This post is sponsored by Australian Papaya. You might not be aware, but just as the weather is finally cooling down for us here in Sydney, the season for Australian Papayas is ramping up.  That means you can feel like you’re in the tropics even though you’re wearing a jumper! I made a delicious papaya noodle salad to make the most of this amazing fruit.

It had been a while since the kids had eaten papaya.  My daughter (now 6!) loved papaya when she was a bub and again when we were in Hawaii a few years ago.  The sweetness, the texture, everything about it is so yummy and it’s really nice to know that not only do they taste good, but they have some serious health benefits.  Papaya and pawpaw are perfect for kids, and families have a peak in their season (read best time to buy) in autumn and spring.

More info, please?

• Papaya and pawpaw are high in fibre, in fact on serve contains as much as 1/2 a cup of cooked brown rice!
• one serve of papaya or pawpaw contains double the RDI of vitamin C- so perfect for helping to build you immune system at the onset of winter
• they are high in folate, which is super important for cell division and tissue formation during pregnancy
• high in vitamin A- needed for baby’s growth and development

Don’t be put off by some mottling on the flesh of the papaya, as it often means the flesh is sweeter!  store in the fridge when they are ripe (you can tell by giving it a gentle squeeze, if it gives a little you’re good to go!).

The first thing we tried with payaya was this delicious curry.  It’s very reminiscent of a mango curry and is super sweet, so the kids loved it.  Next time we make it I think I’ll pack it full of some extra veggies.

Then we were invited to a BBQ and I was asked to bring a salad.  My immediate reaction was to pop some papaya into it, and I’m so glad I did. You can see all the colour it brought to the salad in the photos. It was perfect for the warm autumn afternoon. (BTW: how good does that table top look?)

Try these salad recipes that you can make on your own:

• Sunshine salad with mustard mayonnaise dressing
• Kaleslaw (a crunchy and sweet kale salad)

Papaya noodle salad

Yield: 6 serves

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This yummy papaya salad is perfect for a BBQ and makes a scrummy salad that you'll go back for seconds of!

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Ingredients

• 500 grams papaya, chopped into cubes
• 1 lebanese cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 red capsicum sliced
• 250 grams cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if they are big)
• 1/2 pack rice vermicelli
• 160 grams rocket and spinach mixed leaves, mine also had red cabbage in it
• vietnamese salad dressing
• 1 lime, quartered

Instructions

1. Bring some water to the boil in a saucepan and add the rice vermicelli. Cook for 2 minutes, then rinse in cold water.
2. Add the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum and papaya to a salad bowl and mix well. Add in the noodles.
3. Dress with as much vietnamese dressing as you like.
4. Serve immediately after dressing. Add the lime to the corners to squeeze on as you eat.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 side
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 95Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 77mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 2g

This nutrition information is generated using software. Please check with a nutritionist for any specific questions.