Greetings plant-based munchers and food lovers! For more than 10 years, my hubby and I have been drinking a green smoothie every single day. Sometimes we have them as breakfast while other days we have them as a power snack after our daily 30 to 45 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
Ever since we moved to Cambodia we have been blessed with a beautiful garden packed with tropical fruits. Papayas don’t really have a season, the passion fruits seem to be growing year-round too, but I am so thrilled about the first mangoes of this season. Which has started very late this year. We should have had our first ripe mangoes weeks (even not months) ago.
FYI: the yellow, ripe papaya in the pic is the one I used for this recipe!
The weather has been very strange of late. Though it should be dry season, it rains nearly every day. We just cut the grass a few weeks ago and it is again at knee height. Around this time of the year the grass usually looks very brown and sad... but not this year. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why the mangoes are so late. Plus, there aren't as many mangoes on the trees either!
But on the other hand, the papaya trees and the passion fruits seem to love this weather. Though the passion fruit vines are slowly taking over the back of our garden, we still don't have enough to have them every single day or give them to friends and neighbors. So no passion fruits in this recipe!
Papayas and mangoes on the other hand we got plenty. The other day our biggest papaya tree collapsed under its own weight. We are trying to ripe the fruits in the sun on the terrace and I am researching green papaya dishes, pickles, and ferments. Tips on what to do with green papaya are more than welcome….
This (see pic below) is what we still have after making green papaya salads and giving a bunch away to the neighbor who loves them green. Cambodian people love unripe fruits. They eat it with a mix of salt, sugar, and chili peppers. Not my cup of tea!
Since we got so many papayas and mangoes at the moment, I decided to make a papaya-mango smoothie bowl topped with other plant goodness.
This is my entry for the The Brand New PLANT-BASED challenge: Super Smoothie!, powered by 
. Click the link for more info about the challenge.
TROPICAL SUPER SMOOTHIE BOWL
Below you will find my ingredient list. However, if you are making your own you can add any fruit, leafy greens, and toppings of your choice.
INGREDIENTS AND THEIR BENEFITS
All ingredients I used to make this smoothie bowl are packed with health-promoting vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants to boost your health and happiness.
Instead of boring you with a long list of health and nutrition facts about each ingredient, I decided to give you one fact about each nutrient you might not know about.
Papaya - is a super fruit when it comes to digestion and digestive health. Many years ago, a friend of mine was battling cancer and going through chemotherapy. Since he was too weak to take care of himself, we cooked for him on the days he was not in the hospital. Papaya smoothie was a daily item on the menu as it helped him to combat nausea caused by the chemotherapy. Also, Did you know that you can eat the seeds? They have anti-parasite properties. We often toss them in our smoothies as the tropics are home to many parasites.
Mango - recently an Indian friend told me that mangoes are known as “The Love Fruit” because they are thought to increase male virility. After a quick google search, I found that mangoes contain a lot of vitamin E which might help regulate sex hormones and boost sex drive.
Kiwi - next to adding a delicious, nutrient boost to your smoothies or breakfast bowls, kiwi fruits are also often used in DIY face masks thanks to the abundance of alpha-hydroxy acids, vitamin C, E, and K. Plus, Kiwis are ideal for exfoliating and nourishing your skin to prevent premature aging.
Pink Dragon Fruit (Pitaya) - just like kiwi fruits, pitaya can be used for much more than smoothies and tropical fruit salads. Combined with cucumber juice and honey (think maple or agave might do the trick too to keep it 100% vegan), it creates an aloe vera-like gel that does a great job in moisturizing and bringing the heat down of sunburned skin.
Blueberries - are good for your brain. They are rich in a compound called anthocyanins. These little phytochemicals can cross the blood-brain barrier where they are believed to work as an antioxidant to decrease oxidative stress, they also can reduce inflammation, and improve neuron communication.
Green Lettuce - leafy greens are among the best foods to eat. They are packed with health-promoting nutrients to fight inflammation, diabetes, cancer, among many other diseases. Though I used simple green lettuce for this smoothie (as this was the only thing I had, we ran out of kale, rocket, and spinach yesterday), the darker the lettuce or leafy green, the more nutrient-dense it is.
Almond Milk - from when we were little we have always been told we need to drink milk to get enough calcium to build strong bones. Did you know that 1 cup of almond milk offers 35 percent of the recommended daily amount of calcium? Plus, it tastes so much better. However, make sure to buy from an organic source with no added chemicals or make your own.
Chia Seeds - are loaded with complete protein, antioxidants, fibers, and omega-3s. But did you know that they also make the perfect egg replacement for baked goods? If you have been following my blog you might have seen them in some of my recipes. You can make one chia egg by mixing 1 tbsp chia seeds with 3 tbsp water. Let sit for a few minutes and use as you would use an egg in baked goods.
Desiccated Coconut - is an ideal fat source. One ounce contains about 80% healthy, saturated fats.
HOW TO MAKE A SMOOTHIE BOWL 🥣
To make the smoothie base, add papaya, mango, and lettuce to a blender. Add a splash of almond milk. Blend at high speed. Add more almond milk if needed. You are looking to create a thick, pudding-like substance so don't add too much liquid.
Even better, use frozen fruits to make your smoothie base. This will nicely chill down your smoothie bowl and it will resemble a soft-serve ice cream as a base.
Pour the smoothie base into a bowl and top with fresh fruits, seeds, dedicated coconut, or other toppings of your choice.
I used kiwifruit, mango, dragon fruit, blueberries, chia seeds, and desiccated coconut.
Enjoy!
WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY AND HEALTHY DAY ღ ღ ღ
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