1. Mango smoothie

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized mango
• 2 medium fingers of banana
• ¼ cup frozen strawberries (optional)
• A piece of ginger
• 1 cup full-cream or low-fat milk

Instructions

1. Wash and dice the mango, banana and ginger.
2. Put into a blender with the strawberries and add the milk.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Serve cold.

2. Ayoyo sauce

Ingredients

• ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1–2 teaspoons creole seasoning (or your favourite spice mix), adjusted to taste
• 1 pound flaked smoked salmon
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1–2 teaspoons thyme (optional)
• 4–5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
• ½–1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (a whole scotch bonnet pepper works too)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3 pounds ayoyo, frozen, thawed and drained
• ½–1 cup cooking oil

Instructions

1. Heat the cooking oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot. Season the shrimp with salt and creole seasoning (salt-free), or use your favourite seasoning.
2. Lightly sauté the shrimp in about 2 tablespoons of oil until it turns pink, about 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Sauté the smoked salmon with the onions in the oil for 3–4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
4. Add the minced garlic, thyme, cayenne or whole pepper, paprika and chicken bouillon, and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Then add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Salt lightly.
5. Throw in the ayoyo and let it simmer for about 3–5 minutes.
6. Add the sautéed shrimp at this point, or serve with the shrimp on top of the ayoyo. Adjust the seasoning.

First published in the St. Elizabeth Catholic Hospital Newsletter, Maiden Edition (2022).