When I started making smoothie bowls and was looking for inspiration, I kept seeing pictures of bright purple smoothies. I wanted to make ones with the same color, but then I realized that everyone was using dragonfruit, a.k.a. pitaya.

D.C. often feels like the subtropics, but it’s actually just a city on a swamp. We don’t have dragonfruit, except for once in a while when Whole Foods or a specialty market gets a shipment.

I became so desperate for the fruit that I looked into buying pitaya online. I realized that you could get it frozen, but I wasn’t willing to shell out the cash.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I found a belated birthday present in the frozen section of Whole Foods: frozen pitaya packs. It almost seemed too good to be true. I felt like I would pay any amount for them, maybe similar to how you’d feel if you were bartering for a new kidney. Luckily, it wasn’t too expensive.

Now, I’m on a pitaya smoothie bowl roll. I’ve made two in the past couple weeks, but I think that the one I made today takes first prize. It has a lot of my favorite things: chia seeds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds for texture, toasted almonds, some berries and bananas. I even kept the whole thing vegan by using coconut yogurt, although, truth-be-told, I can’t stand the stuff plain.

But anyway, I digress. If you want to make a smoothie bowl with a vibrant purple hue, check the frozen foods aisle at Whole Foods or a specialty grocery store. Or, if you’re lucky enough to have a bounty of pitaya at your fingertips, use that.

I’ve been on a Crosby, Stills & Nash kick lately. Here’s one of my favorites.

Mixed Berry Pitaya Smoothie Bowl (from me, to you)

Ingredients

1 pitaya smoothie pack (I used this brand)
1/4 cup blueberries
1/2 a banana
1 container plain coconut yogurt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, fresh blueberries and blackberries, sliced toasted almonds for topping

Directions

Blend the pitaya smoothie pack with the bluberries, banana, coconut yogurt and unsweetened almond milk in a blender on high until smooth. Top with the chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, fresh blueberries and blackberries and sliced toasted almonds. Enjoy!