Mad for Mangoes:
Mango Lassi & Mango Beet Smoothies

Two mango smoothies, one a Mango Lassi with Fresh Mint, another that mixes mango and beets, creating such beautiful color and best of all, plant-based sweetness without refined sugar. Who's mad for mangoes? Are you? (I am too!) Do you have a "mango story"? (I do!)
Mad for Mangoes! ♥ KitchenParade.com, two mango smoothies, a mango celebration. One is an Indian-style Mango Lassi, the other an earthy mix of mangoes and beets.

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What's Your Mango Story?! Here's Mine.

So everyone remembers their first time – or at least so says the National Mango Board about our first taste of fresh mango. (What, you thought some other first time? Really?!)

“Everyone’s got a mango story,” said the board’s marketing director during a St. Louis stop in May. “What’s yours?”

Swoosh! I hadn’t thought of my “first time” story for years but once she asked, suddenly there I was, whisked back in a mango time machine to the Washington Mall on the 4th of July where a man with a pushcart was selling mango and papaya so ripe, we bent at the waist to stop the juices from dripping to our elbows.

So yeah, that’s my mango story, what’s yours?

A Funny Mango Moment

Ever wonder what three food media people might do before tasting a dish? Pull out our cameras, of course!


St. Louis food writers judging a mango cooking contest sponsored by the Mango Board ♥ KitchenParade.com

Last month, the National Mango Board came to town pitching mangoes. Two top St. Louis chefs, Josh Galliano of Monarch Restaurant and Nick Miller of Harvest were charged with creating dishes that captured the "local" flavors of St. Louis. Judging the event were me (on the left in the mango-colored sweater, of course!), Evan Benn (in the center) who writes the Hip Hops beer blog for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Katie O'Connor (on the right) from the wonderful Sauce Magazine. When the first dish came out, each one of us, without prompting and without realizing the others were doing it too, pulled out our cameras.

St. Louis photographer Jonathan Gayman caught the moment! (More pictures? See Jonathan's blog, Shoot to Cook.) I was also pleased to meet two new-ish St. Louis food bloggers for the first time, Natalie McLaury of The Sweets Life and Libby Tempel of Cafe Libby.



MANGO LASSI with FRESH MINT

An Indian-inspired mango smoothie
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes 2 cups
  • 1 mango, cubed (about 4 – 5 ounces)
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1/3 cup low-fat yogurt
  • 1/8 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla to taste
  • Pinch cardamom, optional
  • 3 or 4 small leaves fresh mint, optional but marvelous
  • Sugar to taste

If you like, set aside a few cubes of mango for garnishing. Mix all the ingredients except the sugar in a blender or food processor. Take a taste, then decide how to proceed, sugar may not be needed at all. Serve and enjoy!

ALANNA’s TIPS A Mango Lassi is an easy addiction! If you can’t find fresh mangoes, look for jars of mango slices in the produce section of larger supermarkets or cans of mango purée in a market that sells Indian ingredients. Trader Joe’s some times sells bags of frozen mango pieces, they’re great. For an extra-special treat, when making the Mango Lassi, substitute a dollop of sour cream for the yogurt. Delicious!
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: 57 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 2mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 10g Carb; 1g Fiber; 9g Sugar; 3g Protein WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 3



MANGO & BEET SMOOTHIES

Beets add jewel color & sweetness
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Makes 2-1/4 cups
  • 1 mango, cubed (about 4 – 5 ounces)
  • 1 cup low-fat goat milk (or skim milk)
  • 3 small canned beets (about 3 ounces)
  • Juice of a fresh lime, about 1 tablespoon

Mix the mango, milk, beets and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Serve and enjoy!

ALANNA's TIPS Who else is a fan of the low-fat goat milk at Trader Joe's? Love this stuff, here it's a great substitute for skim milk, really adds to the earthy flavors. Beets might seem like an odd addition for a smoothie but they really work. Beets are sweet – so offer up a plant-based source of unrefined sugar. And the color is gorgeous! Some of the natural earthiness comes through but it’s really the mango that carries the flavor. Not up for a Mango & Beet Smoothie? Okay, how about a Banana Mango Smoothie? or a Cantaloupe Smoothie?
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: 50 Calories; 1g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 2mg Cholesterol; 58mg Sodium; 10g Carb; 1g Fiber; 8g Sugar; 2g Protein WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 1 & SmartPoints 2 & Freestyle 2 SMOOTHIE FOR DIABETICS? Others may have the same experience as here. Drunk slowly, a full cup of this smoothie sweetened only with beets, no refined sugar, did not create a sugar spike.

More Mango Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

Mango Chicken Salad Easy Skinny Turkey Roll-ups with Fresh Veggies Mexican Mango Trifle
~ more mango recipes ~
~ more smoothie recipes ~

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ mango recipes ~
~ beet recipes ~
~ yogurt recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Alanna, I'm bookmarking both of those recipes! I'll probably swap fresh mango for canned one (the quality of mangoes is miserable here). For the smoothie - these weren't canned with vinegar, were they?)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mango and beets? Interesting combination!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I looove beets and I looove mango! Can't go wrong when they go together. I have to try this! =)

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna