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I’m a big fan of Rachel Ray, and when she had the show where she talked about acai berry, I got very excited. The only thing I thought was missing was more acai berry recipes from Rachael Ray. So I thought that I might do some experimenting of my own and come up with a few new recipes. I’m not a professional chef or anything, but I do have fairly good luck with modifying existing recipes and having pretty good results.

First I wanted to make a marinade for chicken that I would then bar-b-que. I have a great citrus (lime, orange and sour orange) and white pepper marinade that I learned when I stayed in Nicaragua for a while. Another variation of that is my own lime juice, soy, and Bragg recipe. So I thought that instead of the citrus, I might be able to use acai to add a different flavor.

First I cut the chicken into strips and added a mixture of olive oil and acai juice. Then I thought that would be too sweet on its own so I added some capers, and finished by adding sea salt. If I leave the marinade on the chicken in the fridge for at least a day, I find that along with extra flavor, the salt will tenderize the chicken. I made the marinade in the morning, and we barbequed the chicken for supper that night. It turned out ok, although I still prefer my other versions better. I figure that it might not be the best use of the acai since a lot of the marinade is lost, making this a fairly expensive marinade where a lot of the healthy acai is wasted.

So my second recipe that I came up with actually turned out a lot better. It maintains all the health benefits of acai as well, so that is good. Start with a container of plain yogurt. You can use low fat if you want to reduce the calorie and fat levels of this dish. Add one cup of some sort of acai drink – either juice or a pre-mixed smoothie, and mix well. Then take this and put it in a strainer with 2 layers of cheese cloth and set it over a dish to drain. Let this sit in the fridge for 24 hours to allow all the liquid to drain off.

I pealed the acai/yogurt mixture off the cheese cloth and into some Tupperware. I then froze the mixture for 8 hours. It was delicious! It was tangy from the yogurt and had the rich berry taste of acai. The amount of freezing depends on how you like to have your frozen yogurt. I prefer it softer rather than harder and therefore 8 hours worked well for me.

Finally I tried my own version of the classic fruit recipe – the smoothie. For my version I added the following to a blender: 3 ice cubes, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 cup low fat yogurt, and 1/2 cup acai berry juice. Blend this on high until the ice has been blended and the whole thing is smooth. Freezing the banana beforehand ( I cut it in chunks before I freeze it) makes this drink extra thick and creamy. If you want to add some additional healthy ingredients, add some wheat germ or flax meal. Both add some fiber and a nice nutty flavor.

After all my experimenting with acai berry I found that there are quite a few different recipe ideas that are possible, making it easier to enjoy the health benefits of acai without getting bored of the same old drink every time. I have to thank Rachel Ray for inspiring me to create these recipes. Hopefully you enjoy them, and maybe you’ll even come up with your own recipes.

Keep reading on iloveacaiberry.blogspot.com to find out more about acai berry health.

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