There’s no question that finding easy ways to get essential superfood spices into your diet can be tricky. We’re not all five-star chefs, have access to a large variety of fresh spices and other ingredients, and loads of time to make sure we’re prepping and cooking all these fantastic nutrient-rich meals.
Here’s where smoothies can help you in a big way. A big delicious way!
A warning though: once you start adding spices to your smoothies you might not be able to stop.
This smoothie pays homage to a Mango Lassi: a traditional Indian drink made with a combination of yogurt and milk as well as some honey for sweetener. Although if your mangoes are ripe enough, you may not need honey!
Our Superfood Spices Mango Smoothie is genuinely refreshing in the spring and summer and can be an excellent after dinner dessert drink in the winter. It’s also great on its own as a breakfast or snack. Add a scoop of our Veggie Shake, and you’ll be getting a complete nutritional powerhouse to start your day.
It’s almost always better to use freshly found spices rather than the dried variety. If you can find fresh turmeric, grade or finely chop about a 1/4-inch square (or 1/4 teaspoon of dried turmeric).
Turmeric can add a bit of a peppery flavor, but in this small of an amount, you will likely not even taste it. You will still get its powerhouse of benefits. Experiment with the dosage if it ends up being too potent. You can also use dried turmeric if you don’t have fresh readily available.
Consider adding fresh ground cardamom as well. It’s a great spice to have on hand and creates a savory sort of sweetness to so many dishes.
Turmeric tends to be best in a 1 to 1 ratio: 1-inch turmeric =1 teaspoon dried turmeric.
Cardamom is a 1 to 1/6 ratio: 1 pod of fresh cardamom will equal about 1/6 teaspoon ground cardamom.
In this mango smoothie recipe, the cumin, turmeric, and saffron are all added strictly to help with the overall nutritive value of the recipe and amp up the golden color. You can refrain from adding any of these spices if you’re not able to find them or don’t have them on hand, although we recommend including as many superfood spices into as many dishes as possible.