#SamLikesItHot: Yummy summer smoothies

MANILA, Philippines – Smoothies are a great way to get your fill of fruits for the day while cooling down from the summer heat. Today, I’d like to share with you two of my favorite smoothie recipes. Both make 2 to 3 servings.

Smoothie #1: Mango banana smoothie

In a country that boasts of the best mangoes and bananas, the mango + banana flavor combo is a no-brainer.

This recipe is as simple as it is yummy. You’ll need:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup unsweetened plain yogurt
• 1 cup frozen bananas
• 1 cup mangoes
• 2 T honey (optional)

Before we get blending, a little Smoothie 101: a simple base that you could use for any fruit smoothie is 1 cup milk, 1 cup yogurt, and 1 cup frozen bananas. As long as you have these on hand, you can build with whatever fruit you’d like. 

The frozen bananas are nothing short of genius. They’re basically banana ice cubes! If you have bananas that are lying around just waiting to go bad, chop them up and store them in the freezer to use in your smoothie. They’re flavorful and give your smoothies great body and texture.

You can even opt to freeze ALL the fruits that you’ll be adding to your smoothie. On the other hand, crushed ice imparts zero flavor and it will water down your smoothie as it melts. No fun.

Regular ripe mangoes get all the love but, personally, I really like ripe Indian mangoes so I used those in my smoothie. Once the ingredients are chopped and good to go, all we need to do is give it a good whirl in the blender.

Always start with your wet ingredients first to give the blades of your blender more room to do its thing.

Smoothie #2: Green smoothie

Who says you can only use fruits in your smoothie? We’re going green and healthy with some spinach thrown in! That might seem strange to some of you but we’re gonna get all the benefits without even tasting it, I promise.

This is a surprisingly tropical green smoothie. You’ll need:

• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 2 cups spinach leaves
• 1 ½ cups chopped pineapple
• ¾ cup frozen bananas

Place everything in the blender (don’t forget to start with your liquids!) and whirl until smooth.

I know it has been said many times about many different things but with smoothies, the flavor combinations (and fun!) are truly endless.

How about playing around with flavored yogurt or, better yet, frozen yogurt? Why limit your smoothie to cow’s milk when there’s soy, almond, rice, and even flavored milk?

I don’t even have to tell you about the fruits, vegetables, and juices. The options are almost dizzying!

With two refreshing smoothies in hand, I felt confident enough to brave the pool mid-day. 

Got any flavor combinations of your own you’d like to share? I’d love to hear them. Happy blending! – Rappler.com

Check out our other recipes:

• #SamLikesItHot: Pineapple gazpacho
• #SamLikesItHot: Banana pops
• #SamLikesItHot: Peach mango pie
• #SamLikesItHot: Breakfast quesadillas
• #SamLikesItHot: Cold soba noodles
• #SamLikesItHot: Do-It-Yourself tapas
• #SamLikesItHot: Steak and watermelon salad
• #SamLikesItHot: Cutie cake pops
• #SamLikesItHot: Kesong puti salad with passion-ette
• #SamLikesItHot: Rigatoni with dark chocolate ragu
• #SamLikesItHot: Bananas About You pudding
• #SamLikesItHot: Chicken salad in pita pockets

Sam Oh is a professional TV and events host, radio jock, and foodie wannabe. Catch her on radio at 99.5 PlayFM, Monday to Friday, 6am-10am in “The Playground” with Tim Yap and Nikko. She is also a food blogger at Sam Likes It Hot. If you have questions or recipe requests, email desk@rappler.com with subject heading SAM LIKES IT HOT.