Persimmons are out seasonally right now, I keep seeing they’re beautiful brightly colored orange and yellow skins while I am shopping. They seem like such a cheerful fruit I wanted to create something that was fun to eat with them. Nice Cream it is!
Nice Cream if you are not familiar, is a term used to describe a dessert that has the texture of a sorbet or ice cream but contains no dairy. It is the ice cream of the plant-based world. Now what I love about Nice Cream is I never feel guilty about eating it, nor am I ever bloated or have stomach issues from it thanks to its clean ingredients. So you can truly have nice cream for breakfast (which I have absolutely have done).
Persimmons are tomato like in shape and are so sweet. When you are picking your fruits for a nice cream you want to select the fruits that are shorter and wider (Fuyu variety) vs thin and vertical (hachiya variety). Fuyu persimmons are firm, more orange than yellow and have this beautiful sweet yet warming spice flavor.
Now let’s talk health. Persimmons and Mango are packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin A thanks to their gorgeous orange color, and minerals such as potassium. These antioxidant powerhouse fruits help support healthy immune function and reduce the free-radical damage that can cause accelerated aging and disease. Now Most people do not consume the skins of persimmons or mangos, but I do include them in the Nice Cream. The skins of fruit are where you find the fiber that when consumed with the fruit flesh, as it is done in nature, can be less impactful in spiking blood then when we eat the fruit flesh alone. Fruit skins, for example, mango skins, contain properties similar to resveratrol, which helps burn fat and hinders the production of mature fat cells. When the flesh was also tested, it did not produce the same results. The peel also showed greater amounts of carotenoids, quercetin, and polyphenols versus its flesh. In a research study, they suggest the compounds more heavily concentrated in mango’s skin that fight off cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
I find that adding the peel to a high-speed blender for Nice Cream or in a juicer to drink makes it easy to consume the skin as it is easily broken down in this equipment. If you are not sure about consuming the skin, you can peel and make the Nice Cream without the peels or you can gradually work your way up by increasing the amount of skins you use in the recipe. I always suggest cleaning your fruits and vegetables well, however when you are consuming the skins this way I strongly suggest it (organic or not). Here is a link to my cheap and easy Apple Cider Vinegar Produce Wash.
Persimmon & Mango Nice Cream
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup persimmons
- 1 medium banana
- 1 cup mango
- 1 tbsp manuka honey or maple syrup optional
- 1 tsp vanilla bean powder
Instructions
- Wash and slice all the fruit.
- Place the fruit into the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
- Remove fruit from the freezer, add vanilla and sweetner (optional) and blend well. I usually use a spatula to push the nice cream down to the centre and blend again to ensure it is well processed.
- Pour the Nice Cream into bowls and place in the freezer for an additional 5-10 minutes (if you want it to be a firmer texture than sorbet).
- Remove and enjoy or top with superfoods like hemp hearts, unsweetened coconut flakes, chia seeds, berries or homemade granola.