Page 55 - The Hunt - Summer 2023

By RogeR MoRRis
Frozen mango margaritas.
Fruitful Sips
Summer is the time for banana smoothies, mango margaritas, strawberry milkshakes, pear martinis and more.
For those seeking a healthier lifestyle, smoothies have become as necessary as a rigorous workout.
It’s no wonder the cafe at the Hockessin Athletic Club has a menu devoted solely to the queen of blender drinks. Among its two dozen smoothies, most are fruit- flavored and listed under categories like Lo-Cal, Kids and Performance. “Fruity smoothies are refreshing and sell well
in the summer,” says chef Chihiro Oka, who’s in charge of the HAC cafe and once ran the Japanese restaurant Utage in Wilmington with his father.
All the ingredients in Oka’s smoothies are natural. “A local company provides us with fresh produce triweekly,” he says. “We use products that are gluten-free and vegan,
with no GMO, no added sugar, no artificial flavors, no artificial colors.”
DIY smoothies and fruit-based beverages of all kinds are a must for summer. Think of all the fruit options at your disposal, from berries and cherries to bananas and mangoes to pears and apples to watermelon and peaches. Start your drinks with fruits that are whole, sliced, crushed, infused, juiced, fermented, blended or frozen, turning them into ices, tall drinks, cocktails and infused drinks. Or simply use the fruit as an accent or a drink topper.
The beauty of smoothies is that you can choose the amount of ingredients that suits you. Your only limit is the size of your blender. Two of Oka’s most popular smoothies are the Raspberry Recharge (unsweetened almond
milk, banana, raspberries, vanilla flavoring, Get Energized supplement, whey protein) and the Fireworks (strawberries, lemon, blueberries, whey protein).
And while you have your blender out, you may want to consider something a little less healthy—like a milkshake using fresh (preferably) or frozen fruit. Simply blend together a half-cup of ice cream or frozen yogurt, another half-cup or cup of cow’s or non-dairy milk, half a banana, and 12 small or eight large halved strawberries. Or you can turn that blender into a mango margarita machine. Blend two ounces of tequila, an ounce of orange liqueur (Triple Sec or Cointreau), a half-cup of lime juice, a cup of ice, and a cup of diced mango. Salted rim is optional.
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FOOD & DRINK