(Pronounced ah-sigh-ee)I was curious about Açai bowls for some time before I tried one. It was in New York where I happened upon a small place near our hotel where I finally gave in. I was buying a couple of smoothies for our breakfast and impulsively added the Açai bowl to our order. I was very excited to give it a try, and I was not disappointed. It was delicious. Like a dessert delicious. Imagine a soft-serve creamy sorbet (the sweet kind, not sour) topped with a little bit of granola, banana slices and fresh berries. And that was it. My new obsession.

Upon returning home I promptly ordered the ingredients to start making them myself. I started off with a recipe I had admired, before our trip to New York, by Deliciously Ella. Through her app and cookbook, she had successfully introduced me to a range of breakfast recipes which had revolutionised how I started each day.

I have spent a lifetime struggling with breakfast. Even as a child the idea of breakfast food was of great difficulty. American style pancakes would make me feel terribly uncomfortable after only a few bites – which led to my parents dutifully making miniature sized ones to have me eat at least a couple. (Bless!) Cereal I just didn’t get. I wasn’t particularly keen on the taste (except full on sugary types of course) and I didn’t understand how something in a box from the shelf (which had been there for ages) could be good for you. Then bacon and eggs. Well, you would never know it now, but these were just awful for me. Even sausages were just not right. Breakfast in a restaurant usually led to my ordering from the lunch menu – thanks to lovely staff who would oblige me. Waffles with cream and fruit – no problem.  Danish pastries and American muffins – bring it on! But these are not exactly realistic choices for everyday. So, thanks to things like overnight oats, smoothies and now the Açai bowl, I am in love with breakfast! This just happens to be my favourite…

Add the following to your blender:

• 1 Tbsp Açai Powder
• 1 heaped cup of frozen Mixed Berries (Raspberries, Blueberries and Blackberries)
• 1 Banana
• 1 Tbsp Almond Butter
• 3 Tbsp Almond Milk

Blend until well mixed, scraping the sides as required. Pour into a bowl and add your toppings.

Note – you may find you need to adjust the amount of almond milk depending on how thick you like this or if you are using frozen banana or fresh berries – all of which are suitable, it just depends on your tastes and what you have available! 

You can also power up your Açai bowl by adding in some superfood powders like Maca, Lucuma and Baobab.

If you are lucky enough to be able to find frozen açai then use this but omit the açai powder as well as the frozen berries. 

Topping suggestions:

• Granola – I am particularly fond of the cinnamon granola by Deliciously Ella, and I keep a large bag of it in the freezer for just this dish!
• Coconut Chips
• Fresh Berries
• Coconut yoghurt – I use Coyo Vanilla
• Seeds – sunflower, pumpkin, hemp
• Sliced bananas
• Cacao nibs
• Goji berries
• Chopped dates or other dried fruit