Acai

I was recently in Brazil and enjoyed a variety of exotic fruits such as siriguela, graviola, maracuja and caju. But the highlight of it all was acai! Anyone who has experienced Brazil knows the famous Acai na tigela. My friends and I savoured it every night as an energy booster during our 10 day dance trip. When you dance until sunrise, you need energy, and acai gives you all that, plus the super nutrients to keep you going.

Acai (pronounced ah-sah-eeeh), grows deep in the Amazon. It is known as a superfruit helping reduce inflammation in the body, such as arthritis and allergies. It is excellent for improving digestion and even combating premature aging. All that thanks to its very high anti-oxidant levels. The great news is that we have acai in Toronto! You can find it in the frozen section of O Nosso Talho and Noah’s health food stores. Try it for yourself and see what all the buzz is about. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pouch of frozen unsweetened acai purée
• 1 ripe frozen banana*
• ¼ cup coconut water

Instructions:

1. Let the banana ripen in room temperature until it develops little brown spots, then cut in pieces and freeze. *Freezing a ripe banana brings out its flavours and sweetness, making your acai naturally sweet, flavourful and smooth.
2. Blend all 3 ingredients and enjoy! 

Acai Fun Fact:

Because acai berries are so low in sugar and acid, which protects most fruits, they must be picked, processed, flash-pasteurized, and frozen quickly before being transported out of the Amazon. If left unprocessed, the fruit will oxidize, turn brown, and lose its beneficial nutrients. 
Source: http://foodfacts.mercola.com/acai.html

CocoPops

Did you know that popcorn contains more protein than potato chips and more iron than eggs and spinach? It is considered a whole grain, yet it is gluten-free. Get creative with your popcorn, experiment with various salty and sweet flavours and discover your favourite. Since I love coconut so much, I decided to use coconut oil and coconut sugar for this batch. With a pinch of cinnamon it turned into one of my favourite snacks.

Ingredients: 

• Handful of organic popcorn kernels 
• 1 tbsp coconut oil 
• 1 tbsp of coconut sugar 
• 1 tsp of cinnamon 

Instructions: 

1. Heat up a pot with coconut oil (do NOT use a non-stick pot).
2. Add the popcorn kernels making sure there is only one layer of popcorn in the pot. 
3. Cover the lid and listen to the pops. Don’t open the lid, as heat will escape and the popcorn will not fully pop. 
4. Once the pops significantly decrease, your popcorn is ready. 
5. Add coconut sugar and cinnamon, mix and enjoy.

 ~ Makes 1 medium bowl