Mango

Apricot Mango Swiss chard Smoothie

I know, I know, I didn’t learn the lesson from the first couple apricot smoothies and here I go again – making an apricot smoothie. So, I’ve got twenty lbs of these puppies and I’m trying to figure out a way that may make them taste a bit better.

So this time I added more dates and tried mango. In picture form, it looked like this:

Apricots, Swiss chard, Mango, Deglet Noor dates and water

Notice:

  • 8 of the ripest apricots I could find in the box
  • Some amazing garden fresh Swiss Chard! Wow!
  • 1 Honey mango,
  • 8 or 9 or so Deglet Noor Dates
  • 1 ½ cup water
  • 1 little probiotic (optional)

It looks great stacked in the blender.

This looks nice stacked up and ready to go!

But the part that I really wanted to show with this posting is how I peal mangos. If you remember back a few postings, I linked in a YouTube video on how to peal a mango (view my article here). The woman in the video cut and sliced her way into a real mess. I don’t see it as that bad – even with a really ripe mango!

So here is the picture sequence.

Tools - nice sserrated knife and apple peeler
peel the mango

Stand on edge and cut down just off center.
Cut just off center on second side. Notice how thin the seed is!
Now lay the seed down flat and use the back side of the knife to scrap that last bits off the seed.

All it really takes is an apple peeler, a serrated knife and the ability to hold a ‘wet bar of soap’. The hardest part is lining up to cup along the seed. They are so flat that it shapes the fruit, so if you inspect it before cutting, you’ll slice right along the seed almost every time.

In the end, because I spent time picking out the ripest apricots from the collection, I ended up with something that was palatable.

But I still recommend avoiding apricots of you can help it. There are a ton of other choices that make it to market ripe.

Mango Banana Smoothie

I’ve got to admit that I’m taking a liking to mangos. Up until recently, you couldn’t get me to take a bite let alone a sniff of one. Friends raved about them, talking them up more than I could stomach. Yet, something’s changed. For some reason, I’m finding myself actually liking mangos. But not on their own. Not like eating an Apple or Orange. A mango, to me, still needs to be combined with something.

As it turns out, that little mango combines really well with greens! In this case, spinach.

So, I know you’ve heard me say that ‘this is the best smoothie ever’ before, but, it really holds for this little concoction. If you love creamy smoothies, this one just about tops the charts!

bananas, spinach, coconut milk, dates and mango

As you can see in the  picture, the ingredient list is pretty small.

  • 2 bananas
  • 1 mango
  • 7 – 8 small dates
  • 1 ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ lb Spinach.

Unlike a number of other smoothies, this one needs the extra sweetness so it melts in your mouth like a liquid candy bar. These little dates I picked up at Top Foods for $4.50 a lb. I always buy a few pounds at a time, I just turn the plastic bag inside out over my hands and then scope out as many as my hands can hold. At this price, you can add them to just about anything.

Oh, and there are techniques to pitting a mango. I don’t remember (right now) where I learned how to pit one, but it’s pretty easy. I get out a cutting board and peal the outside with an apple peeler. Then, I stand the fruit up so that I can get the two haves cleanly separated. Lastly, I trim the extra ‘meat’ so as to leave the seed fairly clean.

But don’t take my words for it.  Try Kopkitty!  I love this little video. It almost makes you want to give her a hug!

Can

I think I’ll watch that one again. I love her laugh at 6.26 into the video. What a sweet mess.

In any case, just get as much of the fruit as you can in the smoothie rather than on your hands.

Take a look at the final results.

Wish I had more

Notice how it’s standing at the top of the jar and that the air bubbles are trapped by how thick it is. Yum. If you’ve never made a smoothie, don’t start with this one for you’ll never find a liking for any of the other ones!

As always, have a great day.

Tropical Chard Smoothie

I think I’m really starting to like Swiss Chard! Especially when it’s used to color this smoothie green. The combination of all the ingredients seem to come together with just the right texture to make this one stand out.

I know, I know, you’ve heard that from me before, but this time I’ve gotten feedback from a couple other people that have tried this one and, most of the time they kind of shrug their acceptance, yet this time they perk up with a – wow! That’s good!

For three days now I’ve made the exact same smoothie and its better each time. I love it when I can find enough ingredients to make good smoothies for multiple days.

Swiss Chard, Coconut milk, probiotic, banana, mangos, dates and Pineapple

Here’s what I used

If you remember from the Masking the bitters out of a lettuce smoothie article, I’m using a slice of pineapple that really adds to the tropical flavor. The mangos where also a great deal at Wholefoods. They were ripe but not overripe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 mangos
  • 1 banana
  • Slice of pineapple (about 1 inch thick)
  • Four or five little dates (got a great deal on these little dates)
  • 1 – 1 ½ cups Vanilla flavored Coconut milk
  • 1 probiotic
  • And, of course, 1 bunch Swiss Chard.

When I bought the Swiss Chard at WholeFoods, I commented to the woman at the checkout that this was the dirtiest Swiss Chard I’d ever seen (been raining for what seems like forever) and she responded “we won’t charge more for the extra earth.” Ha. What a great spin on things.  So, wash the Swiss Chard well.

Ok, build from the liquid up. Add Coconut milk, Mango, banana, pineapple, dates, probiotic and then pile in the Swiss chard. Looks pretty cool all stacked in the blender.

All stacked up

Start off at lower speeds because you’re going to have to use the ‘plunger’ on this one.

Starting the blend

I love how the colors separate during the grinding process. After you hear the dates and greens grind up, flip it on high and start counting. Because the mango and banana is going to give this some texture, you want to make sure to not spin it too long. It will quickly heat up.

In the end, this is what it looks like.

Finished product

I highly recommend giving this one a try. That is, if you’ve got a good deal on mangos and pineapple when Swiss chard is in season.

Have a great day!