Mangoes look especially good this time of year. I bought several of them the other day because they were on sale at a Mexican market I shop at in the Mission. The whole week I was craving the fresh juice; the type of juice I grew up drinking in beautiful Brazil.

mouthwatering groovy mango nectar

Most cities in Brazil have shops named casas de suco the literal translation being ‘juice houses.’ At these shops, fresh fruits of all kinds are nicely displayed everywhere: hanging on the walls, in doorways and on the counters. It’s a real fruit cornucopia, showing the bounty of Earth (maybe the bounty of the tropics?) In casas de suco you customize your own juice drink by pointing out whichever fruits appeal to you the most. They then blend them together for you. When you enter one of those stores the sweet and sour aroma of tropical fruits blow your mind. I always groove on the aromas of pineapple, guava, mango, passion fruit and papaya, just to name a few. It’s an amazing olfactory and sensual experience! So many colors, textures and scents! When you next visit Brazil, don’t miss out on trying it out. It’s so much better than Jamba Juice.

My mango nectar turned out really tasty, and resulted in 2 servings of about 16oz each. Since I don’t live in the tropics here, I’ve mixed temperate and tropical fruits to create a wonderful mix of “north and south.” You can mix it up further with your own fruit favorites. Here’s the recipe:

Groovy Mango Nectar

1 mango, peeled with seed removed and cut into pieces
½ cup of blueberries
3 Texas oranges, juiced (they are very sweet, great for juices)
some ice

How to:
Just place everything in a blender, add more ice or juice to make enough for two 16oz cups. Blend until smooth. Enjoy this drink for breakfast or just as a healthy snack!