The Best Fruit Salad

This is, in my opinion, the best combination of fruits for a fruit salad especially since tropical fruit is my favorite kind :).

1 ripe Mango
1 Red Papaya
2 Kiwis
1 small container of Raspberries

And, because it's always fun to see why certain delicious foods are good for you, here is some nutritious info about papayas:

"The most common use for papaya is to aid digestion. Papayas are the only natural source of papain, an effective natural digestive aid, which breaks down protein and cleanses the digestive track. This means less food settles into the metabolism and becomes fat, making papayas’ natural digestive properties an advantage to people trying to lose weight — especially for people who may cheat on their diets, said Homero Levy de Barros, president and CEO, Caliman International.

But in addition to assisting the body in digestion, papayas pack a nutritional wallop. Known as a “nutritional masterpiece,” papayas are rich in vitamin C, folate, and potassium. They are also good sources of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin E, the eye-saving carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, and lycopene. A papaya has a lycopene level of about 2,000 ug per 100g (or 3,000 ug in one slice of papaya of 150g)."

Source: http://health.learninginfo.org/

Summer Colors Pasta and Blackberry Cream Cake

Melissa, her boyfriend Griffin, and I made a great dinner tonight. We just sort of made stuff up as we went along and it turned out great :). Melissa and I tried to go to the Market Hall in Rockridge, but we were disappointed that it's not a true farmer's market like I thought it would be! I was expecting a lot of produce, but it seems more like a pastry, cheese, wine, and high end packaged food store. So, off to Berkeley Bowl we went. It was my first time being there and I can see why people love it! Their produce selection, of course, is their claim to fame. But they had a nice selection of other items too, like yogurt! I got some honey Greek yogurt which I fully intend on finishing within the next few days. This was our menu:

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Summer Colors Pasta

Serves 4.

3 large handfuls of spinach leaves
1/4 pound of prosciutto
2 tablespoons of artichoke hearts from a jar
3/4 cup sliced baby yellow, green, and grape tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Penne pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese
Sauce:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup white wine
sprinkle of salt
sprinkle of dried basil

Cook pasta separately. Pan sear the prosciutto. Remove from pan. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray. Toss in the garlic. Cook tomatoes and spinach until the spinach is fully wilted. Add prosciutto and artichoke hearts. Stir. Add the creamy wine sauce. Let simmer on low heat. Toss pasta in with other ingredients in the pan. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Blackberry Cream Cake

Serves 6.

Okay, so this dessert wasn't quite a torte and wasn't quite a parfait, but I can't really explain what it is... sort of a combo between the two! Melissa showed me how to make whipped cream using a blender and it came out more like custard, but I think I liked it better that way.

1 small package of blackberries, washed
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 teaspoons of sugar (basically, sweeten to taste)
Sponge cake

Blend the cream and sugar (sweeten to taste) on the "whip" setting until it is thickened to the consistency of either whipped cream or custard. Spread the whipped cream over a slice of sponge cake. Top with blackberries. Voile! Super easy, pretty, and yummy.