recipes with karla :: watermelon paletas

so, today i am launching this new series of recipes with karla from {sal & azucar}! there is already a lovely contributor for the food section on this blog, sylvie from {the gourmande in the kitchen}, as she takes us on a round-up through several recipes on the food blogland every month. but now, at least until december, karla diaz cano (also one fab sponsor of this blog) will join sylvie and share a recipe + delicious photos taken by her, every month! her blog {sal & azucar} represents her adventure through food photography, and for all i know… her adventure is very exciting and colourful! you can learn a bit more about karla {here}. so, we shall have karla from now on with…

hey guys! my name is karla and i am so happy to be here. when my friend, twiggs, asked me to be a contributor for her beautiful blog, i cannot explain how excited i got. thank you twiggs, for having me on board!

the first recipe i am going to share with you is very simple, de-li-cious and super refreshing for these last days of summer. now, for a little background: paletas are a traditional frozen treat from mexico, basically, they are popsicles made with fresh fruits and other natural ingredients. there are made with water (paletas de agua) or made with milk or cream (paletas de crema) and you can find them in hundreds of flavors (literally!) all over the country in paleta shops (paleterias) or carts (carritos).

as you may know, we mexicans love chili peppers. there are so so many different kinds that i don’t think i even know them all! we use them in everything – salsa, tacos, eggs, meat, chicken, potato chips, fruit, candy and yes, you guessed it – paletas! i am sharing this version of watermelon {paletas} with the option of making them sweet and regular, or spicy. i hope you like this recipe. and until next month, when i will come back to share another recipe around here, i invite you to visit my blog, {sal & azucar}, where i regularly post recipes and all sorts of foodie bits.

what are the ingredients? (4-6 paletas)
2 cups chopped watermelon
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup water
juice of ½ lime
1 pinch salt

if you want sweet and spicy paletas, you need:
*1-2 teaspoons chili powder, like tajin (optional for spicy paletas)

how do you prepare this?
1. in a pot, place the water and the sugar. mix until the sugar is dissolved. remove this syrup from the heat and let it cool.
2. once the syrup cools, place it in the blender, along with the chopped watermelon, lime juice and salt. if you are using watermelon with seeds, you can blend them in or remove them if you wish. blend for about 30 seconds.
3. divide the watermelon mixture among your molds. fill them up a little less than 3/4 of the mold – the mixture will expand when frozen.
4. place in the freezer. after about 1-2 hours, insert the sticks (this helps the sticks stay in place) and let the paletas freeze for a few more hours, until solid.

for spicy {paletas}:
once you have your watermelon mix, add the chili powder and mix (just use a wooden spoon, no need to blend). then divide among your molds and freeze.

useful tips:
– lower your freezer temperature the lowest it can go and avoid opening and closing the freezer door
– depending on where you live, you can find the chili powder in supermarkets, specialty mexican food stores, or online.

and this was the debut for karla here on {a place for twiggs}! i hope you feel inspired by this recipe, and as the weekend in right here, you may want to try this, while you enjoy the last summer days! thank you so much, karla!

images: karla diaz cano for a place for twiggs