Tag: Mango

Sunshine Smoothie for Two ~ 100th Blogpost!

Sunshine Smoothie1

 

Woohoo (with more o’s than I can type)!!! This is my 100th blogpost! I know I should have reached this teeny-tiny (quite huge for me of course!) milestone a long time back but I’m glad I did. I thank each and everyone of you for being with me on this journey. And even tolerating my sporadic absence. You guys are sweetest. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Really 🙂

I’m sure we all agree on this that no celebration is complete without a cake. And I know I should have brought one today but instead, I come bearing smoothie and I ain’t sorry. This is no ordinary smoothie, it’s a sunshine smoothie! Yes, pure liquid sunshine for breakfast and you won’t need anything else. Great way to get lots of fruit in your system. So go fruit wild this summer. This one is mindbogglingly refreshing!

 

Sunshine Smoothie2

 

This fruity concoction is so creamy, it may trick you into thinking there is ice-cream involved. This smoothie is created using shockingly simple ingredients aka fruits and nothing else! I’m a huge fan of frozen banana whip and it works as a great base for a smoothie. I made this whip for breakfast last week with frozen kiwi and banana and it turned out totally amazeballs. The idea was sparked then to turn it into a gorgeous smoothie.

I went fruit crazy and added mango (my fav), banana, kiwi and orange with a squeeze of lime and a spoon of honey, blend and Ta Da! You get this tropical heaven. Truly summer in your glass! (See I didn’t whine about the hottest, sunniest weather we’re experiencing here even once.. Ha!)

Put your feet up and enjoy this citrus bursting smoothie. It’ll brighten up your day and make the weather certainly more tolerable. Trust me.

Sunshine Smoothie for Two

Serves: 2 obnoxiously | Prep time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients:

  • 1 large frozen mango, previously peeled & sliced
  • 1 large frozen banana, previously peeled & sliced
  • 2 frozen kiwi, previously peeled & sliced
  • 2 oranges, peeled, seeded and sliced
  • Juice from 1 lime
  • 6-8 ice-cubes
  • 1 Tbsp honey (optional)

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients in a blender on high speed till you get a smooth consistency (for about 2-3 minutes). Serve in tall glasses.

*You may turn this smoothie into green smoothie by adding 1 cup of your favorite greens.

*You may swap kiwi with frozen chunks of pineapple. Whatever rocks your boat!

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Fresh Mint & mango Creamsicle Ice-cream

You do not think that ice-cream week on blog will go by without the addition of an ice-cream whipped with our fave seasonal fruit to my repertoire? Of course not… I wouldn’t let that happen! And yes.. You have guessed it right… You know how much I love my mango and they taste best chilled..  So while deciding on 7 flavors to be included in this week-long marathon I am participating alone in (!sigh!), mango unquestionably topped the list!

Fresh Mint & Mango Creamsicle Ice-cream1

But just the plain mango ice-cream wouldn’t do the justice to the ‘ice-cream week’ as the idea is to create something really special in the comfort of your home and without the use of ice-cream maker. Plus, perhaps there are zillion versions of plain mango ice-cream already doing rounds on the internet. So why do another version just like what is already there!

The hunt for that perfect combination started… What do we know and what have we learnt? Mangoes are sweet, juicy and succulent fruit which goes really well with fresh mint. Remember this? Toasted coconut and mango chunks would add a bit of a texture to the otherwise perfectly creamy smooth ice-cream.. And a dash of lemon juice to cut that sweetness.. Done deal!

Fresh Mint & Mango Creamsicle Ice-cream2

Bringing the flavor of fresh mint to the cream was an easy thing. I used the method which worked perfectly for me here. I added mint leaves to the cream and let it sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Trust me the flavor kick was there without adding even a drop of mint extract! I toasted the desiccated coconut using gas stove itself though you can use oven, I am more comfortable with this method as I am scared of getting burnt coconut in the oven. Let’s get started then!

Fresh Mint & Mango Creamsicle Ice-cream3

Fresh Mint & Mango Creamsicle Ice-cream

Yields: around 8 scoops

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup fresh medium fat cream (40% fat)
  • 1 handful of fresh mint leaves
  • 2 Tbsp sugar (more if mango used is not sweet enough)
  • 1 mango, peeled, pureed
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup toasted coconut
  • 1 mango, peeled, finely diced

Directions:

For toasted coconut:

Toast the desiccated coconut in a pan over a medium heat on gas stove.

For oven: Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 170 C. Put the desiccated coconut in baking tray and bake for 3-5 minutes. Keep a close watch as you do not want burnt coconut.

For making ice-cream:

Mix cream and mint leaves in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to extract the flavors from mint to cream. Use sieve to separate mint leaves from cream.

Add sugar to cream and whip till you get soft and fluffy consistency. Gently fold in pureed mango, lemon juice, toasted coconut and diced mangoes to the cream and spoon the mix in airtight container. Let it freeze for 4-5 hours and serve it.

*For any left-overs, let the ice-cream thaw for 15 minutes before serving. Run hot water on the ice-cream scoop before scooping the ice-cream out.

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Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of Basil

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of basil1

A true breakfast smoothie which is wholesome on its own and will keep you full till lunch hour.

This summer, I am trying to bring you as many mango recipes as possible before we run out of them for another year. Of course, we can freeze its chunks or pulp but it won’t be as good as having them fresh in the heat of summer when they are in abundance. Gosh! It would be good to be able to have mangoes all year round, isn’t it?! Anyways… I definitely plan on freezing lots and lots of mangoes til I run out of place in my freezer. Today’s recipe calls for frozen chunks of mango. So you can dice mango in pieces at night and freeze them overnight to make this smoothie in the morning.

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of basil2

Mango and banana is a classic combo! You can’t go wrong with it. Juicy, succulent mango whipped with creamy bananas. Heaven!

I am going to use frozen chopped bananas as well. It helps me attain smooth, thick and luscious consistency. These have become a true staple in my house. I deliberately buy them only to chop them and toss them in airtight container to freeze away.

Added to this classic combo is spoonfuls of quick-cooking oats. Anyone who hates oats won’t even know you have put them in there! So great for those picky-eaters! (I mean kids, of course! Not me!!! 😛 )

The huge flavor kick comes from the basil leaves added to the smoothie. So it is must.. do not skip or it wont taste the same!

Another benefit of this smoothie is that it is sugar-free. Mangoes in my part of the world are super-sweet and bananas I used were overripe which means they were pretty sweet too which helped me in omitting the sugar completely. If you feel the mangoes you have got are not sweet enough, add spoonful of honey to your smoothie.

You can easily make this smoothie vegan by using coconut milk or soy milk. Personally, I think coconut milk would go really well with mango and banana.

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of basil3

Mango & Banana Oatmeal Smoothie with a hint of Basil

Yields: 3 large or 4 small glasses

Ingredients:

  • Frozen chunks from 1 mango
  • Frozen chunks from 2 bananas
  • 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 4-5 basil leaves
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup cold water or a little more
  • 6-8 ice-cubes

Directions:

Add all the ingredients to the blender and blitz them into smooth mixture. Add more water if consistency is too thick for you. Garnish with fresh cherry and serve immediately.

*Add 2 Tbsp of honey if mango used is not sweet enough.

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Mango Mint Margarita

Mango Mint Margarita2

Its a lazy afternoon.

Its a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Can you feel the laziness in my bones yet??!!

Oh God… This is going to be ONE lazy post!

And looks like Lazy is going to be the ‘word of the day’ today!!!

But don’t you worry… I have got you THE Ultimate Drink which will compensate for my laziness sluggishness at typing this post!

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Please don’t blame me for being lazy lethargic as it seems like this Sunday arrived after ages and I am trying to rejuvenate! This drink seemed like a perfect option at the current state of affairs.

A bombastic flavor from mango stirred with zingy mint, a pinch of salt and tangy lemon totally uplifts this drink to a new level.

Oh I feel a whole lot better already! So get your blenders out and start blitzing this, like right now!!!!

Enjoy your Sunday! 🙂

Mango Mint Margarita3

Mango Mint Margarita

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and roughly chopped (I used Alphonso mangoes)
  • A handful of Mint leaves, washed and roughly chopped
  • 3 Tbsp Triple Sec (I used Monin’s)
  • Juice of 1 small lemon
  • A pinch of salt
  • 6-8 ice-cubes
  • 1 cup cold water (or a bit more as per preferred consistency)

Directions:

Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend thoroughly for about 2 minutes. Add more cold water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

*For an Adult version, mix 30 ml tequila with 60 ml of the above mixture.

 

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Mini Mango No-Bake Cheese Cake

Mini Mango Cheese Cake1

Mother’s day is just round the corner (May 12th) so I guess its high time we talk about it. MOTHER is the most celebrated person in everyone’s life!

My mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me… Ever! She has been an inspiration, a best friend, a constant supporter and a role model. She has taught me many things and one of the best thing has been ‘to care’.

So let’s pamper her on at least this one day dedicated completely to mothers. She deserves brunch that she doesn’t have to prepare and to be showered with gifts she did not have to wrap. One day in a year is not too much to ask for when our mothers have stuck with us throughout during our various temper-tantrums. It’s waaay too little in fact!

So here is an inspiration dessert to make your Mother’s day celebration even more memorable! Your mumma will be proud of you! And don’t you think that this cheese cake going to be difficult to make. In fact its so easy that it will be ready even before you know it. Such an easy, no-bake treat and can be prepared in advance! 🙂

Mini Mango Cheese Cake2

I have used the recipe featured in Masterchef Australia by Matt Moran (he is sooo cute!).

Servings: Makes 8 individual mini mango cheese cakes, Requires: 8 silicone molds (I used heart shaped)

Ingredients:

For cheesecake base:

  • 8 digestive biscuits, coarsely crumbled
  • 2 Tbsp butter, melted

For cheesecake filling:

  • 250 gm mango puree (I pureed mango Alphonso)
  • 250 gm cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup caster sugar (or more if your mangoes are not so sweet.. mine were)
  • 1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin
  • 1/4 cup cold water
  • 2 tsp lemon/lime juice
  • 1/4 cup mango, diced into small cubes
  • Mint leaves, to garnish

Directions:

  1. Mix crumbled digestive biscuits and butter in a small bowl. Take 1 Tbsp of crumble mixture and press at the base of the silicone mold with a flat based glass. Repeat the procedure for rest of the molds and put them in refrigerator until you prepare the cheesecake filling.
  2. In the blender, process mango puree, cream cheese and caster sugar till smooth.
  3. Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 2 minutes to soften. Place the bowl in a microwave for 30 seconds on High, until the gelatin dissolves.
  4. With the motor of the blender running, add the melted gelatin slowly to the cheesecake filling mixture and process until smooth then add lemon/lime juice.
  5. Divide the filling among the molds, place into the fridge to set for 2-3 hours.
  6. Un-mold the cheesecake carefully from the silicone mold by passing the knife around the edges. Serve it topped with mango cubes and a mint leave.

*You can substitute agar agar or chinagrass for gelatin to make it completely vegetarian.

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