So it’s supposed to be fall, but here in New Orleans it is steamy and balmy and very unseasonably warm.  And, it’s November.   Ugh!   Tired of willing fall to arrive by eating tons of warming soup, I have decided to just give in to the heat and attempt to counteract it with cooling salads.  But, it just feels too summery.   On a mission to keep cool and give my body what it is craving; grounding seasonal fall fruits and veggies, I headed to Whole Foods.  Three times in one day.  I was determined to get this right and after several tries, I did!  I made a salad with cooling romaine, spinach and arugula but also added in kale and swiss chard since they are heartier greens.   In my desperation, to achieve a not so warming but seasonally fall salad, I grabbed a few persimmions.  I am embarrassed to admit this, but before yesterday I had never tried a persimmon.  I have missed out on so much bliss.  Persimmons are unbelievably amazing….and so fall.  Toasty walnuts and cranberries were easy add-in’s  that are fall/winter foods and always elevate a salad to that other worldly amazing status.   A little goat cheese and lots of garbanzo beans to round out all of the flavors and textures and make this light salad a little more filling.  Perfection.  I had been adding roasted buttercup, acorn or butternut squash to my salads; which I love; but, they were a touch too warming for this unseasonably balmy weather we are having.  That’s where the persimmons came in.  The perfect combination of fall and grounding without being too warming.

What I was envisioning as I constructed this was more of a lunch salad since that is when the heat and humidity really get you.   With that in mind, this salad had to be light enough to not induce tiredness but satisfying enough to keep me from wanting to snack throughout the afternoon.  I find, if I am just having salad, if I don’t include beans I will be distracted by feeling like I need more to eat until dinner.   
Our bodies are very in tune with the seasons and are much more balanced and happy when we give them foods that are abundant during whatever season we happen to be in.  So, even though salads are more summery, they can be made to fit into every season just by varying the ingredients.  Persimmons are a fall/winter fruit, not too sweet or juicy, but amazing and such a treat to the senses.  They are warming and grounding but not so much as some of the other fall/winter fruits and vegetables.   Interestingly, the Latin word for persimmon means “food of the gods”.  After my first taste, I could see why.  Taste isn’t the only reason.   This gorgeous fruit contains a vast amount of phytonutrients, flavonoids and important antioxidants known as catechins, as well as gallocatechins and betullnic acid, a tumor inhibitor.  Also included are more common but still very powerful antioxidants;  beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein and cryptoxanthin.   Many of the major vitamins and minerals are there too, plus a lot of fiber.  
All of the other ingredients in this fall salad are packed with nutrients and are included specifcally with the purpose to nourish, cleanse and fuel the body while satisfying the palate and the mind.  Give it a try, but first start with a persimmon……you won’t be sorry!  Oh, peel it first!  xxo!