The Evolution of Summer Cool – Fruit-Filled Smoothie Bowl
I am thankful that during the heat wave currently enveloping the eastern United States I have air conditioning in my car. As a child, that was never the case. To fit three rambunctious boys in the back seat, our cars were always the size of aircraft carriers, and air conditioning was never an option. We sweated wherever we went, and always had to find a way to cool ourselves down.
If we were lucky, it was ice cream, about which I’ll rarely complain. But sometimes you want something to quench your thirst; in Philadelphia, it was water ice (known elsewhere as Italian ice). Many neighborhoods had their own water ice stands, which were open only in the sultry months. They were basically tiny setups with windows through which you were handed a flimsy paper cup filled with the sweet, sometimes fruity, semi-frozen treat. You had to be careful not to eat them too quickly lest a brain freeze result, and I recall my mother buying a huge tin of lemon water ice to dole out to her first and second grade students at the end-of-the-year class picnic in the park.
In high school, my friend David and I would drive all the way to the corner of 12th and Shunk in predominantly Italian South Philadelphia to cool off with Italiano’s water ice. Theirs was a little more on the slushy side, with dozens of flavors. Despite my general preference for lemon water ice, at Italiano’s I almost always got root beer, although mango made an occasional appearance. We once ran into Henry Thompson, someone we knew from school who lived in the neighborhood, and he informed us the proper way to eat Italiano’s was to buy a bag of pretzel logs, bite the end off, and insert them deep into the cup. Over time they would absorb the flavor of the water ice, resulting in a soggy bite, both salty and sweet. And for those who liked to indulge, Italiano’s claims to be the originator of gelati – water ice and frozen custard (like soft serve) layered together.
If you can’t find water ice or Italian ice where you live, there’s always a Slurpee, which is cold and refreshing, despite its inferiority. I may not be old enough to remember when 7-Elevens were only open from seven in the morning until eleven at night, but my first encounter with the store involved Slurpees in the mid-1970s. There were no 7-Elevens in the inner-city Philadelphia neighborhood where I grew up, however, when my parents drove me and my brothers in our sweat-inducing car to overnight camp, through the suburbs and out to the country, we sometimes stopped for a Slurpee. The flavors were more commercial than our local water ice stand – Coca Cola and Mountain Dew, for example, and I recall a collectable plastic cup, probably reflecting some movie, television show, or sports figure, that we treasured, at least until it broke. A better job with marketing than the flimsy paper cups that water ice came in from the neighborhood stand.
While I still crave the relief from the heat that water ice or a Slurpee (or ice cream, for that matter) provides, my tastes have evolved as I have matured, and I typically shun these diabetes-inducing treats. In their place, I follow my daughter Ariana’s lead, and make a much healthier fruit-filled smoothie bowl.
In high school, Ariana became infatuated with açai bowls, blended, frozen tropical and other fruit, with granola, coconut, and in her case cookie butter, that is more of a meal than a snack. She eats them whenever she can, especially in summer. Of course, in her clever way, Ariana learned to make her own approximation of the one she loves so much by using frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, often leaving out the much more costly açai. They are delicious, filling, and refreshing, especially on a hot summer day.
Luckily, I now have air conditioning, even in my car, but sometimes a cold treat – water ice, a Slurpee, or Ariana’s fruit filled smoothie bowl – is always welcome in the thickness of summer heat.
Fruit-Filled Smoothie Bowl
This recipe is based on one developed by Ariana, but these smoothie bowls are endlessly adaptable. If you are missing an ingredient or two, no worry; leave it out or find a reasonable substitute. For example, peanut butter can sub in for almond butter, as can cranberry juice for orange juice. A handful of spinach makes it healthier, but a bit of stemmed kale would work just as well. And try your own combination with whatever fruit is in your freezer or in season.
One note: It is important to add some liquid so that the result is not too viscous to blend, pureeing and mixing all the ingredients together. If you find that your smoothie is just churning in the blender without properly pureeing, stop and mix in more liquid to get it going.
serves 2, 10 minutes
For the smoothie:
1 cup vanilla and/or plain yogurt
2 cups frozen fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
3 Tbsp. almond butter, optional
2 Tbsp. goji berries, optional
1 clementine, peeled
1 ripe banana, peeled
⅓ cup orange or cranberry juice, plus more if needed
1 Tbsp. flax and/or chia seeds, optional
a small handful spinach, optional
Optional toppings:
1 cup granola, plus more to taste
2 Tbsp. cookie butter
1 ripe banana, sliced
6 ripe strawberries, sliced
½ cup blueberries
¼ cup sweetened or unsweetened flake coconut
2 Tbsp. honey
Sliced toasted almonds
- Add all smoothie ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and all ingredients are well combined. Stop to stir and add more liquid as needed.
- Put a quarter cup granola in the bottom of each of two large bowls.
- Pour half of the smoothie over the granola in each bowl.
- Place 1 tablespoon of cookie butter in the center of the smoothie in each bowl, if using.
- Top each bowl with the remaining granola as well as sliced banana, sliced strawberries, and blueberries.
- Sprinkle coconut and sliced almonds, and drizzle honey over the top. Eat immediately.
