Açai is a superfruit from the Amazon rainforest. It’s a dark, beautiful purple color and grows on palm trees throughout the region; Sambazon has made great strides in bringing this indigenous food to mainstream US culture via Açai Bowls– and they are doing so responsibly too. Check out our post on the company’s triple bottom line mission here.
Açai is usually served as a thickly blended smoothie paired with granola and fresh fruit. These are some of our favorite treats after surfing or sometimes even as dessert. But often smoothie bars make their açai super sweet, which takes away from the healthful aspects of this superfood. This Acai Bowl recipe is pared down a bit– instead of using overly sweet apple juice, this recipe includes a double dose of greens by including greens juice packets and a huge mess of kale. Also, I really recommend the unsweetened Acai packets instead of the sweetened ones; they are the same price and you can always add some honey or agave if you really need it. The dates and bananas make it pretty sweet, naturally!
Açai Power Bowl
2 packets frozen unsweetened açai puree
2 frozen bananas, roughly chopped
2 dates, pitted and chopped (optional)
½ – ¾ cup green juice (like Amazing Grass), coconut water, or apple juice
1 packed cup kale
¼ cup hempseeds
1-2 cups granola, if making a bowl
Chia seeds for garnish
Fresh fruit for garnish
- Break açai packets roughly and add to blender with bananas, dates and ½ cup liquid. Blend to break up acai packs, then add kale and hempseeds. Blend until smooth but still very thick, adding a bit more liquid if necessary to keep mixture blending well.
- If making a bowl: Açai should be very thick and ‘spoonable.’ Gently scoop out of blender, add to a bowl and top with granola, chia seeds and fresh fruit. Serve with a spoon and enjoy immediately.
- If making a smoothie: continue blending with extra liquid until drinkable texture is reached. Pour into glasses and enjoy immediately, with or without garnishes.
Yield: 2 bowls or 2 smoothies
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