Papaya and Passion fruit

There are many forms of passion fruit found around the world. I use Hawaiian lilikoi, which I buy in farmer's markets. On the mainland, it's grown in California and Florida. These two fruits combine to make a delicious treat--the sweetness of the papaya combines nicely with the acidity of the passion fruit.

• 1 papaya, halved and seeded (most papayas are genetically modified nowadays; look for organic strawberry papayas)
• 2 passion fruit or lilikoi

Halve and seed the papaya. Halve the passion fruit and scoop out the gelatinous seeds, placing them into the halved papaya "bowl."

Eat by scooping out some of the passion fruit seeds and papaya flesh at the same time.

Nutritional info: 2 servings at 16g carb.




Salpicon with Yacon

Salpicon is a South American fruit salad. In this version of salpicon, I am using a unique tuber called a yacon. It's also originally from South America but can be found in the States if you look hard enough. It looks almost exactly like a sweet potato on the outside, but its watery inside will surprise you - it tastes very similar to a pear! It adds a nice crunchiness to this fruit salad. Yacon is high in fiber like jicama and contains high levels of inulin, which aid digestion and gut health.

If you can't find yacon, you could always just use a pear…

• 2 yacon, peeled and diced
• 1 diced papaya (nearly all are GMO; buy carefully)
• 1 diced mango
• 1-2 cups diced pineapple
• fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon

Combine the yacon and fruits in a bowl; mix well. Squeeze the lemon juice over the salad; toss and serve.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 35g carb.




Calamari Salad

Time: 15 minutes

• 1 lb. calamari steak
• 2 Japanese Yams, peeled and diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 cup arugula
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 Tbsp. oregano
• sea salt
• pepper

Peel, dice, and boil the yams until soft but not mushy. Drain and allow them to cool.

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a medium skillet. Add 1/2 tsp. sea salt. Cut the calamari steak into 1/2-inch wide strips, and then add to the water once it's boiling. Allow to boil for one minute, then remove to a colander and rinse with cold water. Cut the strips into cubes.

Place the yams and calamari into a large serving bowl along with all of the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Nutritional info: 2 servings at 60g carb, 35g prot, 10g fat.





Quick Persimmon ‘n’ Yam

If you are like me and eat sweet potatoes or yams pretty much daily, you may get bored of the same old flavors day in and out. Here is a simple way to diversify your yam experience.

Time: 4 minutes (with pre-cooked yams)

• 1 Hachiya persimmon, ripe
• 1 cooked and peeled yam or sweet potato

You'll find the Hachiya persimmon in the wintertime at better markets. The Hachiya is different than the more common Fuyu. It's very astringent when unripe - nearly inedible. It's ripe when it becomes soft and feels like a bag of jelly. You might think it has spoiled, but it hasn't.

If you don’t already have some mashed yams on hand, get to peeling and dicing! Boil your yams 'til soft; drain, mash, and cool. Add some to a bowl.

Cut the persimmon in half and scoop out the jelly-like flesh. Add it to your yams and mix well. Enjoy!

Nutritional info: 1 serving at 75g carb.


Mushroom/Onion Steak Topping

A simple way to dress up any steak! Not so much a recipe - just a quick and easy add-on.

Time: ~5 minutes

• 1 cup onions, diced
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced (your choice, but no need to get exotic--crimini will work great)

After you've finished frying your steak in a skillet (and removed it), add the onions and shrooms to the remaining juices from the steak. Sauté for several minutes until soft, and then serve over top of the steak.

Nutritional info: 4 servings at 4g carb. Fat content will depend on fat content of the meat you cooked, cooking oil, etc.