time. I plan on serving this for our Memorial Day BBQ gathering. The kids will get version #1 and the adults version #4 😉 (see the recipe below).

Enjoy!

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