Smoothie bowl
Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, hands down. Preferably the long and lingering weekend kind, but even the weekday bowl of something-at-my-desk with a hot coffee in hand is a ritual I take great pleasure in. Perhaps it’s because that’s when I’m at my most ravenous (I’m always somewhere on the hunger scale, regardless of when my last meal was) so therefore the satisfaction in that meal is greater? Or maybe it’s just because the choices at breakfast time are among my favourite kinds of food? Eggs in all their glorious forms, yoghurt, granola, fruits, bacon, pancakes, French toast, avocado toast, pastries? Yes please, all of the above.
And now, thanks to my recent trip to Bali, I can add the smoothie bowl to that list. The breakfasts were a highlight of the trip, so much so a dawn volcano climb featured sustained running sections on the descent in order to ensure we made it back in time for breakfast. Totally worth it – although I think our guide was a little perplexed. Fresh mandarin and lime juice, homemade yoghurts with a sprinkling of toasted granola, papaya grown in the family compound, the gloriously vivid purple dragon fruit, eggs from the chickens stalking around the gardens, and the most delicious homemade passion fruit jam slathered on sourdough that a Parisian boulangerie would be proud of. Oh and the coffee? That was something else. Made on a plantation owned by a member of the family, it was Superman-level strong and equally as delicious. So much so, a small supply made it back home and is currently being rationed while a possible trade is route negotiated.
The fresh fruit was an absolute highlight and featured heavily in the ubiquitous smoothie bowl that we came across again and again. I imagine an import from Bali’s most prevalent of tourists – the Aussies - these bowls of goodness make the most of the ingredients Bali has to offer. Basically a really thick, frozen smoothie, these bowls look and taste like ice cream but with none of the guilt and all of the goodness. We had some of the best ones at the Nalu Bowls at Single Fin look out in Uluwatu, perched on the limestone cliffs overlooking one of the best surf breaks on the island. Looking on while these surfing superheroes took a battering, we tucked into the J Bay (banana, peanut butter, granola, honey) and the Uluwatu (dragon fruit, banana, papaya and raspberry) and soaked up all the rays and all the goodness Bali has to offer.
smoothie bowl
Here’s a version I have since concocted on my return. Ingredients can be a bit of struggle here in Saudi, so substitutions can be made for whatever you prefer. Just ensure you have your fruit frozen and keep the mixture nice and thick. A coconut shell bowl for serving is optional…
Ingredients
1/2 cup almond milk
½ frozen banana
1 cup of frozen mixed berries - I used strawberries and blueberries
1 tbsp of peanut butter
1 tsp maca powder
1 tbsp cacao powder
½ cup granola (keep an eye on the blog as the Live Well version will be coming soon)
½ fresh banana - sliced
2-3 fresh strawberries – sliced
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 tsp bee pollen
Method
Basically you let the blender do the work. Blend or Nutribullet the almond milk, frozen fruit, maca and cacao powder, and the peanut butter. It will need stirring a few times to get everything moving as this will produce a very thick smoothie.
In your chosen bowl add some of the granola and then spoon over the smoothie mixture. Then top with the remaining ingredients… obviously in a pretty and orderly fashion if you’re after the true ‘smoothie bowl’ aesthetic! If your fruit isn’t Bali-level sweet, feel free to add in some good quality honey or agave syrup.
Attempt to find a spot of sunshine, then sit and enjoy.