A few years ago, Surfer Mag called eating açaí (pronounced “ah-sigh-ee”) for breakfast a “daily ritual for surfers” in Brazil. Kelly Slater, surfer, has said, “I’ll eat this for breakfast every day.” And once Sambazon (the main purveyor of this Amazonian berry) started importing to the US, the food quickly caught on Stateside.
In NYC, Juice Generation makes the açaí bowl, and in visiting their Chelsea location, we gave it a try. Juice Gen told us that in Brazil, people eat bowls of this Amazonian superberry like others do cereal. They praised the açaí bowl as a nutritious, filling breakfast suitable for an active lifestyle. We ordered the highly recommended PB Açai (banana, peanut butter, almond milk, hemp granola, strawberries, honey and cacao nibs) and the XO Coco (banana, coconut oil, almond milk, coconut shavings and hemp granola). They did not disappoint. The simple flavors blended well — sweet and crunchy toppings accompanied subtly blended açaí.
But one can not always stop by an açaí shop, and the wonders of the açaí should not be excluded from the home. So we turned to an expert, Kaylyn Durrance, whose açaí bowl — a staple at West Palm Beach’s breakfast spot A.M. Shift — started in her own kitchen. Durrance gave us a simple 10-minute recipe, perfect for a quick morning treat, or, if you savvy some evening prep, it’ll hold overnight in the fridge and be ready for you in the morning.
The Açaí Bowl
About Our Expert
Kaylyn Durrance is Marketing Director and Manager at The Blind Monk, whose breakfast arm, the A.M. Shift, celebrates the açaí bowl. Kaylyn loves to travel and experiment with fresh and colorful foods. She embraces simplicity and vibrancy in her work and tries to encourage others to embrace their creativity, in açaí and in life.
Ingredients:
– 2 Sambazon Original Smoothie Packs
– 1/8 cup milk (coconut, almond, soy or regular)
– Half a frozen banana
– Sliced strawberries
– Sliced kiwi
– Nut butter (almond, peanut, etc.)
– Granola
– Honey
– Coconut flakes
Equipment:
– high-powered blender
Preparation:
1. Blend the frozen açaí and banana with milk in a high-powered blender. “It shouldn’t be runny like a milkshake. It should be thick like gelato,” Durrance says. 2. Layer the bottom of the bowl with granola. 3. Pour the blended fruit and milk on top of the granola. 4. Add another layer of granola. 5. Add your toppings — unsweetened shredded coconut, strawberries, banana and kiwi. Drizzle with a bit of honey. 6. Enjoy.
