Natural Protein Shake Recipe (Smoothie)

This drink is made with mango purée, orange juice and a banana. The banana gives a smooth texture to the drink; cooked mung beans add protein and tie the flavors together.

I've read that eating breakfast is one of the keys to successfully losing weight. Since I've been waking up at the wee hours of the morning to work out for 45 minutes before starting the day, I want to stack the deck in my favor. A protein shake is the perfect choice for me because I'm not very big on breakfast (unless it's crêpes!).

Che Chuoi Recipe (Vietnamese Dessert)

Chè chuối is a popular dessert from South Vietnam, where my parents are from. Bananas are simmered whole until softened in a coconut milk tapioca pudding. It takes less time to prepare than Western desserts, plus chè chuối is made exclusively with vegan ingredients.

If you like Vietnamese desserts or Vietnamese sweets in general, you've probably noticed they don't always have the nicest presentation, especially chè desserts. They often have a very neutral, grayish color and  soupy texture. If you get past that, you're guaranteed to at least get a completely fresh take on dessert.

Mango Lemonade Recipe

I love Kesar mangoes. The fruit is so soft and juicy that we usually just cut them in halves and scoop the flesh out. Unfortunately, I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach at the Asian market this week, when I bought two cases of mangoes. To put a dent in my stockpile, I made mango purée, cooked it in sugar to enhance the flavor, then mixed it with regular lemonade.

I added cardamom to give a more exotic twist to this already tropical drink. If you're looking for something special to serve for your Memorial Day weekend barbeque, mango lemonade could be it. And to satisfy the adult palate, you could always spike it with rum!

Vietnamese Green Mango Salad Recipe: Goi Xoai

Vietnamese salads are usually made with the same dressing. A blend of lime juice, garlic, sugar, red Thai chiles and fresh mint leaves bind raw vegetables into a flavorful and healthy salad course. Today, I made green mango salad, called gơi xoài xanh. I create long, thin strips of mango that I mixed with similarly sliced carrots. It makes a very tasty salad thanks to the tangy, sour and sweet flavors.

I made it vegetarian, but you could pair the raw vegetable salad with boiled, shredded chicken (gơi gà), boiled shrimp, dried shrimp (tôm khô) or fire-roasted shredded dried squid (khô mực), which is my favorite. 

Mango Rice Pudding Recipe

Today, there were no eggs, fresh fruit or flour in the kitchen. I was able to find sugar, a can of Alphonso mango purée, sweet Asian rice and a few cups of milk. Rice pudding is my go-to dessert whenever my pantry is running on empty, and I found just the right set of ingredients to make a batch to satisfy my sweet tooth.

First, I boiled the rice in water, drained it and slowly cooked it in milk until tender. Once the rice was cooked, I sweetened and flavored it with the delicious mango purée. I couldn't stop there, so I finished the rice pudding with a little crème fraîche for extra creaminess and created a sugar crust, crème brûlée-style. All I can say is, yum!