Blend On!

We may not be having tropical weather on this 4th of July, but that can’t stop you from enjoying a tropical drink!

Lately, I’ve been really into blending. Using the blender, I should say. We bought it last summer to enjoy tropical drinks (i.e. margaritas), but I hadn’t used it until last week. My cousins Eric and Grace (who live in different areas in Brooklyn) came over to my dad’s apartment after my PT appointment. I was making this spicy-chicken-Indian-dish (one packet of chicken tikka masala spices, one can coconut milk plus a 1/4 cup water, three tablespoons of tomato paste, frozen peas, sautéed onions mixed together in a pot and served over basmati rice – so good) and an Avocado Salad with Cumin-Lime Dressing from Everyday with Rachael Ray (naturally, I had to toss the avocados because my dad bought them so far in advance that they went bad, but the dressing was still good over romaine lettuce). I didn’t know what to make for dessert, and, as it was wicked hot that week, I didn’t want to turn on the oven. I decided on a mango lassi and my foray into blending thus began. One tip – if you’re following a recipe for a smoothie or a blended drink, don’t worry about diverging from the directions. Taste it and if you want more yogurt or fruit or think you’d like a little sparkling water (personally, I hate sparkling water), go ahead! Since, in all probability, you’re making a tropical drink, blending should be relaxing and stress free!

Mango Lassi
recipe from A Little Taste of India by Priya Wickramasinghe and Carol Selva Rajah

1 lb. 2 oz. ripe mango, chopped (you could also use mango pulp from the frozen food isle if mangoes aren’t in season)
1 cup chilled milk
1 cup plain yogurt

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and serve cold – add ice to make it a little colder if you like. So, actually, the book says you should blend or chop the mango into a pulp and then push it through a sieve to remove the fiber. I made it once with mango pulp from the store and there was no fiber (already removed, I guess) and when I made it for my cousins, I didn’t have the book so I didn’t even think about straining it until we were drinking down a glass of fibers, I mean, mango lassi. Still delicious.

Blueberry Banana Drink
my own recipe (like it hasn’t been done before!)

1 or 2 tablespoons of honey
1 ripe banana (could be frozen)
about 1 cup of frozen blueberries
Yogurt and milk to taste (you can use the equal parts formula from the recipe above)
ice cubes

Blend together and enjoy!

Cantaloupe-Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
adapted from a little book about smoothies

three slices of ripe cantaloupe
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1 ripe banana (could be frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice
three tablespoons of yogurt
1/3 cup milk (I didn’t have much yogurt so I supplemented with milk)

Blend and enjoy! This drink was so tropical and delicious! Make it. Now. I mean now!