Acai Bowl

I had my first acai bowl in Hawaii, which was probably a huge mistake because the ones I've had on the mainland have been pretty disappointing and now I'm left wanting. I'm assuming it's because acai berries are actually grown in Hawaii so those acai bowls are made super fresh. But if I can't have Hawaii-fresh acai bowls, I guess the next best thing is to make it at home and try to get it as close to the original as possible. I feel like the ones I've had around here have been sweetened too much or have way too many other flavors added to it and it just hasn't been working for me.

Luckily, Trader Joe's sells unsweetened frozen acai, which makes the process pretty convenient.

Ingredients:
3.5 oz. packet frozen acai (unsweetened)
1 small banana, sliced and frozen
3 tablespoons coconut milk
+ fruit, sliced (strawberries, banana, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi)
+ granola
+ honey

This recipe will actually start the day before you want to eat because you need frozen banana. Slice up a banana and place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze overnight.

Slice up any other fruit you want to garnish your bowl with. On this particular day, I went with strawberries because that's what looked good at the market.

Add the frozen banana, coconut milk, and acai berry packet to the food processor and blend until smooth.

Spread the acai puree into the bottom of a bowl and top with whatever you want - in my case, it was strawberries, banana, and granola - and drizzle with honey.

A good acai bowl should be bright and fresh. It should be sweet in a fruity way (not a sugary way) with a light acidity and a rich berry flavor. I love granola on top because it adds a delicious crunch and the honey just enhances the fruity flavor. This makes a great breakfast, lunch, and dessert. And even though this isn't anywhere near as good as it was in Honolulu, it does still hit the spot. It's like having ice cream for breakfast.

I also like to serve extra granola on the side because that little stripe of granola makes for a pretty presentation but it isn't quite enough for me. I like a little bit of crunch in every bite.

Here's the recipe page: