by Ruth
I love papaya (and paw paws, which are more common in my part of the world), I eat one nearly everyday. They are such an amazing fruit… so much goodness inside.
Did you know you can make a tea from the dried leaves? It is an immune stimulant and taken on a daily basis can be used as a anti-malaria prophylaxis.
Green papayas are loaded with all sorts of wonderful enzymes, and you can make awesome salads with the grated flesh of green papayas, a lot of raw mom readers might have tried this sort of dish at thai restaurants.
Today I want to share with you yet another way to enjoy the health benefits of this amazing fruit, possibly something even long term raw foodies might not have tried…
Spicy Ripe Papaya Salad
The signature part of this dish is the dressing. It’s made with papaya seeds as the focal ingredient. Papaya seeds have long been used as a anti-parasitic folk remedy. They are extremely cleansing and can be used as part of a natural parasite detox program.
There is some controversy over whether or not the seeds have contraceptive effect, do some research if you are interested and if you are planning on conceiving or are in the early phases of pregnancy maybe take it easy on the seeds (its hard to eat to many of them anyway, as they have a really powerful taste)
- Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized ripe papaya (or paw paw)
- 1 red onion
- Garlic
- Fresh dark leafy greens
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Balsamic vinegar
- 1 avocado (optional)
Peel and open the papaya. Scoop out the seeds and put them into the blender. Dice the papaya flesh and place in a bowl.
Slice the onion into rings and mix with papaya along with the greens and diced avocado (the recipe works fine without the avocado if you want something a little lighter)
Add as many peeled garlic cloves as you can handle to the blender, cover the seeds and garlic in equal parts of oil and honey, top off with a dash of vinegar. Blend on high until the dressing has a mayonnaise like consistency.
Serve the salad with the dressing on the side, letting each diner add as much dressing as they prefer.
The mix of fruit and greens is refreshing and unique, the ground up seeds give the salad a peppery pop, and yes, even your kids will like this dish.
Ruth is our Australian raw mom living with her family in Queensland.
Other great posts from Ruth:
Chia Fun! Grow Your Own Yummy Chia Garden
Transform Avocado Stones into Beautiful Pendants
Ruth also contributed many great articles during pregnancy month