Raw Mango & Coconut Fudge

A couple of months ago I made a raw strawberry and coconut fudge, but now it's the mangoes turn to shine.  So many sweet, juicy mangoes in season here right now, so I've had a little play and created this tasty treat.  As with any of the creations with mango, you can freeze the mangoes now while they're in season, or in fact find them in the freezer section ready to use.  Fresh is preferable though.

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews (soaked for 4hrs or overnight) 

1 ¼ cups desiccated coconut
1½ tbsp. coconut oil
¼ tsp. vanilla extract concentrate
Just under ¼ cup honey/sweetener of choice (this will vary depending on how sweet the mango is, so taste a little mango first)
Flesh from 1 medium ripe mango
Extra coconut for decoration

 
Method:
Line a (21cm x 10cm) slice tray with baking paper and set it aside.

Place the pre-soaked cashews and the desiccated coconut into the blender/food processor, and blend on a low speed until the nuts are smooth, pushing down the sides occasionally to ensure an even consistency. Depending on your blender, this should take about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the coconut oil, vanilla, honey and mango and blend until well combined.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and smooth it out using the back of your spoon to make it flat. Sprinkle a little extra shredded coconut on top, and freeze for 2-3 hours until it’s firm and set.

Cut into small squares to serve.  Store in an airtight container in the freezer, pulling out for about 10 minutes before serving so it’s not too hard to eat. 

(Makes about 20 squares)

 Enjoy  💗 Shaz

Mango and Spinach Smoothie

Smoothies are a great way to get lots of nutrients into your body without too much preparation, which makes them a great meal for breakfast or throughout the day when you’re short on time.  You can chop and change the greens used for this one for variety, which will also vary the flavour.  Kale or baby spinach both work well.  Now I'm not a huge fan of the old fashioned spinach or silverbeet as my Grandma used to call it, but find the varieties of baby spinach quite palatable. 
Teamed with the good fats found in avocado, this smoothie really is a meal in itself.  Mangoes are just coming into season here at the moment, and avocados are a sensible price, so it's smoothie time again..... Yum!!

  

Ingredients:

1 mango (seeded and sliced)

½ an avocado

2 handfuls of baby spinach

a little squeeze of honey

a little Himalayan salt

approx. 1 ½ cups of coconut water

a few ice cubes*

Method:

Simply place all the ingredients into the blender in the order listed above and blend until the spinach in particular, is well chopped and your ingredients are now smooth.  Serve well chilled.

As with any smoothie you make, if you want you can always add a teaspoon of maca powder if you have it, or protein powder.  They will change the flavour a little, but will give your smoothie that extra boost.

*When mangoes are in season chop them up and have them in snap lock bags in the freezer ready to go, with a serve in each little bag. This eliminates the need to use ice cubes, and also allows us to enjoy the deliciousness of the mangoes for just a little bit longer when they're harder to get hold of.

Enjoy 💖 Shaz