Papaya Smoothie: A Taste of Asia

You know it for sure: juicy, slightly sweet, with a delicate sour note, with a beautiful orange color. Papaya is a symbol of exotic delights for the palate, but also health and vitality - and it is very #instafriendly ;)! We at Orientana also love it for its amazing care properties, thanks to which it is an irreplaceable active ingredient in cosmetics. It also takes care of the skin from the inside!

And although I will tell you about the (delicious!) benefits of papaya used in cooking in a moment, I will start with a short reminder of the wonders it works when applied to the skin. First of all, it contains the youth vitamins C and E. Vitamin C brightens, tightens and firms the skin, adding radiance, and E soothes, moisturizes and regenerates it. Papaya also contains folic acid, which is very necessary for women, as well as zinc, potassium and magnesium, minerals necessary for the beauty of hair, skin and nails, and strong antioxidants: lutein, lycopene and arginine. However, it is best known for its content of papain, a natural exfoliating enzyme that lightens discolorations and prevents the skin from producing excessive amounts of melanin. It is because of this extraordinary property that papaya is included in our peeling and face wash gel, as well as the brightening night essence. These cosmetics have also been enriched with other valuable ingredients, but papaya will also work solo, as an ingredient in an easy mask prepared at home: just crush it with a fork, mix it with a bit of yogurt or cottage cheese, honey or oatmeal and apply to the skin for a few to a dozen minutes. Now you can buy papaya in Poland in supermarkets in the organic version - I recommend it. Check it out!

Concern for our clients, who often have sensitive skin, meant that the purpose of one of my trips to Asia was to check the conditions in which papaya, which is the raw material used in Orientana cosmetics, is grown. Good news - I was very pleased :). I was also delighted by the wealth of ways in which it can be used in the kitchen. The farmers I visited treated me to papaya served in dozens of versions: from papaya salad, which is also popular in our country, through hot and cold soups, fish and seafood marinated in papaya, papaya pancakes, to "papaya" desserts, ice creams and sorbets. A real dizziness!

After returning to Poland, I immediately did two things. First, I gave Orientana the green light to use papaya in our cosmetics – I had nothing to complain about with small agricultural companies! And second… I started looking for easy-to-prepare recipes with papaya, because I missed it so much. I don't have time to cook complicated dishes (or to look for their hard-to-find ingredients in stores), so I opted for cocktails that are quick to make – and that you can take with you to work. I searched, tested and finally found it! The recipe for a papaya smoothie from the reliable Kwestia Smaku perfectly reflects my culinary memories from Asia. It's like being transported to an exotic plantation in a few minutes. You absolutely have to try it!

To make a smoothie, you need half a papaya, one banana, a glass of plant milk (preferably almond-rice, but soy works great too) and a glass of coconut water. According to the recipe, the smoothie is sweetened with a spoonful of maple syrup, but I also love it with honey. Preparing the smoothie is trivial: I divide the papaya in half, peel it, remove the seeds, cut it into small pieces, throw it into a blender with the rest of the ingredients and blend for a while until the whole thing reaches the consistency of a mousse. And sometimes... I make a second portion right away, because I find it hard to stop at one.

You'll see that you'll fall in love! And you can afford it, because papaya has only 44 kcal per 100 g (half as much as a banana!), and thanks to its carbohydrate content, it fills you up and gives you energy for a really long time - especially when eaten with plant milk. In addition, it speeds up metabolism, has a lot of fiber, strengthens bones and eyesight... And it contains carotene, which improves skin tone!

Link:

https://www.kwestiasmaku.com/przepis/smoothie-z-papai