Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie

Makes 2 ½ cups

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

Husband-Tested in (Ellen’s Kitchen) Alice’s good friend

I’ve mentioned before that my good buddy, Ellen, is a terrific cook and when I travel 100 miles to visit her home, she always makes me yummy meals and treats.  On this last visit, she made this smoothie for a snack.  It really, really tastes just like a Dreamsicle, but it’s made with some good-for-you ingredients.  The kids will especially love this for an after-school refreshment.

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

2/3 cup ice cubes

½ cup chopped peeled ripe mango, frozen (or frozen mango cubes)

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 medium orange, peeled and sliced into segments

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Place all the ingredients in a blender and process 1 minute or until creamy and smooth. 

Green Ginger Mango (or Peach) Smoothie

Makes 4 small servings

Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine

Adapted and Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

If you are looking for a refreshing good-for-you snack, this smoothie will fit the bill.  The original recipe calls for frozen peaches, but none were available, so I substituted frozen mango chunks.  This recipe will make four small servings, about 1 cup each.  We thought the light gingery flavored smoothie was best the day it was made.  Your blender will need to have a good sharp blade to handle the frozen fruit. 

1¼ cups water

2 cups frozen sliced peaches or frozen chunks of mango

2 handfuls of baby spinach

2 teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger (I cheated and used grated ginger which is sold in a jar.)

Place the ingredients in a blender pitcher and blend on high for a minute or two or until completely smooth.

Nutritional information for 1 cup serving:  23 calories; 0 grams fat; 0.5 grams protein; 6 grams carbohydrates; 0.5 grams fiber

Mango Lassi

Recipe from Food52

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 2 generous servings

Boy, you are going to like this, and so will the kids, especially on a hot day.  It takes only a couple of minutes to prepare. Use fresh or frozen mango available at Lost River Market & Deli.  Make it as sweet and as thick as you like by adjusting the ingredients to your taste.   

1 mango, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes OR a few pieces of frozen mango (I used frozen because I like keeping some in the freezer for just this type of refreshing treat.)

¾ cup milk (I always use skim milk.)

3 Tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt (I used plain non-fat Greek yogurt.)

3 Tablespoons honey (Adjust this amount to your taste.  3 T makes this drink quite sweet.)

A pinch of Kosher salt

Handful of ice cubes

Add the ingredients to a blender. 

Blend the mixture for 30 seconds or so. Try the lassi with a spoon and add honey, milk or yogurt if need be.  If it's still too thick, add more milk and continue to blend until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.

Serve it with a sprig of mint, if you are feeling fancy.

Banana Mango Smoothie

Recipe from Fiona Haynes of About.com Guide Low Fat Cooking
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 4 Servings

When I gave my husband took a taste of this, he said, “Mmmm, yummy. It tastes like it’s something bad for me. What’s in it?” Well, was he happy to discover that this is one of those delicious drinks that’s actually good for you. What a great after-school snack this would make for the kids! This is so tasty that you could serve it as a healthy dessert. Lost River Market & Deli now has frozen mangos and fresh mangos!

Ingredients:
2 frozen, ripe bananas (I was in a hurry and didn’t use frozen. I just peeled a couple of bananas and broke them into chunks.)
1 mango, peeled and sliced (I used several chunks of frozen mangos.)
10 ounces calcium fortified orange juice
1 cup low fat or fat free vanilla or mandarin orange yogurt (I used fat free vanilla yogurt.)

Preparation:
Cut banana into chunks. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, thin with a little more orange juice. Pour into 4 glasses.

Per Serving: Calories 150, Calories from Fat 8, Total Fat 0.8g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 29mg, Carbohydrate 32g, Fiber 1.9g, Protein 3.4g

George's of Tybee Mixed Greens Tossed in Honey Vinaigrette

Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Savannah Bee Company Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice and Ellen’s Kitchens

Now that you can get fresh mangoes, peaches or plums at Lost River Market & Deli, you must make this salad. My good buddy, Ellen, made this for me when I visited her last week. Her husband is a die hard meat and potatoes guy and he actually cleaned his salad plate! The original recipe called for twice as much dressing so Ellen gave me the extra dressing so that I could make the salad for my husband when I got home. He said, “This salad has everything in it that I like!” Ellen made it with toasted pine nuts. I had pecans in my fridge, so I used those when I made it. We all agreed that fresh peaches or plums would make good substitutions if mangoes are not available where you live. (I've halved the dressing ingredients for you, but you could easily double the ingredients of this salad for when you have company.)

Vinaigrette:
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons walnut oil

In a blender or food processor combine vinegar, mustard, honey, the 1/8 teaspoon salt, and some fresh ground black pepper. Cover and blend for 30 seconds. With the blender running slowly, add oil in a thin, steady stream. (If necessary, stop blender and scrape down sides.)

Salad:
About 8 cups or so of mixed salad greens
1 mango, seeded, peeled, diced (Peaches or plums would be good substitutes.)
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled (Feta or blue cheese would make a good substitute.)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
1 cup pecans, walnuts or ½ cup pine nuts, toasted

In a salad bowl, combine greens, mango, goat cheese, cranberries and nuts. Drizzle with dressing (just enough to very lightly coat the salad) and toss gently. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper