CARAMBOLA ( STAR FRUIT, CHATURAPPULI OR VAIRAPPULI)

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CARAMBOLA

• Star fruit may lower cholesterol levels.
• A decoction of leaves and roots can help cure headaches, ringworm and chicken pox.
• The fruit is known to cure hangovers and prickly heat.
• The fruit has also been used to treat sore eyes.

COOKING TIPS

• Sweet variety carambola are eaten fresh or miked with other fruits in salads. Fresh juice can also be processed into juice.
  
• Sour type fruits are favored in cooking as they give unique tart flavour to poultry, meat and seafood dishes.
• Fresh fruits can be added in stews, curries and stir fries with chicken, fish and seafood.
• The fruit can be used to make sauce, pickle, chutney, tarts and jam.

RECIPE

Seared Scallops With Carambola Sauce, Parsnip And Succotash

Servings:6

Ingredients

For the scallops

18 large scallops  rinsed and patted dry

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

Parsnip purée

3 parsnips, peeled and cut into thirds

2 cups water

2 cups heavy cream

1 lemon

1 tablespoon butter

1 bunch fresh thyme

Succotash

2 ears corn

1 medium sized carrot

1/2 cup fava beans

1/2 cup English peas

1/2 cup lima beans

1 bunch chives, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon olive oil

Carambola sauce

3 carambola (starfruit)

1 bottle white wine

1 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, halved and seeded

1 cup butter

1 lime

Directions: 

For the scallops:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season both sides of the scallops with salt and pepper.Heat up cast iron pan until nearly smoking hot, add the oil and gently put the scallops in the pan.When golden brown, turn the scallops over and finish cooking in the oven for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and reserve until time to plate.

For the parsnip purée:

Put parsnips in a pot, cover with the water and add the thyme and halved lemon. Cook until tender, then drain. Transfer parsnips into a blender, add butter and cream and season with salt. Purée until very smooth and pass through a chinois.

Succotash:

Cut the corn off the cob. Peel and thinly slice the carrots. In a pot of boiling water, separately blanch the fava beans, English peas and lima beans until they are tender. Remove the outer layer of the fava and lima beans. 

Heat up a sauté pan, add the oil, corn and carrots. Cook for about 2 minutes then add the beans and peas. 

Toss and finish seasoning with the chives, salt and pepper.

Carambola sauce: 

Slice the carambola thinly so they look like a star.Put them in a pot with the vanilla beans, sugar and wine.

Cook them down on low heat for about 3 hours or until the are nice and tender and wine has reduced by one-third.

When ready to serve, add the butter slowly while whisking it.

Finish with a squeeze of lime and salt.

COCONUT

COCONUT MILK SHAKE

Ingredients 

1 cup coconut milk

1 banana

3 small scoops vanilla ice cream

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup crushed ice

Direction

1.     Peel and cut banana into big chunks

2.   Add coconut milk, banana and sugar in a blender jar. blend until mixture become smooth

3.   Add ice cream and crushed ice in it; blend again until a frothy mixture.

4.   Thick coconut shake with coconut milk and ice cream is ready. Transfer to a serving glass and serve with a straw

GROWING & CARING FOR PAPAYA TREES

GROWING & CARING FOR PAPAYA TREES

The Papaya tree (Carica papaya) is a tropical fruit that originated in Mexico and South America. It is now grown throughout the North American tropics and other tropical regions around the world.

The fruit of the Papaya is also called pawpaw and is eaten raw without the skin. The fruit is sweet, low in calories and high in potassium and vitamin A. Papaya is also used in drinks, jellies, salads, desserts and is also dried and candied.

There are many varieties of Papaya, but the main varieties grown in the U.S. are Red Lady, Maradol, and various Solo types. To successfully grow Papayas, you need a frost free climate, lots of sunlight, lots of water and good soil. If you give your plant all of these conditions, then you can grow a papaya from seed and generally have fruit in 6 to 12 months.

Growing Tips for Papayas:

·         Climate: Thrive in subtropical and tropical climates. Zone 10 to 11. They do not tolerate freezing temperatures and are damaged or killed if temperatures go below 32 degrees.

·         Pollination: The female plants produce fruit and may be cross pollinated with others by insects and wind. There are plants that may be self-pollinating (bi-sexual).

·         Growth Habit: The papaya is a short lived, fast growing woody herb. They generally have a single trunk and grow 10 to 15 feet tall, but some plants have been known to grow taller.

·         Sun Light: Grow best in full sun. Papayas love the heat and sunlight.

·         Fertilize: Papayas are heavy feeders and require regular fertilizing. Adding compost is also recommended.

·         Water: Papayas have large soft leaves and evaporate a lot of water in warm weather, so they need above average watering.

·         Soil: Papayas do best in rich soil that is high in organic matter. Make sure your planting location and soil has good drainage to avoid root rot.

·         Harvesting: Generally, fruit is picked when there is 1/5 to 1/3 color change in the fruit. After picking, keep at room temperature to fully ripen. Ripe fruit will keep 4 to 7 days in the refrigerator.

Caribbean  papaya salad

      1 ripe papaya
2 tablespoon cilantro
juice of a lime
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
 pinch salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 bird chili pepper
1 red onion 

      The first step is to cut, seed and peel the papaya (in the video below I’ll show you how simple this is). Basically all you have to do is trim off the stem area, then cut in half length-wise. Then use a spoon to scrape off all the seeds and discard. Now cut into segments and peel. I used a sharp paring knife, but  a potato peeler will work just as well. Give it a rinse with cool water and cut into 1 inch pieces (cube).cut red onion into small pieces

      Put the pieces of papaya in a bowl and chop the pepper and cilantro.

      It’s now time to assemble everything. In the bowl with the papaya, add the chopped pepper and cilantro, squeeze in the fresh lime juice as well as the other ingredients… don’t forget to grate the ginger into the mix as well.  Now (be gentle if your papaya is fully ripe) toss and serve. Works great if you can leave it in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to marinate a bit and chill.

      

HEALTH BENEFITS OF BANANA

HEALTH BENEFITS OF BANANA

·         Bananas help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin -- the happy-mood brain neurotransmitter.

·         Eat two bananas before a strenuous workout to pack an energy punch and sustain your blood sugar.

·         Protect against muscle cramps during workouts and nighttime leg cramps by eating a banana.

·         Counteract calcium loss during urination and build strong bones by supplementing with a banana.

·         Improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation.

·         Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells, all due to high levels of vitamin B-6.

·         Strengthen your blood and relieve anemia with the added iron from bananas.

·         High in potassium and low in salt, bananas are officially recognized by the FDA as being able to lower blood pressure and protect against heart attack and stroke. 

·         Rich in pectin, bananas aid digestion and gently chelate toxins and heavy metals from the body.

·         Bananas act as a pre biotic, stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria in the bowel. They also produce digestive enzymes to assist in absorbing nutrients.

·         Constipated? High fiber in bananas can help normalize bowel motility.

·         Got the runs? Bananas are soothing to the digestive tract and help restore lost electrolytes after diarrhea.

·         Bananas are a natural antacid, providing relief from acid reflux, heartburn and GERD.

·         Bananas are the only raw fruit that can be consumed without distress to relieve stomach ulcers by coating the lining of the stomach against corrosive acids. 

·         Eating bananas will help prevent kidney cancer, protects the eyes against macular degeneration and builds strong bones by increasing calcium absorption.

·         Bananas make you smarter and help with learning by making you more alert. Eat a banana before an exam to benefit from the high levels of potassium.

·         Bananas are high in antioxidants, providing free radicals and protection from chronic disease.

·         Eating a banana between meals helps stabilize blood sugar and reduce nausea from morning sickness.

·         Rub a bug bite or hives with the inside of the banana peel to relieve itching and irritation.

·         Control blood sugar and avoid binging between meals by eating a banana.

·         Eating a banana can lower the body temperature and cool you during a fever or on a hot day.

·         The natural mood-enhancer tryptophan, helps to relieve Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

·         Quitting smoking? Bananas contain high levels of B-vitamins as well as potassium and magnesium to speed recovery from the effects of withdrawal.

·         Remove a wart by placing the inside of a piece of banana peel against the wart and taping it in place.

PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA SMOOTHIE

Recipe:

      Half of one banana

      1/2 cup smooth or crunchy low-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup of non-fat milk
6 ice cubes
1 tablespoon of chocolate whey protein powder

Place all of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth.