Magnificent Mango Shake

“I recommend a plant-based diet because I know it’s going to lower their blood pressure, improve their insulin sensitivity, and decrease their cholesterol.”

— Dr. Kim A. Williams, vegan and president-elect of the American College of Cardiology, in yesterday's New York Times

Last weekend was my very beautiful BFF's wedding. She was unbelievably gorgeous you guys and it was an immensely joy filled, sunny day. 100% completely stunning. For your viewing pleasure, below, is a totally badass photo. In case you're wondering, yes,  this is what I look like all the time. Complete with a bouquet of wildflowers.

Okay, that might not be true but my face usually looks like that, which embodies a, "Don't mess with me, I'm super tough" attitude. Fine, fine, that's not true either. It is true, however, that I am a profoundly unphotogenic subject and any decent photo of me is usually candid, like this one. I have no absolutely no idea why I was standing that way, but it works. At least I wasn't picking a wedgie or something. I love all the groomsman just being silly boys in the background. So handsome, huh?!

What a fabulous day! Anyway, moving on. Remember a couple posts ago when I was confessing that we only had mangoes and sweet potatoes in the house because I haven't been able to make it to the store...in like a month? Yes, well, another mango recipe...I'm sorry. God, I hope you all like mangoes (who doesn't?!) I swear this is the end of mangoes and sweet potatoes for some time to come. Pinky promise. Wait, scratch that...I can't promise that. I love them both so much! 

You need this little beauty in your life. 

print recipe

Magnificent Mango Shake

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-8-2014

A magnificent vegan, mint, lime, and ginger infused mango shake. It embodies the taste of summer and is free from soy, nuts, and bananas! Note: Use a fresh, juicy ripe mango you cube yourself, as opposed to pre-frozen chunks. It will be much more flavorful.

Ingredients

• 1/2 can (7 oz.) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 frozen mango, cubed
• 6 fresh mint leaves
• ½ Tbsp. lime juice
• ½-1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
• small sprinkling of ground cardamom, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Add everything to a high-speed blender, beginning with the milk. Blend on high until very smooth and creamy. Serve cold and with a small sprinkling of ground cardamom

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: Total time: 5 mins Yield: 1

German Word of The Day

Camera shake --> Verwacklungsunschärfe (ver-vahk-loongs-un-shelfa) Oh you Germans are so crazy! I have a lot of Verwacklungsunschärfe with my terribly shaky hands. 

Good Deed of The Day

Umm...this is 110% freaking awesomeness. The president-elect of the American College of Cardiology is vegan and wants you to be too, for your health. My hats off to this sensible, awesome-sauce, rad MD. Better listen to the good doctor. Read about it in yesterday's New York Times. 

Bare Crunchy Coconut Chips

If I'm being totally honest, which I always am, (I'm seriously horrendous at lying) I'm not much into snack food or snacks in general. They're usually quite processed and often laden with added sugars and/or fat. I'd much rather munch on a few dried figs (maybe with chocolate), assorted berries, or just hummus and some veggies. 

However, when I was contacted to see if I wanted to sample Bare Crunchy Coconut Chips, I was super excited. I've actually been wanting to buy them and even looked for chips in our local grocery store, but I couldn't find them. Is it weird to have a Pinterest board full of food you want to try? Well, these were on there. Check.

If you live in a small town like I do, or a state that doesn't have Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (seriously get on up here already, WF and TJ), or if the closest "healthy" food store is 50 miles away, Bare has a store locator on their website so you can partake in these scrumptious little guys. They also can be purchased on Amazon. Huzzah! 

Now, it's important to note that not all their flavors are vegan. The Simply Toasted and Sweet n' Heat, however, are! 

Details

• They're baked, so a bit healthier than your average fried snack.
• No preservatives.
• No cholesterol.
• No trans fats.
• Gluten Free.
• 3 grams of fiber per serving.
• Kosher.
• Non-GMO certified. 
• No wheat or nuts involved in the process of making the chips.
• They are "lactose-free"...but that doesn't exactly mean milk-derived-free (damn you coffee creamers).
• Made in small batches. 
• Each 1/2 cup serving has about 150 calories.
• Versatile snack eaten plain, or an addition to trail mix or salads. 

Taste

I loved the clean, coconutty flavor and crunchiness of the Simply Toasted version. It would be akin to eating the bulk bin coconut flakes from the store, but much more crunchy and chip-like, and about three bajillion times more delicious. 

The Sweet n' Heat version may have been my favorite, if only because I am a sucker for any "sweet and spicy" food. I was thinking they would be great as a sort of "crouton" atop an asian salad...as I shoveled them into my mouth. 

I just devoured these chippies plain, by hand, and utterly without shame. Also, they weren't so spicy that it slowed down the devouring process...just to let you know. If you're a wimp when it comes to spicy (I actually am), you'll be fine with these. They had the perfect amount of heat. 

Todd, however, wasn't impressed with these chips. As he says, "I'm not much into coconut." His judgements cannot be trusted though...the man doesn't like pesto. Who on Earth doesn't like pesto?! It's preposterous!

Price

On Amazon, they'll run you about $2.50 a package, which has 1 1/4 cups of chips, which is a serving and a half. I can't tell you what they cost in local stores, because I haven't been able to find them. 

It would take me about 45 seconds to eat an entire package, so that's a quick $2.50. To be fair though, a $4 latte isn't that far of a stretch from this. Unless you're literally addicted to caffeine...like me. Suffering from a wicked caffeine headache, I'd pay any amount to make it go away. 

However, these are made from coconuts. While admittedly I haven't bought a coconut lately (I'm much too lazy and ignorant with regards to cracking one open), I'm sure they aren't running as cheap as the dodgy corn used for tortilla chips. 

Pros

• Delicious.
• A natural, whole food. 
• Light in weight.
• Can be savory or sweet.
• You'll be getting 3 grams of fiber per serving.

Cons

• Can be a tad on the sugary side, depending on the flavor 
• High price.
• Lack of availability for some (like me).
• A bit calorie dense for the amount.
• The package is quite big for it's contents (this always disturbs me).

Would I buy them again? Not as a regular item, mostly because they're addictive, calorie-dense, and kind of pricy. But for a treat or an airport snack, I would most definitely be all over these. 

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. I AM NOT PAID TO WRITE POSTS. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS FROM THE COMPANY TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.

Sweet Potato Mango Salad

“If beef is your idea of real food for real people, you’d better live real close to a good hospital.”

— Neal Barnard, M.D.

Lately, life hasn't been permiting me time to cook up dinner. Sometimes, I forget my lunch and have to buy a teeny $4 Umpqua Oats bowl from the cafe at work (#theonlyveganoption #superbummer). More often than not, when I have to choose, I'll prioritize walking Bailey versus making a proper dinner. And occasionally, I'll get back from vacation and be precluded from squeezing in the time to make it to the store for actual dinner preparations...aka food. It's only been two weeks since we got back...a very busy two weeks.

All of these things lead me this dish. It might sound really odd, mango and sweet potatoes together in an Italian potato salad type of fashion but I'm going to need you to trust me. Your trust will be rewarded greatly. 

We have mangoes and sweet potatoes at home. That's pretty much it. No creamer, no bread, no vegan milk, no veggies, and only one (really rough looking) banana. I know, right? It's been a hectic few weeks. My stress level can be determined by how much food is in the house and how many hours I've been able to wear my nightgown. If I claimed to be living off anything other than hummus, dried figs, and vegan chocolate chips I'd be lying. It's not awful. Figs and chocolate are amazing together, seriously, you need to try it.

Things have been so dire that I spent the latter half of yesterday slinking around the clinic, seemingly casual (but actually frantic), investigating the break room tables for "please eat me" forsakens like bags of oldish bread or boxes of muffins. Half-opened candy someone didn't want in the house, shunned fruits (usually oranges, people hate oranges apparently), or a posse of pillaged chip bags from some prior festivities I wasn't privy to. I won't tell you I'm proud.

Unfortunately, my food-seeking adventures often end in a few dry spoonfuls of nutritional yeast that I have in my desk drawer. It's not ideal, but it works in a pinch. Come on, you've done it...we've all done it, right? I'll die of starvation before I spend $2.25 on a green (or conversely rotting) banana from the cafe. 

Thank goodness when I finally got home I was able to stuff my face with dried figs and chocolate chips, then start making this fantastic salad. I ate a good portion straight from the serving bowl with that big wooden spoon before I was able to shoot some photos. Cavewoman style...don't judge...

print recipe

Sweet Potato Mango Salad

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-4-2014

A delicious spin on regular potato salad. This sweet potato mango salad is studded with dried berries and dressed with lime juice and olive oil.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 large mango, diced
• ½ medium brown or red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 Tbsp. dried blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. goji berries (or other dried berries)
• small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Boil for about 5-8 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender taking care to not overcook them. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the mango, onion, berries and parsley to the cooked potatoes. Toss gently to combine.In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the potato and mango mixture. Toss gently to coat. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 4

German Word of The Day

Doctor --> Arzt (artst)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article by Kim A. Williams, MD about how he changed to a vegan diet in 2003 to battle his rising cholesterol. Trust him, he's a doctor. Actually, he's been elected to be the next president of the American College of Cardiology. So, you really should trust him.