Mango Almond Muffins

Hello everyone! I am back in the US! I had a 2-month long vacation in the Philippines, particularly in Manila, which explains why I haven't posted much on this blog for awhile. I wanted to take some break from blogging and get the chance to truly enjoy my family's company. I had such a lovely time and it felt like time was so short despite being there for several weeks. Indeed, time always flies when you're having fun!

Mango Guyabano (Soursop) Smoothie

My mom is quite the health enthusiast. Ok, not the obsessive one but the kind who tried her best to ensure that only the best and healthiest kind of food entered our stomach. I remember her making juice from fresh tomatoes and concocting all sorts of smoothies for our snack! I didn't like the tomato juice at all so even if she bribed me about Php 5.00 for every glass that I drank  (quite a good amount in the 80s) I never learned to love or like it and today, I still don't! :)

Green Mango Smoothie

When it comes to tropical fruits - the Mango reigns supreme in the Philippines. I grew up with mango trees in our backyard. I have memories of my grandma smoking the mango tree. She would rake the dried leaves and twigs in our backyard into a pile under the mango tree and light a small fire - the purpose is to get the smoke up into the tree. Some say it's because the smoke drive the bugs away from the precious fruits that they love to nibble on. I don't know if this is scientifically true but that tree has always given us bag loads of mangoes. 

Mango Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

My family loves frozen yogurt. When we still lived in Holland, MI we would often visit the local store that sells frozen yogurt (fro-yo, as its known) and have that as a dessert. I find, however, that store-bought ones can still be loaded with so much sugar and so may not necessarily be a healthier alternative to ice cream after all. I thought it would probably best to make one at home so you can certainly control the sugar content without sacrificing taste and ensure that it's a truly wholesome dessert.

Mango and Raspberry Upside Down Cake

Mangoes and Raspberries were on sale so I loaded up. However, time was running out and I needed to use the mangoes pretty soon or they would overripe and would taste a little funny. I didn't fancy making a smoothie and wasn't in the mood for making a Mango Pie, either. I had planned to make a mango pie for days but for some reason, I delayed and delayed and never made it....After trying some mango ice cream (custard-style), I still had two mangoes left....what to do...what to do....

Extra Special Mango Float

Ohhh summer. I've had a few requests for this special Filipino dessert called Mango Float. For some reason I never got to make it and then finally summer came so I decided this is the perfect time to make it! I am glad I did!

Mango Papaya Smoothie

I literally grew up surrounded by papaya trees. My mom loved cultivating them so we always had a few of them in our backyard. In our house in Manila there's at least one papaya tree in our front yard. Papaya trees are great to grow for they often yield a bountiful harvest of fruits. They are also quite versatile for not only can you eat the ripe papayas, even the green (unripe) ones are quite handy to use in savory dishes. They are especially good when combined with poultry.

The other day I went to a nearby Mexican grocery to get some tomatoes. In their fruit and veggie section, I saw a ripe papaya and immediately grabbed it (after paying, of course!) and brought it home. I don't often find a ripe papaya so when I see one I take the chance to buy it. I am always thrilled when I find tropical fruits in the grocery. It always brings me back closer to home. 

Here I am using the papaya fruit in a smoothie/shake 'cause it is perfectly ripe and sweet!

I had some left-over mangoes as well so I thought what better way to make a smoothie than to combine my two favorite tropical fruits. 

To make it creamier I do add a bit of milk, but if you wish to make a pure smoothie, just leave out the milk and blend as usual.

Ingredients

3 cups papaya, seeded and chopped
3 cups mango flesh, chopped
2 cups crushed ice
1/2 cup milk, or more if desired
brown sugar (or your favorite sweetener), to taste

Procedure 

Mix all ingredients in a blender. I usually start with some ice on the bottom of the blender because they are harder to crush and then I pile on the rest of the ingredients on top. 

*My mango bits  were frozen so I had to let them thaw a bit and then I placed them at the bottom of the blender with a little water or milk so they would puree better.

But if all your ingredients are fresh, proceed as above. I use the smoothie/shake button on my blender.

Serve immediately. Truly a healthy and refreshing drink!

Proof that it's yummy --- happy customers like these two!

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Mango Smoothie

Oh summer! The perfect time to make fruit smoothies/shakes in the Philippines. Truly, the best way to cool down in a hot country.

While summer in Michigan does not get as hot and humid like the Phils (thankfully!), it's still great to make fruit smoothies to cool down. It's a good way as well to make my kids drink their fruits. Who can say no to freshly made fruit shakes! Mine don't!

When it comes to fruit smoothies, hands down, Mango Smoothie reigns supreme for me. The next one on my list would be Avocado Smoothie (yup, you read it right! Avocado is considered fruit in the Phils! More on this on my next post...)  and then.... Guyabano (Soursop fruit) Smoothie. The last one I miss terribly cause I have never seen the fruit ever in any grocery store here. But, let me not forget, Papaya Smoothie, it can rival any of the three in taste if you find the ripest juiciest one! 

Anyway, I can go on and on 'cause there are many other tropical fruits that you can use for a fruit shake in the Philippines. I have even tried Durian shake and amazingly loved it!

In the Philippines, we pride ourselves in having the best mangos in the world. I have yet to taste another one which can equal ours. Pardon me, but all Filipinos will say this! :-) Carabao Mangos (picture below) when ripe to perfection are the best for fruit shakes.

These mangos, which look like Champagne mangos, are from my province, Marinduque. They are so nice and sweet too!

I am just thrilled that at least I can find some nice mangos here so I can satisy my mango cravings.

For the smoothie, I used the Mexican Ataulfo Mangos and the Champagne Mangos (the latter is really a variety of the Ataulfo kind). The only difference is the Ataulfo one is really sweet while the champagne variety is more sweet-tart. I found out that Ataulfo mangos are actually bred from seeds of the Manila Mangos (yes, the famous Philippine ones) which were combined with other mango seeds from somewhere else. Am no expert but I do taste a bit of Manila Mango sweetness there, so perhaps it's true! At least, am getting some Philippine mango there!


Ingredients

4 Ataulfo ripe mangos or 4 Champagne mangos (use the latter if you wish to have a sweet-tart shake reminiscent of a green mango shake)

* The photo below shows only 3 mangos but I actually used 4 of them.

1 1/2 cups crushed ice

1/4 cup milk, or to taste (optional)
Sugar (2-3 Tbsp), or to taste 

Procedure

Rinse the mangos. Wipe dry.  To get the mango flesh, you can cut off either side of the mango down to the part where your knife touches the seed (you want to get as much mango flesh). 

Then, cut lengthwise and then crosswise across the flesh down to the skin. They call this the hedgehog style of cutting a mango. See below. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Repeat with the remaining mangos.

Place the crushed ice at the bottom of the blender. Then add in the mangos.



Pour the milk, if using. Add the sugar too. I use between 2-3 tablespoons.

Then turn on the blender to mix all the ingredients. I use the shake or smoothie button on my blender. 

Serve immediately!

For a change, mix the mango with raspberries or any other fruit in season.

Happy Summer!!!