Acai Bowl.
The first time I saw 'acai' on a menu at a trendy cafe I made the foolish mistake of opening my mouth when the waitress was nearby and saying the word 'acai' out loud phonetically using a hard 'c/k' sound. To put it simply, it was not the first time I had made a fool of myself in public...
If you live under some kind of quint and cozy rock and have not yet heard of this acai stuff, basically it is a berry, not too dissimilar from a blueberry or grape, that is primarily found the the Amazon regions of South America and that grows on a palm tree-like plant. It's developed a kind of cult following in the last decade or so, and pretty much if you go to a cafe these days and they don't serve some kind of acai bowl, acai smoothie or acai-containing product, then sadly you are likely in a not-so-trendy cafe. Probably the most hilarious thing about the whole acai trend is the pronunciation of the word 'acai' itself. See, if you are like me at the beginning of this little story and have not previously heard of the stuff, you're highly likely to fall into the trap of assuming that the word does contain a hard 'c' sound after the 'a'. If so, then you are wrong. I learnt this the hard, and embarrassing way. I actually get a really embarrassing amount of pleasure being in a cafe or what not these days and hearing unaware people try their hand at ordering an acai bowl. The correct pronunciation is something along the lines of 'ahhhh-sigh-eeee'.
I'm not a massive fan of the whole #superfoods trend myself, and I do not go out of my way to buy or use superfood labelled things in what I eat and cook. I would like to state that as of 2015, there has been no indication by way of scientific testing that consuming acai in any way provides some kind of crazy health benefit and it's consequently questionable whether the berry is rightfully deserving of the 'superfood' title it is so commonly given. However, that said, acai is a really lovely addition to a smoothie bowl, and as a massive fan of all berries, I do have a slight love for the stuff based on its delicious taste. Also, as it is a fruit, whilst it may not give you super abilities, result in you being able to run a marathon tomorrow morning or give you any kind of crazy power, acai is a fruit, and fruit is good stuff anyway. If you are going to purchase some acai, I'd strongly suggest attempting to get some frozen pulp packets as opposed to a freeze-dried powder. The frozen pulp tastes infinitely better, and if you live near a Costco, Sambazon Acai, which is a 100% organic, fair-trade company, is likely to be next to the frozen berries in the freezer section and I personally love their product and would recommend it to all my friends and other people perusing the world-wide web!
1 packet acai (if you are using powder, this would be about 1 tbsp)
1 cup frozen blueberries (any berry works, but I personally prefer blueberries)
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Pulp from 1 passionfruit
+ fresh fruit (banana, passionfruit, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi fruit, etc.) for toppings
+ an optional add in if you have it is some maqui berry powder - acai and maqui taste delish together!!
+ some crunchy granola
1. Roughly chop the frozen banana and put in a blender along with the acai, blueberries, passionfruit pulp and coconut milk. Blend until really well combined (no chunks!) which can take a minute or two. If your blender is being stubborn, be persistent and stir with a spoon because it'll blend it all up eventually!!
2. Pour/scoop into a bowl and have a fun with your toppings! The more fruit you use, the more visually appealing bowl you will have and the more delicious flavours there will be! Also, crunchy granola on top is literally the definition of #foodgasm. Enjoy!!
The first time I saw 'acai' on a menu at a trendy cafe I made the foolish mistake of opening my mouth when the waitress was nearby and saying the word 'acai' out loud phonetically using a hard 'c/k' sound. To put it simply, it was not the first time I had made a fool of myself in public...
If you live under some kind of quint and cozy rock and have not yet heard of this acai stuff, basically it is a berry, not too dissimilar from a blueberry or grape, that is primarily found the the Amazon regions of South America and that grows on a palm tree-like plant. It's developed a kind of cult following in the last decade or so, and pretty much if you go to a cafe these days and they don't serve some kind of acai bowl, acai smoothie or acai-containing product, then sadly you are likely in a not-so-trendy cafe. Probably the most hilarious thing about the whole acai trend is the pronunciation of the word 'acai' itself. See, if you are like me at the beginning of this little story and have not previously heard of the stuff, you're highly likely to fall into the trap of assuming that the word does contain a hard 'c' sound after the 'a'. If so, then you are wrong. I learnt this the hard, and embarrassing way. I actually get a really embarrassing amount of pleasure being in a cafe or what not these days and hearing unaware people try their hand at ordering an acai bowl. The correct pronunciation is something along the lines of 'ahhhh-sigh-eeee'.
I'm not a massive fan of the whole #superfoods trend myself, and I do not go out of my way to buy or use superfood labelled things in what I eat and cook. I would like to state that as of 2015, there has been no indication by way of scientific testing that consuming acai in any way provides some kind of crazy health benefit and it's consequently questionable whether the berry is rightfully deserving of the 'superfood' title it is so commonly given. However, that said, acai is a really lovely addition to a smoothie bowl, and as a massive fan of all berries, I do have a slight love for the stuff based on its delicious taste. Also, as it is a fruit, whilst it may not give you super abilities, result in you being able to run a marathon tomorrow morning or give you any kind of crazy power, acai is a fruit, and fruit is good stuff anyway. If you are going to purchase some acai, I'd strongly suggest attempting to get some frozen pulp packets as opposed to a freeze-dried powder. The frozen pulp tastes infinitely better, and if you live near a Costco, Sambazon Acai, which is a 100% organic, fair-trade company, is likely to be next to the frozen berries in the freezer section and I personally love their product and would recommend it to all my friends and other people perusing the world-wide web!
Ingredients;
2 bananas, peeled and frozen overnight1 packet acai (if you are using powder, this would be about 1 tbsp)
1 cup frozen blueberries (any berry works, but I personally prefer blueberries)
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Pulp from 1 passionfruit
+ fresh fruit (banana, passionfruit, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi fruit, etc.) for toppings
+ an optional add in if you have it is some maqui berry powder - acai and maqui taste delish together!!
+ some crunchy granola
1. Roughly chop the frozen banana and put in a blender along with the acai, blueberries, passionfruit pulp and coconut milk. Blend until really well combined (no chunks!) which can take a minute or two. If your blender is being stubborn, be persistent and stir with a spoon because it'll blend it all up eventually!!
2. Pour/scoop into a bowl and have a fun with your toppings! The more fruit you use, the more visually appealing bowl you will have and the more delicious flavours there will be! Also, crunchy granola on top is literally the definition of #foodgasm. Enjoy!!
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