My Market Kitchen episode 1: Tropical immunity smoothie bowl

Watch the episode, meet the grower, get the recipe, check out the nutritional facts, and discover research projects relating to custard apples and other featured produce

In this episode of My Market Kitchen, Hort Innovation’s Research and Development Manager, Dietitian and Nutritionist Jemma O’Hanlon stepped into the studio at Prahran Markets to show Australians how to cook with custard apples and a range of Australian horticulture produce. Jemma creates a tropical immunity smoothie bowl packed with nutrients and travels to meet custard apple grower Daniel Jackson from the Glasshouse Mountains in South East Queensland.

Recipe: Tropical immunity smoothie bowl

Serves 2

Ingredients

Smoothie:
1 Australian papaya
2 Australian passionfruit
Flesh of 1 Australian custard apple, seeds removed
½ Australian banana (use the other half for the topping)
2 tbsp coconut yoghurt

Toppings:
1 tbsp toasted coconut flakes
½ sliced Australian banana
2 tbsp Australian blueberries
2 tbsp Australian hazelnuts

Method

1. Slice whole papaya in half, scoop out the seeds and throw these away, then remove some extra flesh to create a deeper hollow. Keep the extra flesh
2. Place papaya flesh and other smoothie ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth
3. Crush hazelnuts lightly in a mortar and pestle
4. Pour the smoothie mixture into each of the papaya ‘bowls’, top with sliced banana, fresh blueberries, toasted coconut flakes and crushed hazelnuts.

Tip: When in season, swap the Australian custard apple for the flesh of 1 Australian mango, or 2 small Australian peaches, nectarines, apricots or plums. Swap coconut yoghurt for regular yoghurt for a protein boost.

Download the recipe

Nutritional facts

• The tropical immunity smoothie is packed full of mood boosting nutrients. Nutrients like vitamin B6, and magnesium, which support our mood and give us a burst of energy.
• Papayas are a sweet delicious fruit rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, folate and fibre, which keep your immunity, gut health and skin in check
• Papaya contain double your daily intake of vitamin C, which helps to boost collagen formation and support healthy glowing skin. Papaya is 90 per cent water, so great for hydration too. The perfect food for mums to be, due to its folate content
• Custard apples contain vitamin C and magnesium, to support our immunity and boost our mood. They also have a low GI, so keep us feeling fuller for longer, even though they are juicy and sweet
• Passionfruit is also rich in vitamin C and has just 55 kilojoules in one piece of fruit
• Bananas are known for their potassium which can help to reduce blood pressure, but they also are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, fibre and magnesium. They are a nature’s energy food and help to boost our mood
• People think bananas are high in sugar, but they contain long lasting carbohydrates with a GI of 47, so they help regulate our blood sugar levels
• Hazelnuts are rich in vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant, also rich in folate and other minerals like copper and manganese.

Investing in the future of the custard apple industry

Hort Innovation invests levy contributions from the custard apple industry, together with Australian Government contributions in the case of R&D, into Hort Innovation Custard Apple Fund initiatives to improve and grow the industry.

You can read about these investments in R&D and see marketing updates at the Custard Apple Fund grower pages here. To learn more about the breeding program that’s developing red custard apples, go straight to the project description here.