Guest Post: Açai na Tigela (Brazilian Açai in the Bowl)

I would like to introduce you to Ana Helena, a fellow food blogger whose pictures are beautiful and full of life, much like the woman who makes them. 

She grew up in Brazil and brought her culture, food and all, to her marriage here in America.  I love seeing what she cooks up because I know there is a pretty good chance that if I attempt to make it in my kitchen my husband will fall in love with me 10,000 times the amount he already does.  Yes, her food really is amazing.  Stop by and see for yourself at her self titled blog, Ana Helena Campbell.   You and your bellies will be glad you did!  And enjoy this beautiful  treat -- one of my favorite Brazilian foods.  You know I am right now ;)

Hi everyone, my name is Ana Helena Campbell, and I so excited to share this very traditional Brazilian recipe here at Tiffany’s blog.

I discovered Tiffany and her blog last year while browsing at the Foodbuzz 24x24, and found her beautiful authentic Festa Brazileira. She did an amazing job displaying some of the most traditional foods that Brazil has to offer. I knew then, I had to introduce myself to Tiffany to let her know we both shared a few things in common: The privilege to enjoy two cultures every day and the love of food. We are definitely “experiencing the best of both worlds”.

Today, I will show you how Brazilians like to use the açai berry, using ingredients very easy to find here in America.

Brazilian Açai na Tigela or Açai in the Bowl is a very popular dish you can find it all over Brazil. Açai is a dark purple berry, very delicate, small like a blueberry, and considered by many the "miracle berry."

This little gem is very famous and has made many appearances on TV shows, the news, and TV adds. At grocery stores you can find açai sold as powder, pulp, or juice. Açai is big in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids, and amino acids. No need to convince you how good this berry is for you. But if you are still skeptical about it, I forgot to mention that açai is considered a “super food."

We should have respect for this berry, with titles and TV appearances like that,  the least we can do is to pronounce it correctly. Açai has its emphasis in the end like “Ah-Sigh-EE”, not in the middle. Now, the next step is to try it at least once if you haven't yet done so.

Growing up in a coastal part of the country, Açai na Tigela was available in most kiosks along the boardwalk, as well as in corner snack bars throughout the city. This little berry has definitely conquered the hearts of many in the vast, diverse, and very creative country of Brazil.

Açai na Tigela or Brazilian Açai in the Bowl

Ingredients:

Serves 2

·         2 individual packages of sambazon organic frozen açai pulp.

·         2 ripe bananas

·         2 tbsp vanilla coconut milk

·        1/2 cup of your favorite granola

Directions:

Blend the organic frozen pulp with one ripe banana, making sure you have a creamy thick consistency in the end. Don’t forget to break up the frozen açai pulp into pieces before blending. Pour the acai blend in a bowl. Add some sliced bananas and top it with your favorite granola.

Açai na Tigela has a few rules that you may not break or it will no longer be called Açai in the Bowl but simply a smoothie. Brazilians take pride in how their food is prepared, and if you add a little more liquid or ice, you will have a smoothie in a cup not an Açai in a Bowl. Your final result cannot be soupy or liquidy-ish, it has to be thick enough for you to use a spoon and not a straw.

Brazilians are also crazy for a little berry called Guarana, and the traditional recipe calls for a Guarana extract that will keep you packed with energy for the rest of your day. My version of the traditional recipe was created to accommodate our family life style. I chose the coconut milk but you can choose any milk you want. I also decided to omit any sugars and used nice, ripe bananas. The natural sugars from the bananas gave this recipe a desired amount of sweetness and the toughest critics in the house, my two boys, were very satisfied.

My portion of granola was not as generous as what the Brazilian snack bars serve. It is up to you to add as much as you want in yours, and make sure to use your favorite granola.

Espero que gostes!  (I hope you like it!)