Mango Lassi & Vegan Avocado Smoothie

Hi dear cooking class students!!
So I'm finally getting this blog I promised you up and running! Thanks to Rasik for his help with the technicalities of blog publishing! Below is posted the mango lassi and vegan avocado smoothie recipes we made in our last cooking class of this Semester. I'll post our other recipes by and by as I get time. Hope you can try them out for yourselves in your own kitchens this summer. Have fun! :-)

ys
Gopi

Mango Lassi

Lassi = Indian word for smoothie/shake

Lassi is traditionally made with yoghurt and served as a cooling summer beverage. It can be prepared either salty or sweet. When salty its usually served plain with spices like cumin (jeera), rock salt, pepper and salt. When sweet it can have fruit, rosewater and a variety of other flavors and sweet spices added. (Some knowledge of what flavors complement each other and only your imagination is the limit here).

(Makes about 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 large ripe* mango, removed from its peel and seed ( = about 1 to 1 & 1/2 cups mango pulp)
  

• 1 1/2 cups organic yogurt - plain or vanilla (I like the Organic Stony Field Farm brand)

• 1/2 cup chilled/cool water

• 2 Tbsp (= Tablespoon) pure maple syrup (You can adjust sweetener to your taste. Other favorite alternatives of mine are: agave nectar, Rapunzel pure organic cane sugar)

• 1 tsp (= teaspoon) pure vanilla essence

Procedure

• Wash Mango.

• If its very soft, either peel it and scrape pulp off the seed or cut in 1/2 and scrape pulp out of the peel and off the seed. If its more firm, then cut it in 1/2, remove the seed, and cut lengthwise and crosswise sections into the flesh whilst its still in the peel. Then scrape/cut out the cubes into a container.
  

• Put mango in food processor and pulse until pureed.

• Add yogurt, water, sweetener of your choice and vanilla (or whatever your preferred flavor is). Pulse until ingredients are well blended.
  

• Voila! :-) Your Lassi is ready as is. You can add ice cubes/crushed ice, or if you can wait - chill in the refrigerator for an hour or more before serving. Garnish with fresh mint leaves, mango slices etc.
  

• Variations: You can add 1/2 tsp of freshly ground or crushed cardamom seed (Elachi) instead of vanilla. You can use milk or a milk substitute instead of water for a creamier drink, or even replace the yoghurt with milk/milk substitute - in which case I'd definitely add crushed ice.
  

* To tell if its a ripe mango, check the top of it, if it has a little sticky trace of juice leaking out, it has a yummy fruity aroma and you can put a dent into the fruit with your thumb, its ready to use.

Vegan Avocado Smoothie

This can also be made non-vegan - just use regular milk or yogurt instead

(makes about 2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe medium sized avocado washed

• Cut avocado in 1/2 or 1/4's and remove from peel and seed ( - pretty much same procedure as the mango just easier!)
  

• 1 1/2 cup oat milk chilled (adjust amount according to what consistency you want & you can also use other milk substitutes e.g. soya milk, rice milk etc)
  

• 1/2 cup chilled spring water (or according to the consistency you want)

• 2 Tbsp maple syrup (adjust according to taste, you can also use other sweeteners e.g. honey, agave nectar etc)
  

• 1 tsp pure vanilla essence

Procedure

• Puree avocado and all other ingredients into a food processor and pulse until its a smooth creamy puree or frothy creamy mixture (depending on how much liquid you add).
  

• Best served with crushed ice blended in or chilled. Garnish with fresh green mint leaves.

• Variations: Add a few fresh lemon balm leaves (a kind of mint) instead of vanilla to give it a fresh summery twang! Or you can add a few Tbsp's unsweetened organic cocoa powder & Rapunzel pure cane sugar for a velvety chocolate flavor! Experiment and have fun with this! :-)