Tropical Smoothie Blend – With Dragon and Passion Fruit

Tropical smoothie is one you can make at home with passion and tropical fruits like dragon fruit we now have access to in our Western grocery stores.

Like I’ve seen beautiful dragon fruit that’s a relatively new find in the Western hemisphere. The fruit’s outside vibrant pink and green color gives off the tropical (orchid?) look.  It’s also called Pitaya that means “scaly fruit” and not scary fruit as it’s very pretty like a tight rose.

But, surprise (!) it’s not what it looks like inside…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blend in a smoothie, it does do as the dragon fruit taste is so subtle (almost tasteless) and smooth in a smoothie with dragon fruit, passion fruit, and pineapple. 🍍

But you don’t taste the dragon fruit.

And like Houdini magic, you don’t even see it either… the dragon fruit disappears as you saw that it’s distinctly whitish with black seeds. 

…But invisible dragon fruit is quickly becoming a common tropical fruit. And makes a good choice to add to our tropical smoothie drinks 🌅 since we can find the fruit in our stores.

And you know what that means: fruit abundance equals price drop.

This hand-picked tropical fruit was under $3 and I remember its fruit siblings as over $5 just a few short months ago. It even has its own 3040 PLU sticker and number, making it a common produce. 💕

So you can add to your anti-inflammatory morning routine, breakfast parfait, or break-fait to take a break.

But first you have to crack into the stunning looking soft magenta and pineapple green streak fruit exterior.

…When you cut inside, you see the magenta flaming color even brighter than the outside.

Inside has a lot of pink color drama going on. 💄Looks like yummy fine silks. And feels slippery like an orchid’s petals.

 

When you finally get deep down into the fruit center, you’ll see the stark color and pattern contrast.

It’s like a dice color pattern design. Nature is so clever.

…And you can cut them into game playing dice shapes for your edible creations! How fun is that. 🎲

Whether you slip them into your dragon fruit tropical smoothie or assemble in a parfait, it’s a fun treat.

And a healthy one full of fiber (beating strawberries 🍓) that’s good for losing weight goals. And full of C and B vitamins.

…And when paired with passion fruit, it’s off the fruit charts!

In addition to a tropical smoothie, you can also build a tropical parfait.

How to Play the Parfait Game (or Build a Parfait)

This is a game where you end up eating what you make with your dragon fruit dice. 🎲🎲

It’s a lot more rewarding than playing a game of Parcheesi that can take hours. It takes prep minutes and you can play with one or more players. 😊

So let’s begin…

Rule of thumb for parfait (that I like to use): add one layer of Greek yogurt at the bottom.

That becomes your base.

Bottom layer: And then add two star ingredients (or hero flavor ingredients as Paul Hollywood would say on the Great British Bake Off if he were here critiquing).

…Be bold, choose visually contrasting food ingredients in color and/or texture. You can even choose kiwi or a star fruit which was popular during my catering days. That can also go in your tropical smoothie.

Dragon fruit is an interesting choice.

I chose blueberries for the dark moody blue contrast, and you can sub with any bright berries for a pop! 🫐

Making micro choices like this is fun and relaxing… it’s playing creative dress up with your food. Then it’s not like work.

Moving on, next add another layer of the primer or Greek yogurt white base.

Middle layer: And then add another layer of one of the star ingredients already used, and introduce another fruit or new ingredient.

In this case, banana slices. 🍌

I could keep building layers, but by this point I’m running out of space in the glass. If I had a trifle bowl to work with, I’d add another layer.

Top layer: Then for the very top layer I call the zhugh layer, add your textures like nuts and seeds. I like walnuts and flax seeds for this one.

Chia seeds would be dramatic too.

It’s your dreamy parfait, so you can dream up your parfait desires into reality!

The other tip I have is to make two for yourself. So if you’re making for a couple, then make 4. Easy math…

Or roll the dragon fruit dice, and see what fun number you get. It will be at least uno “1” for each dice. 😊

The reason I make one extra is because then you can enjoy again. The next day. And the same for a tropical smoothie.

This is a good smoothie for breaking a fast…

It has protein (yogurt or milk for a smoothie), carb (fruit), and fat (nuts and seeds) all in one.