Açaí Chia Bowl with Seedy Banana Crunch

Remember a few years ago when Açaí bowl was all the rage, everybody was posting their açaí bowls on Instagram. The just like that it went away. I guess because it is hard to find and a bit pricey. Fortunately my local grocery store, Traders Joe’s has really good quality frozen açaí packets that are unsweetened and very convenient.

I loved it so much I eat it couple times a week. Add it to my morning porridge or smoothie or make a chia pudding for snacking. I prefer eating a high fat breakfast for a few reasons. Firstly fat combined with complex carbs helps me keep satiated longer. It also provides sustained energy to keep going past lunch time. And what’s better than having dessert for breakfast.

Açaí is a berry from the Brazilian Amazon, very high in phytochemical, anthocyanin and antioxidants similar to blueberries. Combined with chia seeds it makes a super nutritious breadfast or even a dessert. This chia pudding is bit of a fancy one, it’s got toasted seeds, banana slices caramelized in their natural sugars and topped with an amazing tahini. For this recipe I chose frozen unsweetened plain açaí purée, use açaí powder purée is not available in your area.

Açaí chia bowl 

MAKES 2 BOWLS

• 2- 35 g frozen açaí purée packets, defrosted (or other berries, puréed )
• 3/4- 1 cup plant milk (I used oataly)
• 2-3 tbsps chia seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or freshly ground cardamom 
• A tiny pinch salt

• Toppings
• 1 medium banana, peeled and sliced half then another half diagonally  
• 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup for extra sweetness
• 1-2 tbsp golden flax seeds
• 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1-2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1-2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup yogurt (regular or plant yogurt)
• 2 tbsp tahini or any nut butter

• Mix the açaí, plant milk, spices and chia seeds for at least 30 minutes or leave it in the fridge overnight.
• Warm coconut oil or ghee in a skillet. In a bowl mix the seeds. Sprinkle the seeds over the or roll it in the seed mixture to coat the banana slices evenly.  
• Place the banana on the skillet and cook on medium- high heat till caramelized on both sides and seeds are toasty. Add maple syrup or oil if needed.
• Spoon the chia pudding into two small bowls. Add yogurt to the bowl and arrange the seedy caramelized bananas. Drizzle the tahini over the bananas and serve..