Back when I was in school, Acai Bowls from a local spot, Cafe Brasil, were all the rage. Cafe Brasil was a small house turned restaurant that everyone flocked to for breakfast/brunch/lunch. The line was ALWAYS out the door and you always had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated. People would squeeze by you at the counter of the cramped yet charming entry to put their name on the list or simply order food to-go. But the wait was always worth it. The food was always perfect.
Often I reminisce of the days I could easily dine at Cafe Brasil since it was close by. The food was so tasty, fresh, all-natural, and healthy, and of course the restaurant was very conveniently located. Unfortunately, since I no longer live in Santa Cruz, it’s a lot more difficult to get my acai bowl fix.
My options for an acai bowl are to either visit Santa Cruz, sacrifice an arm and a leg at the mall’s acai bowl restaurant ($$$), or recreate the acai bowl at home. I opted to make an acai bowl at home.
I chose to put my spin on the acai bowl by omitting bananas (because I don’t like them and Cafe Brasil ALWAYS added them) and by adding my favorite fruits and granola.
Here is my take, which includes blueberries and pomegranates.
- ~2 cups of ice (you may add more depending on the consistency you would like to achieve)
- 2 cups of Sambazon Acai Juice
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 cup frozen pomegranate seeds
- 1/2 cup granola of your choice (I used Purely Elizabeth—Original)
- 1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- *Optional: Chia Seeds
*Notes. I used frozen blueberries for the base because it was already going to be blended with ice. I chose to use fresh blueberries for the top of the bowl because I like the taste of fresh berries vs. thawed berries better when they’re served on their own.
Directions:
In a blender, crush the ice if it isn’t already crushed. Then add the acai juice, frozen blueberries, and frozen pomegranate seeds and blend until you get a smoothie-like consistency. If your juice is still a little watery or runny, add a little more ice. You want it to be less icy than a smoothie but thicker than juice.
Pour the acai blend into two bowls. Add in cut strawberries, granola, and blueberries on top.
That’s it! They’re actually pretty easy to make. In my opinion, the part that takes the longest is just cutting the fruit, which is still pretty simple to do.
Enjoy!
Yum
