Thursday, July 29, 2010

CEiMB - Mango Lassi

Craving Ellie in My Belly has been rejuvenated by Marthe at Culinary Delights, and I was thrilled when, in spite of my spotty participation of late, Marthe invited me to host this week.

Hosting is a big deal. First of all, I try to pick a recipe that will be easy, use seasonal or inexpensive ingredients, be flexible (so you can leave out things you don't like) and be something kids and adults alike will love. I've had good success with my past picks for this group (Nutty Granola, here, and Sweet and Spicy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, here), and I didn't want to pick a dud and ruin my record.

It's hard to pick a dud with Ellie Krieger's recipes. For the most part, they are fast, flavorful and always better for you than most similar recipes. I picked the Mango Lassi because M. loves mangoes and we love lassis. I may not have ever posted this before but we love spicy food, me even more than the hubs, and dairy (the base of a lassi) is the best way to turn down the heat from capsicum, the active ingredient in hot peppers. My heat tolerance level is burn-my-face-off, and M. loves to tell the story about the time we were in Tokyo eating at an Indian restaurant and the Indian owner admitted he couldn't even eat the curries as spicy as I do. I really enjoy a good lassi not only for its ability to take the edge off of the burn but because of its full body and tangy sweetness.

So it was incredible that I've never made one of these at home until this recipe, indeed, this morning. See, things are crazy busy at work, I'm working 12 hour days and I'm kind of tired. Yesterday, I carried my cereal bowl around with me, trying to eat breakfast and didn't manage to eat lunch until almost 4 so a meal I can drink out of a glass sounds ideal!

The trickiest part of the recipe is getting the mango out of the mango, but Ellie has a great method for freeing the slippery mango from its skin. Once you have cubed mango, you're almost done! Put it in the blender with yogurt, honey, and ice. I added a scoop of protein powder and called it breakfast--a small glass to drink while writing this post and a big take-along cup. This was a yummy, creamy, delicious breakfast I had time to enjoy on the drive to work. Give this one a try, it's super easy and tasty. Next time, I think I'll branch out and try peaches or apricots for a twist.

You can find the rest of the CEiMB cooks here...check out how they did with this one. I can't wait to see what flavors they introduced to their lassis!

Mango Lassi

Ellie says: This is my take on the classic Indian drink which is traditionally made with lots of sugar. I use a bit of honey to bring out the natural sweetness of the mango and the result is nirvana--a silky-smooth delight that is sunny shade of yellow.

2 ripe mangoes
1 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups ice (1 tray of cubes)

To peel and cut the mango, cut 1/4" of the top and bottom of the fruit and sit it on its larger end on a cutting board. At the top end, find the pit with your knife and cut down alongside it (a mango's pit is flat). Do the same with the other side. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 slices. Cut the peel from each slice and slice the mango crosswise into chunks.

Place the mango chunks in the blender and process until smooth. Add the yogurt, honey and ice and process until the ice is crushed and the drink is frothy. Serve in tall glasses with additional ice if desired. Serves 4.

10 comments:

Peggy said...

Am I your first comment today? Yea. Love your presentation of this. This was a great pick this week and we loved it. You know I always enjoy cooking with you!

Kayte said...

Loved this one, will make again, and good idea to serve it with the Indian food! When you get less crazy at work, we will schedule a Twitter bake with Indian cuisine, okay? You have a lovely presentation in your photo, and I want you to know that I served it in something other than the Flintstone glasses I was tempted to use. Just for you.

Bri said...

Thanks for hosting this week, Leslie! My hubby really enjoyed the lassi! I love that take-along cup you have there in your picture. Where'd you find it?

Leslie said...

Peggy, I'm glad you liked it! Back at ya!

Kayte, I double dog dare you to do it in a Flintstones cup next time! But maybe the Flintstones cups are the every day glassware and you pulled out the good stuff, so thanks!

Bri, I'm glad your hubby liked it! I love my take-along cup. It's made of glass and the rubber webbing protects it from bumps. It's made by Lifefactory and I got it at Whole Foods about a month ago.

TeaLady said...

THIS was such a good pick. It was very refreshing and the hint of honey really ramped up the goodness. Mine was with peaches, have to find a mango somewhere...

BTW yours looks delicious. Love the travel jar/mug/glass.

Jess said...

Fantastic pick! Like you mentioned, it was nice to come home from a long day at work and still be able to make something healthy without giving up your entire evening.

Anonymous said...

Looks beautiful! I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get a post up about this in time, but hopefully I'll get one done this weekend. It looks like it was a great recipe, not to be missed.

Mary said...

I love indian food too...when your work schedule calms down, post your favorite recipe and I will make it too.

Anonymous said...

I've heard of lassis but have never tried one. It sounds great, and I agree that your travel cup is cool!

Pamela said...

I'm so sorry I didn't get to make these with you! I'm hoping to give this a try in the very near future, though!