These are a few of my favorite things...

Mangoes in Smoothies!

Back home in the States, I’m used to a freezer full of Michigan fruit—tart cherries, red raspberries, peaches, and blueberries are a few of my staple favorites.

In Zambia, we have no tart cherries, no red raspberries, and not a single blueberry.

But, we have mangoes, which are one of my absolute favorite fruits (not a freezer staple back home only due to limited availability and exponential cost).

I figured my smoothie days would be in limbo in Africa. I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered the old Oster blender on a shelf in our pantry. 

Could it really work? Dare I hope for such a wonder in this place?

My skepticism was quelled a few weeks back when I gave the blender a whirl. It worked!  What’s more- it didn't just work, it worked well! I was impressed.

Since I love fruit smoothies, I decided to experiment with the blender and our local fruit. I used frozen papaya (paw paw) puree for my first smoothie endeavor.

Mango season just started, so after I’d eaten a few fresh mangoes, I decided to try making a mango smoothie using a similar method as I had used for the papaya ones.

we happened to have fresh milk on this day; usually we use shelf milk
 

Delight is the word to describe my response to the mango smoothie. 

Sheer delight!

Mango smoothie, coming right up!

This morning as I was blending my mango smoothie, I thanked God for our blender. It’s really one of those “extra” things in life, but one I appreciate from the bottom of my heart… or, wait, maybe that was actually the bottom of my stomach.

If you want to make yourself an amazing African mango smoothie, here’s the easy method I've been using:

The day before you want your smoothie:

Peel and chunk one or two or three mangoes. Freeze (it’s nice if the pieces aren't all lumped together in one frozen hunk, just so they’re easier to blend).

When your smoothie urge hits, pour some milk (1/2 cup?) and a bit of vanilla in the blender. Dump in the frozen mango chunks. Cover with more milk (3/4 cup? More or less to suit your taste).

Blend until the mango is pureed and the drink is frothy and frozen (it will be the consistency of a thick milkshake).

Indulge!

If you have friends who like mango smoothies, you can share… 

or, you can drink the whole thing

all.

by.

yourself.

(like I do!)