Quite often the food we eat comes with memories, feelings, emotional adventures, not just with the aim of killing our hunger. Yes, sometimes that is not the best thing because it makes it easy to overeat, but when you know the limits, are aware of quantities and you know well your body then it is not so hard to make sure you know when to stop enjoying too much.
So here is my own story about my relationship with passion fruits. I really couldn’t see these fruits in the shops back at home so often, and if I did find them they were just too expensive. While living in Portugal I could sometimes find them at the market, but then…
One day on Zomba plateau, Malawi, standing in the same place as Queen Elizabeth II was once famously standing, I was sitting with a couple of friends after a hike and eating lots of ripe, juicy, sweet and cheap passion fruits non stop. That was three years ago and since then I didn’t have a passion fruit until now.
Maracuya, granadilla, fruto de la pasion, any of these titles in the market make me happy, very happy and bring back the memory of that amazing flavor. So how could I resist and pass by without buying it!
Technically a passion fruit is a berry which can be sweet and sour, but mostly if it is very ripe it feels just sweet. Oh, and it is seedy, that is the reason John doesn’t really like it. They can be purple, yellow, or golden colors.
There are, of course, different ways of eating the fruit. You can enjoy it raw just by itself, cut it in half, grab a spoon dive right into the yummy flesh. If you can resist eating it straight away, then add it to smoothies, make juices, jams or use it in raw cakes or tarts. If you feel like being creative then you can prepare passion fruit margaritas, add it to sauces or mix it with natural yogurt. I bet you could find many great recipes.
Some studies suggest that this fruit helps to keep the heart healthy, improves the immune system, and is a great fruit to maintain insulin levels so it is good for diabetics. As the fruit is rich in minerals it can help to keep your skin younger and glowing, and it might also take a part in osteoporosis prevention because of the levels of magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.
Smoothie with Passion fruit
As part of our attempts at eating healthily, every morning we are having smoothies for breakfast. I will share one super simple recipe with you all you, and you will need just four ingredients! As we are two the amounts are for two people. Here is the list:
- 6 Passion fruits
- 2 Bananas
- 2 desert spoons of Chia seeds
- 300 ml of plant based milk (usually we use almonds or coconut milk)
Cut the fruits into halves, scoop everything out with a spoon and put it in the blender. Peel the bananas, cut into smaller pieces and add them to the blender as well. Finally add the milk and blend it.
You can either add chia seeds to the blender as well or add them later in the glasses and mix. I prefer to wait and add the after blending so the seeds absorb the liquid. If you happen to have some super foods like spirulina, baobab powder or a bit of ginger root around then feel free to add it too!