Mind-blowing fact: Your GI system is home to up to a trillion microbes! Keeping this “good” and “bad” bacteria in a healthy balance is key–and adding probiotics to your diet can really help.
In her new book Drink Your Way to Gut Health, fellow dietitian Molly Morgan offers 140 recipes for smoothies and drinks made with probiotic-rich ingredients like yogurt, kefir, kombucha tea, buttermilk, miso, and tempeh.
She also includes recipes for making your own homemade versions of yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and ginger beer.
When I asked Molly if I could feature one of her recipes here, she suggested Larry’s Mango Lassi. This homemade yogurt drink is named after her son, who declared it his favorite recipe in the book. I love that it’s a kid-friendly drink that’s just slightly sweet and made with a few simple ingredients. A lassi is a yogurt-based drink popular in India and Pakistan that’s usually savory, but this one is sweetened with a bit of sugar and frozen fruit. My first grader happily slurped it down!
Larry’s Mango Lassi
Lassi is a yogurt-based and kid-friendly drink that’s just slightly sweet and made with a few simple ingredients.
- 1 cup Vanilla Lassi (recipe at bottom of post or store-bought vanilla lassi)
- 1 cup frozen cubed mango
- Combine the lassi and mango in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
Vanilla Lassi
- 1.5 cups store-bought low-fat or nonfat plain yogurt or homemade yogurt
- .5 cup low-fat or nonfat milk
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine the yogurt and milk in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Stir in the sugar, if desired, and vanilla extract.
- Use in Larry’s Mango Lassi (above). You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.