The start of September in NYC rarely brings a break in the heat. In spite of the fact that I hear “September” and my mind immediately wanders off to chunky sweaters and boots and pumpkin in everything, the truth is that this month is usually still pretty hot and sticky. It’s not until the end of the month, or even early October, that the air turns cool and crisp. Case in point: this week. It’ll be in the 90s today and for a few days after.
Sometimes I fight it, baking furiously and stockpiling cans of pumpkin even though it’s still 88 degrees and humid. This year, I’m actually grateful for the continuance of warm temperatures. I’ve had a tough time with the change of seasons, for reasons I wrote about recently, and I’m taking comfort in the slow, gradual coming of fall.
So: no culinary resistance to warm weather. I’m embracing it fully—while also harboring excitement for autumn recipes to come—and this cooling, hydrating acai bowl with buckwheat cocoa clusters is a nice way to honor the still-balmy climate outside.
This is actually my first official acai bowl recipe. I’ve tried acai in the past, blending it into smoothies like any other fruit ingredient, but this is the first time I’ve used an acai smoothie as a base for something more fulsome and satisfying (and fun to decorate!).
The star topping here is my crispy buckwheat cocoa clusters, which are prepared with a hint of sweetener, almond butter, cocoa powder, and a little pinch of cinnamon. They remind me a lot of some of the raw granola recipes I’ve tried, but I love the way that they clump together into satisfying little bites. The recipe will give you plenty leftover, which means you can enjoy them as snacks or as a topping for other sorts of breakfasts. I’m excited to try them with different flavorings–maybe something chai spiced for fall–but right now, I’m all about chocolate for breakfast.
One of the challenges as weather does cool down—whenever it finally does—is that it’s easy to forget the importance of hydration. Heat and humidity give us natural hydration cues, but in cold, dry weather it can become more difficult to remember to take in fluids and electrolytes. Coconut water has always been one of my favorite sources of natural hydration; it’s electrolyte rich and naturally sweet, and it picks me up nicely when I’m fatigued, under-hydrated, or simply looking to recharge.
I like ZICO Natural Coconut Water because it has only one ingredient: 100% coconut water. There’s no sugar or flavoring added, which gives it a bright, smooth flavor. It’s rich in five electrolytes, including potassium, and it’s not from concentrate—what you get in the bottle is harvested directly from the coconuts themselves. I especially like blending the coconut water into smoothies, and I love the way it infuses this tasty bowl with its subtle sweetness.
I love all of the texture variety in these bowls. For the most part, I don’t gravitate toward smoothies as a breakfast option; they never fill me up for very long, no matter what I put in them, and I’m not one for drinking my meals. But a cool, sweet, thick fruit puree covered in crispy, varied, flavorful toppings? Now we’re talking.
As things really do cool off I might try blending some pumpkin into the bowl. And of course, you can play around with the fruit here, substituting frozen berries for all or some of the banana. No matter what, though, I advise you not to skip the tasty clusters. And you can serve your leftover clusters with almond milk and fruit, or simply pack them up for afternoon snacking on the go.
Whether it’s cooling off, heating up, or staying about the same where you are, I’m wishing you a happy start to September and many wonderful fall breakfasts ahead.
xo
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I absolutely love buckwheat in my granola and it’s even more fun in these little clusters! So perfect for smoothie bowls, and I’m also thinking would be such great lunchbox snacks. Thanks for filling me up with inspiration today. 🙂
Looks yumm-oh! I can eat this for breakfast great for my workout program. thanks Gena!
I feel ya on this whole weather situation in September! I live in UK, and we’ve been having the hottest September everrrr! (despite the fact a whole of Summer was not that great, but hey, it’s UK, it meant to rain a lot! 😉 ) And your Acai bowls are looking awesome, you got me hungry!
The color of that acai puree is just way too pretty! I’ve never even tried acai berry before but that bright purple definitely has me intrigued 🙂
Those clusters look insanely delicious – buckwheat groats are such great crunchy toppings for smoothies!
Yeah the weather can be a bit tricky around those transitional times of the year. Our minds skip ahead to the next season before the current one is over. Acai bowls photograph so well – this one looks great!
Harry Bowden
So pretty, Gena!! I haven’t had an ace bowl in a while, this will be so good!!
I love this post, Gena–you had me smiling about the tendency to welcome Fall in September when for the most part it can still be pretty darn hot in a lot of places–such good writing about that! And a homemade acai bowl! I am very impressed. There’s a a place near where I am in Portland that makes great ones–they are the first I’ve ever tasted. And I do agree they fill you up like a smoothie just can’t. Your buckwheat cocoa clusters look great too! Thanks for an inspiring and unique breakfast! xoxo
I really need to try my hand at acai bowls, I’ve still never had one! Also, I’m with you, this time of year has me wavering between baking for fall and embracing the most of summer!