Mango Peach and Berry Smoothie and the Rules of Smoothie Making

Liz and I have been on a smoothie kick recently.  Why?  Well, it's getting warmer and they're cool and refreshing.  It's a better, healthier option for breakfast than a pair of sausage biscuits.  Maybe they're not as warm, salty and greasy in a good way, but I can't argue with the 3 pounds I've lost in the past two weeks.  They're a fat-free option when you need a snack anytime of day.  And if you want to turn it into a party drink, add just a little bit of alcohol and you're good to go.

Now using fresh ingredients is nice, but I've found that using frozen fruit work much better in the blender.  Room temperatue fruit can absolutely vaporize after just a few seconds in the blender.  But frozen fruit becomes miniature sweet ice crystals. 

What Liz and I will do is go to the freezer section of the grocery store and buy a ton of differnt fruits and juices.  I admit it, I'll go to Winco because we can get bags of fruit for only $2.00 and frozen concentrated juice for a little more than a buck.  So you can forget about going to Jamba Juice and paying almost $5.00 for a 22 ounce smoothie.  Spend $12.00 on ingredients and you can make 8 smoothies over the week for about a $1.50 a piece.

Now we like our smoothies with a little bit of a sour kick, so we'll make some double-strength lemonade.  Just mix up some lemonade from frozen concentrate, but use only 1 1/2 cans of water instead of the requisite 3 cups. 

Smoothie making isn't an exact science. But I've found this ratio works pretty darn well...

4 parts juice or liquid
2 parts ice
2 parts sherbet or frozen yogurt
3 parts fruit

You can mix and match any ingredient so it matches your taste palatte perfectly.  Don't feel like you have to be completely loyal to a flavor.  Experiment a bit.  But when you are building a smoothie, here are a few tips that will make your life easier...

1. Don't throw all of your ingredients in the blender at once - Part of it will blend up well, the rest will stay giant chucks that won't make their way through the straw.

2. Speed kills - Don't jump into the highest speed on your blender.  If you start at a low or medium speed when everything is large, the frozen ingredients will have a better chance of being chopped smooth instead of running into the problems listed in point 3.

3. Beware the bubble - If you spin too fast or don't put enough liquid in, the spinning blades will try to pull the ingredients above them down.  And if food doesn't fill up the space, air will.  It'll suck enough air down to create a bubble around the blades, causing your blender to rev up and preventing the blender from doing any work.  If you get a bubble, stop the blender and stir with a spoon.  Then start again on a low speed and work your way back up to the higher settings.

4.  Keep liquid handy - If the blender keeps bubbling up and you can't get that nice little vortex inside, add another ounce or two of juice.  It'll dilute the mixture just enough to spin perfectly.

This specific recipe is Liz's favorite.  She's a mango freak, and loves the sourness of the lemonade. 

By the way, if you want to make this into a party drink, add 2-4 ounces of flavored rum or vodka, and maybe a little more ice or fruit to keep the consistancy.  Add an umbrella and a little fruit on the rim of the glass and imagine yourself sitting on a beach in the Caymans.

Mango Peach and Berry Smoothie

Makes 32 ounces

12 ounces double-strength lemonade - see above for instructions
4 ounces orange, pineapple, or orange/pineapple juice
1 cup crushed ice
2 scoops (roughly 1 cup) pineapple, mango, or orange sherbet
1/2 cup frozen mangos
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup frozen strawberries

Add the juices, ice, sherbet and the mangos, then blend on a low speed until the ice and fruit are broken up.   Next add the peaches and blend again.  Start out on a slow setting, but then increase the blender speed until you get a nice vortex rolling around.  Stop and add the last fruit.  Start up the blender at low or medium speed, then ramp it up until you reach vortex stage.  If you're make alcoholic versions, add the flavored rum or vodka here.  If you start getting "the bubble", add more liquid to dilute the mixture.

Once that vortex stage is reached, pour out into glasses and garnish any way you'd like

So make a batch of smoothies for your health... or for your snack... or for your party.  Just don't make the party smoothie before going to work in the morning.  There will be problems...