Tropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit Roses

Tropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit RosesMy very first job as a teenager was at a bakery. I couldn’t believe that I got paid to bake bread and decorate cakes all day, tasks I would have gladly done for free. I loved working with the piping bags and one of my favourite things to make were little icing roses. Nowadays I like to keep my icing intake to a minimum for health reasons, but a similar effect can be created easily with strawberries and thinly sliced fruits with smooth flesh like mangos, kiwis and plums. They can enhance bowls of oatmeal, pudding or yogurt or adding them to a smoothie bowl like this is a different way to get a range of fruits in an extra easy to digest package. The flowers are pretty easy to make, the secret is to use very sharp knives to make clean cuts.Prepping strawberry rosesThe strawberry roses are achieved through two layers of cuts. Start at the bottom with the first row, fan them out then cut a second layer of petals in between the first layer’s cuts.Prepping strawberry rosesMaking shapes out of fruit is easiest when they are still slightly firm, if they are too ripe and squishy they get really hard to cut and form.Tropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit RosesTropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit RosesTropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit RosesTropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit Roses

Tropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit Roses
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: 2
INGREDIENTS:
  • Tropical Smoothie
  • 1 cup pineapple cubes, frozen (1/4 pineapple)
  • 1 cup papaya, de-seeded, peeled and chopped (1/2 small papaya)
  • 1 cup mango cubes, frozen
  • 1 avocado
  • ½ banana, frozen
  • ¼-1/3 cup coconut water to blend
  • Toppings
  • 6 strawberries
  • ½ kent mango
  • 1 kiwi, peeled, halved and sliced
  • ½ banana, peeled and sliced on an angle
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Tropical Smoothie
  2. For the smoothie frozen fruit is best because it will, along with the avocado, make it really thick. Smoothie bowls need to be thicker than regular smoothies but some added ice will help if using fresh fruit. Blend all the fruit with just enough coconut water to help everything break down until smooth.
  3. Strawberry Roses
  4. Place the strawberries stem side down on a cutting board. With a very sharp knife make a few narrow cuts starting around ⅓ of the way up and cutting down to about ⅛ of an inch away from the base (don't cut all the way through or the petals will detach). For medium sized strawberries, 4 cuts works well. Next, make one more layer of cuts, another ⅓ of the way up, in between each of the other cuts. Fan the petals out a bit and cut down a little further if they are not flexible enough.
  5. Mango Roses
  6. Peel the mango then slice off half on one of the wider sides. The pit in the middle is quite large so if you hit it, move the knife a bit more towards the edge until you can get a large piece off cleanly. Set the mango down and slice it thinly. To form the roses start with the outer smaller pieces of the mango for the center of the roses. Take the littlest pieces one by one, curve them with your fingers then place them over the smoothie bowl, pressing in slightly so they stay in place. Continue adding the larger pieces around, working outwards until desired size is reached.

When it comes to smoothie bowls the trick is to make them thicker than regular smoothies since they are eaten with a spoon instead of a straw. Any favourite combination can be thickened up if all or a large part of the fruit is frozen, or a thickener like avocado or Greek yogurt are added, or if the liquid is reduced. Here I went with a simple tropical combination starring more mango, pineapple and papaya.
Pineapple and papayaBoth pineapple and papaya naturally have special digestive enzymes that help replenish our bodies’ stores. We need different enzymes to break down different types of foods and the more of a food we eat, the greater the demand on our bodies to produce the enzymes to digest it. Unfortunately, many modern food combinations like pizza, pasta and burgers have a high concentration of fats, protein and simple carbs (plus preservatives in pre-made options) which make them difficult to digest and eating foods like this regularly can deplete our bodies’ reserves. When this happens several things can occur including bloating, skin rashes, eczema, acne, joint pain and headaches.Tropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit RosesWhen our bodies cannot synthesize enough enzymes on their own, or even if we are functioning well, it is still highly beneficial to incorporate raw plant foods with their enzymes intact. Specifically, pineapple has an enzyme called bromelian and papaya has an enzyme called papain, both of which help with protein digestion. Protein is integral for maintaining a strong immune system and tissue building but the inability to properly digest and absorb it is one of the leading causes of food intolerances and allergies. Adding in more unadulterated fruits and vegetables, as close to their natural state as possible, helps our bodies on so many levels, with the enzymes being one of the most minuscule but impactful.Tropical Smoothie Bowl with Fruit Roses

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