A Ketogenic diet is a low carb diet that focuses on high fat, moderate protein and very few carbohydrates.You can eat meats and cheeses and eggs and plenty of leafy green veggies, basically anything that grows above ground and is not starchy or laden with sugars. So most fruits are out, except for some berries, tomatoes and avocados. I found myself missing fruit recently as I had been an avid fruit eater all my life. I received some persimmons in my recent Farm Bag and it occurred to me that wild native persimmons are very berry like and only have 8g of carbs unlike their Asian cousins who carry a walloping 33+ grams. Persimmons can be tart and sweet too – they have a flavor very similar to mango with a little twist all their own. Then it hit me!! Dressing! I make a mango dressing that I love so much, but is completely off the keto farm. Could I make a similar dressing with a persimmon? One of the bunch was ripe already, so into my laboratory, erm, my kitchen I went.
I had six persimmons but only one was ripe and that was perfect since this was just an experiment. It turned out so good I tossed the rest of those babies in a brown paper bag with a couple of apples to ripen up faster! I made about a cup of dressing in total. A two tablespoon serving is just 94 calories and a single gram of carbohydrate! It was thick and creamy and oh the flavor! It was so reminiscent of my beloved mango vinaigrette but without the extra sugars! It was fantastic on my salad that I served with some pan grilled salmon in lemon butter. It was just enough fruitiness to cure my cravings without going off diet! YAY! To date I am down 90 pounds since I started this journey on January 1, 2016. It is so exciting to learn new ways of making old favorites but even more exciting to regain my lost mobility and confidence. I feel fantastic! My diabetes is in remission with my HbA1c at 5.2 and my cholesterol and triglycerides are all in control as well. Plus, I have energy coming out of every pore! Taking care of me is the best thing I ever did for myself!!
Anyway, I digress, let’s get back to my experiment. I peeled the persimmon — while the fruit is sweet, the peel is tough and can be a tad bitter. You do not have to peel it, if you are looking for more fiber, but expect to need extra sweetener. Once it is trimmed and peeled I quartered it and tossed it into the NutriBullet with my acid and oil. I chose Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar. I then selected some seasonings; Pink Himalayan Salt, Cinnamon and Cayenne – just a hint for zip on the back of the tongue. I usually use organic liquid Stevia drops to sweeten things but today I used some of the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Torani Sugar Free Syrup I scored at World Market for more richness and a deeper cinnamony (is that a word?) flavor. I blended all of it to a smooth creamy sauce which was very nice but too thick for dressing so I added some water to thin it. I transferred it to a glass jar and popped it in the fridge to chill and allow the flavors to meld. At dinner I measured out two tablespoons on my salad, stirred it in and VIOLA! A gorgeous sweet, creamy, zesty treat that completely resolved my fruit cravings!
- 1 med. ripe Persimmon trimmed and peeled
- 6 T Olive Oil
- 4 T Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
- Pinch of Pink Salt
- Dash of Cayenne
- Dash of Cinnamon
- 2 T Torani SF Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Syrup
- ¼ C Water (approximate – use more or less to get your desired thick or thinness)
- Peel and quarter the persimmon
- Put it along with all the other ingredients into a NutriBullet or other blender.
- Blend until smooth. You can add water to adjust thickness.
- Store in a glass container.
- Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.
94 Calories 0g Protein 11g Fat 1g Carb 0g Fiber per 2T serving