Mango Yogurt Smoothie

There are some days – particularly warm spring and summer days – when nothing hits the spot like a good smoothie. They are cold and refreshing, but packed with good things like fruit and yogurt, so they usually deliver a positive nutritional punch, as well. I always have yogurt in my fridge and I’ll use it as a base for smoothies with any fruit that I might have on hand. And in the case of my most recent smoothie, it was mango.

This Mango Yogurt Smoothie is always a treat when I have some ripe mangoes in my kitchen. The smoothie is made with mango, yogurt, orange juice and plenty of ice, and turns out to have a very creamy texture and a great mango flavor. The orange juice adds some extra sweetness to the smoothie, but doesn’t take anything away from the mango, so the smoothie is very fruity and not too sweet. I typically use greek-style yogrut (full fat, 2% and 0% all work well), but you can easily use regular plain yogurt if that is what you have on hand. The slight tang of greek-style yogurts works very well with the mango in this drink.

I topped my smoothie with a little bit of yogurt whipped cream. I don’t usually put whipped cream on a smoothie, but last summer I visited a Starbucks where they were test marketing some new fruit smoothies topped with yogurt whipped cream and it was such a good combination that I’ve used the idea a few times since. The mixture is about half whipped cream and half yogurt, so it is both creamy and tangy. I sweeten it a little with confectioners’ sugar and it is a great topping for fruit or a fruit smoothie.

Mango Yogurt Smoothie
1 large, ripe mango
1/2 cup plain greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1 1/2 cups ice

Peel the mango and remove the flesh from the seed.
Fill a blender jar with fresh mango, plain yogurt and orange juice. Add in your ice last.
Blend – first at low speed to break up the ice, then at a very high speed – until the mixture is very smooth.
Pour into large glasses and top with Yogurt Whipped Cream (recipe below).

Makes 2 large smoothies.

Yogurt Whipped Cream
1/4 cup whipped cream
1 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

In a small bowl, beat whipped cream to soft peaks with confectioners’ sugar. Fold in greek yogurt until mixture is smooth.