Not a love affair

In recent months I have heard so much about this newly acclaimed superfood--açai (pronounced "ah-sigh-ee"), a dark purple berry that is known to be full of goodness like antioxidants, fatty acids, and fiber. Wanting to jump on the açai train just to see what this was all about, I picked up a package of Sambazon frozen açai pulp. What is my first thought to do with frozen fruit? Put it in a smoothie, of course!


For this smoothie, I used 2 packets of the açai pulp, a banana, vanilla soy milk, a spoonful of almond butter, just a dab of agave nectar, and a dash of cinnamon. I blended it up in my Magic Bullet, snapped a picture, and tasted it... and was disappointed. I found the açai to have a dull, flat flavor. It was incredibly bland. Not to mention that it puréed into such a thin, smooth liquid with no real texture--not the way I enjoy my smoothies.

I was determined to like this stuff. After taking a couple of sips of the smoothie, I began to wonder how I could save it. And then into my mind popped one of you bloggers--I know what VeggieGirl would do! She would put carob in it!

So I added about a tablespoon of carob powder, blended it up again, and took another taste. The carob really did the trick. I think it deepened the flavor quite a bit, adding a more complex tone and cutting through the blandness. I still didn't love it--but even if it wasn't love at first taste, açai and I will probably give things another try.