Coconut Mango Lassi Smoothie--A Tasty Anti-Inflammatory Tropical Treat

Yum! Mangoes are the perfect foil for the summer heat. Eaten out of hand or blended with fruit to make a delicious smoothie, the versatile mango adds a tropical touch to everything!

Mangoes are not only delicious, they are nutritious. High in fiber, mangoes also contain 100% of your daily Vitamin C as well as 20 other vitamins in minerals. An anti-inflammatory powerhouse, mangoes help fight diseases that cause inflammation in the body. 

There are several varieties of mangoes available in the US. The most common mango I've found is the 'red' or Tommy Atkins variety. Available in the spring and summer, this mango isn't as robustly flavored as my personal favorite, the 'honey' or Ataulfo. This mango is also available in the spring and summer, is sweet, and has a small pit, which means there's a lot of edible fruit! If have a choice between the red and honey mangoes, pick the honey mango. 

For this smoothie, I used the traditional Indian lassi drink as my inspiration. A lassi is a yogurt based drink which can be sweetened with fruit and spices. Mango is most commonly added to the drink along with cardamom and sugar. Since mangoes are naturally sweet, I don't add sugar to my smoothie. My smoothies all have protein powder, but you certainly can leave that out. For an extra antiinflammatory punch, I added turmeric. Coconut gives this smoothie a tropical flavor. My secret ingredient is lemon, which adds a nice tart overtone.

I love this smoothie!

Don't be intimidated by peeling the mango. There are a variety of tutorials available. I just slice off the bottom of the fruit, stand it up on the cutting board, use my knife to remove the peel, and slice the fruit off the pit. This smoothie uses a combination of frozen and fresh mango. You can use all fresh mango, but be sure to add some ice to cool the drink down. If you don't want to use the fresh mango, you can just use frozen mango.

Coconut Mango Lassi

Click to print recipe
anti-inflammatory, vegan, gluten-free
Ingredients:

1 cup frozen mango

Fruit from one fresh mango

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Nuzest)

1 tbsp. coconut manna

1 tsp. maca powder (optional)

1 tsp. turmeric powder

1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. lemon zest (or more to taste)

Juice of one half lemon

1/2-1 cup milk of your choice (I use Ripple)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust liquids to desired consistency. Enjoy!

Fight inflammation and the heat with this Coconut Mango Lassi Smoothie! /via @oldrunningmom @Nuzest_USA @RippleFoods #runchat #inflammation #curearthritis

Do you like mango? How do you peel yours? What's your favorite fruit to combine with mango?

I'm linking up with Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness and with Deborah and Miss Whisk for Meatless Monday.