21 September 2016

My vegan-inspired Acai Berry Smoothie Bowl, aka The Kim



When my best friend went vegan a while back I'm ashamed to admit that my reaction was a teeny tiny bit *rolls eyes* at first. What the actual heck was she going to eat now? Twigs? Some half-decomposed apple from a tree, perhaps?

It goes to show how embarrassingly little I knew about the vegan lifestyle. Over the past couple of months I've had the luxury of hanging out with my best one loads... just dreamy given the fact that we live four ferocious hours apart. All the more dreamy thanks to her insistence on feeding me at every single opportunity.




During a weekend of very glam glamping in Rutland Kim whipped up vegan fajitas. Hmm, I thought to myself while greedily reaching out for another wrap, these are really delicious. But what about, you know, meat?! Fried beans, fresh veg, a killer guacamole... I didn't feel like I was missing out at all. And I knew this was the real deal as I wasn't even drunk on the espresso martinis she made because #preggers.



Turns out my buckwheat, chia and coconut granola recipe can be made vegan if you ditch the melted butter and swap in coconut oil, so I whipped up a vegan-friendly batch for breakfast that very weekend.

Soon after, my husband and I went to stay with Vegan Pants on our way down to the coast. HELLO to the amazing nasi goreng she made for supper, including tofu that actually tasted good. WTF was going on? But the absolute clincher came the next morning when our hostess with the mostess offered up the tastiest, prettiest smoothie bowl for breakfast. Despite being a major smoothie fan I hadn't tried one until then and sweet baby jeez, was it good!



I got a bit too over-excited to make a mental note of the exact ingredients, but let's just say that mashed banana, chia, and nut milk made the base. Then came the toppings, a luxe mix of goji berries, nuts, seeds and fresh fruit which made my heart do a little sing. Ever since, I've been determined to create my own smoothie bowl in homage to my earth conscious friend.

I give you my Acai Berry Smoothie Bowl, aka The Kim!



Smoothie ingredients

1 cup frozen berries - I went for strawberries and blueberries here
1 cup fresh, hulled strawberries
2 tbsp almond nut butter - be generous, you want a thick consistency
1/2 tsp acai berry powder
1 large banana
Filter water

Toppings ideas (you can use whatever you fancy)

Desiccated coconut
Chia seeds
Fresh fruit
Chopped nuts
Cacao nibs
Flaxseed

To make

Tip the smoothie ingredients into the blender and add about half the amount of water you'd use for a standard smoothie recipe.

Blend and check the consistency. Is it nice and thick? If not, add some more fruit and blend again. When t's good to go, pour into a bowl.

Then get busy with your toppings. The beauty of this is that you can add whatever you have kicking around in the kitchen. I went for dried coconut, more fresh strawberries, some chopped walnuts for texture and a good sprinkling of chia seeds. Delicious!


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