For When You Want a Mango Banana Daiquiri at Nine in the Morning

 Once upon a time not too long ago, I made myself two pieces of toast for breakfast.. As I was munching on my ho-hum meal, I found myself thinking about a certain mango banana daquiri recipe. I stopped mid-chew. I needed it. Now. So I abandoned my other piece of toast and set off towards the kitchen in search of some much-needed excitement.

As it was nine in the morning and I had no liquor, my daiquiri quickly became a smoothie. And thus, I present to you a thoroughly refreshing, exotic tasting smoothie that is positively perfect for beating the winter blues. Or breakfast blues, as the case may be.

A mind-blowing creamy smoothie with a slightly less mind-blowing piece of toast.
  Moderation in all things...

The ingredients are simple: fresh fruit, a bit of simple syrup for extra sweetener, and some lime juice. I can't tell you how refreshing this was.

Cutting the mango! The smell was inspiring. 

Juicing the lime and cutting the banana. 

And mixing 'er up!

My tummy misses you. 

Helpful Hints:


Buy mangoes that give slightly when you gently press the skin with your thumbs. The best way to tell if they are ripe is by smelling the stem. If it smells intoxicatingly sweet, buy it. If you can't find any that are ripe, pick out a few that are free of bruises and let them naturally ripen on your counter for a few days.

Cutting mangoes is a little tricky if you, like me, thought they had a pit like an avocado. Mangoes are not like avocados in any way, and thus you cannot split them down the middle. Keep this in mind, and you'll have a much easier time of it than I. They have an elongated seed that runs through the middle; you'll have to cut along the sides of it. I think we've all learned a very valuable lesson here.

Hold the mango stem side down and cut into the flesh a third of the way in. Do likewise on the other side. Holding your knife lightly, take the two large pieces and cut through the skin to make strips. Make horizontal cuts into the flesh of the mango, being careful not to cut through the skin. Then with your fingers, peel off the yellow flesh. It's much simpler than I've made it sound; google "how to cut a mango," and you'll be owning the mango in no time.

Making simple syrup is super simple! You heat equal amounts (as in, one cup of each) water and sugar over medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, i.e., the water is no longer cloudy with sugar granules. I imagine you can omit the syrup completely if you like.

I left out the ice because I didn't want to drink a super cold drink in the middle of January, but if you want to, it's a free country. To be perfectly honest, the smoothie did end up being a bit thick, so I'd recommend adding more lime juice, simple syrup, or ice if you have the same problem.

Healthfulness: This has enough vitamin C, potassium, and fiber to beat up a cold and take it's lunch money. (Apparently, mangoes can have up to seven times more vitamin C than an apple. Like, woah.)

Variations: This is screaming for coconut. Screaming, I tell you.

Mango Banana Smoothies
Slightly adapted from Ina Garten's Mango Banana Daiquiris

2 mangoes, chopped, peeled and seeded
1 ripe banana, chopped
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup simple syrup
1 handful of ice

Puree the mangoes, banana, lime juice, and simple syrup in blender. Add ice and blend till smooth. Check consistency, add liquid if needed.

Pour into a big glass, close your eyes, picture a beach and take a sip. Bliss.