A raw, vegan, gluten-free and paleo papaya salad made with fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, topped with a coconut milk Sweet Cream and granola.
We’re getting all beachy today on Nutrition Stripped. Just picture yourself on sandy beaches, ocean sea water at your toes, and a Beachy Papaya Boats with Papaya Seed Drizzle in hand. I’m obviously trying to hold on to summer as long as I can, even though here in Nashville I don’t need to try that hard it’s been SO hot here lately! Nonetheless, even if you’re in the middle of fall or winter for all my international readers, you can still enjoy this recipe to bring a little of the tropics and beachyness to your side of the globe with this recipe.
Beachy Papaya Boats with Papaya Seed Drizzle has been a recipe I’ve been making for a couple summers now, since I started enjoying papaya, and have come up with several variations using these unique tropical fruits. The center of the papaya is hollowed out so we can squeeze more goodies inside such as, fresh avocado, hemp seeds, juicy figs, crunchy cashews, and a dollop with Sweet Cream. They’re truly a dessert for breakfast kind of thing… or breakfast for dessert- however you look at it, it’s delicious!
The combination of fiber rich fruits from the figs, avocado, and papaya all promote healthy digestion which keeps our tummies looking flat, fighting the bloat, and help with keeping things moving. A nice balance of these carbohydrate rich fruits with healthy fats from the avocado, hemp seeds and Sweet Cream make this recipe incredibly satisfying and energizing. I love eating this for breakfast or a mid-morning snack to keep me light on my toes and energized. Papaya and the great divide. Papaya is in that small group of funky fruits that people either can’t get enough of or can’t stand the sight (or smell) of. A couple others in this category is the famous durian fruit, jackfruit, pitaya, lychee, soursop, guava, and mangosteen. If many of these fruits sound foreign to you, you must be located in the US and well, they are foreign to us! The majority of these funky smelling, yet delicious in my opinion, fruits are based around the globe especially in the tropic climates. Despite their pleasant (or funky) aromas, these tropical fruits have wonderful nutrients contained in them, especially my favorite from the bunch mentioned, papaya.
Just like pineapple which I’ve talked about before, papaya contains pretty amazing properties when it comes to helping aid in digestion. Papaya contains a digestive enzyme called papain, that acts very similarly to bromelain found in pineapple. A quick primer on bromelain, it’s not only a great antioxidant and enzyme, but has been touted to help with inflammation, muscle relaxation//contraction//pain, cancer prevention, antibiotic absorption, enhances excretion of fat, shortens labor, and inhibits blood platelet aggregation (a.k.a. blood clotting). Not only does papaya contain these health benefits, but also is high in vitamin C and A, folate, manganese, fiber, potassium, and copper. The combination of the fiber, water, and natural occurring digestive enzymes in papaya make it one of my top fruits for promoting optimal and healthy digestion.
- 1 large papaya, well ripened
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 5 fresh figs, halved
- 1/2 cup Maple Banana Nut Granola (optional)
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
- 2 tablespoons cashews, whole raw
- dollop of Sweet Cream (from NS)
- dash of ground cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt on top
- Slice the papaya in half, long ways. Using a spoon, scoop out the center including all the seeds. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix diced avocado, sliced figs, hemp seeds, and cashews, just until stirred. Scoop this mixture in the hollowed out papaya halves, next layer the Sweet Cream on top, followed by topping it with the granola, dash of cinnamon, and pinch of sea salt.
- Enjoy immediately and serve with a spoon.
TIP: Be sure when you use your papaya, that it’s completely ripe. The way I ripen papaya quickly is to simply leave it out on the kitchen counter or next to other ripe fruit at room temperature. You’ll know when the papaya is ripe when it’s soft to touch and the color changes from green to a golden yellow. After cutting and preparing this recipe, always keep cut fruit in the fridge to keep it fresh!
Papayas are beautiful in color, as you can see, bright peach-orange with jet black spongy seeds. These seeds by the way, don’t need to be discarded, you can keep them to use for a dressing (as we’ve done here) or blended in other forms to add a natural peppery flavor to any dish. I choose to utilize the papaya seeds in this recipe to show you just how easy it is to incorporate them into your diet. The Papaya Seed Drizzle can be used just like you would any other salad dressing.
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup red onion
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 to 3 tablespoons papaya seeds
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon pink himalayan sea salt
- Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth, there will always be chunks of the black papaya seeds, this is desired.
- Enjoy over salads, green vegetables, and the Beachy Papaya Boats.
- Keep in the fridge for up to a week.
I hope you all love these breakfast boats as much as I do! Be sure to share your recreation of this recipe by tagging me, #nutritionstripped. Enjoy everyone!
xx McKel
p.s. I released brand new tip sheets in the SHOP yesterday! Click here to download Workout Nutrition and Portion Guide!
