Dragon Fruit and Berry Smoothie

I have been trying out a lot of smoothies over the past few months  – they are just so refreshing! They are also my favourite way of including fruit in my diet (other than salads and juices). During one of my meals at Thai Express (a restaurant chain in Singapore), I had the dragon fruit juice that they have recently launched and it was quite good. I have seen this fruit in the grocery store during my umpteen visits to the supermarket – but I had never dared to buy it. On the exterior, it is a dark pink, oval-shaped fruit with a cactus-like appearance. Somehow, the way it looked always deterred me from buying it. But after tasting the juice at the restaurant and seeing it so widely used in southeast Asia, I knew I had to try it in a smoothie. When you cut it open, the fruit has a dark red/purple interior studded with small and edible black seeds. It is rich in antioxidants and its flavour is quite similar to kiwi fruit. I loved the way the smoothie turned out because it was delicious – and the pink colour imparts quite an exotic appearance. Adding berries just gives a nice texture to the smoothie and makes it a wholesome breakfast on its own.

Recipe Details :
Makes: 2 glasses
Time: 15 mins
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients :

• 1 dragon fruit, cut in half and the interior scooped out
• 1/3 cup blueberries
• 10 strawberries, cut in half
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 tsp pumpkin seeds (optional)

Method:

• Add all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Tips:

• You can adjust the amount of almond milk to achieve the desired consistency in the smoothie.
• For sweetness, I have tried adding honey or unsulphured blackstrap molasses. Both work well and complement the fruits.