Pitaya – The All Season Superfruit

I had first tried the fruit blended in a bowl when I was in San Diego; I couldn’t believe the color was actually real.  The flavor is a light, sweet watermelon and the seeds are similar to those of a kiwi.  This super fruit, is packed with goodness to keep you fueled throughout the day; a nice change from acai.

The variety pictured below (with white flesh) was purchased here in New England.  This color seems to be more common.  Other varieties have the deep magenta flesh that often is used in smoothies and bowls.  Depending on the time of year, you might be able to purchase this at your local market like I did.  If not, ordering the stuff online is a pretty good option.

Dragon fruit is somewhat mysterious because it only blooms at night from sunset to midnight.  It shrivels up when the strong sun hits and is sometimes known as “moon flower” or “queen of the night.”  Kind of romantic, eh?

I recently ordered some frozen pita cubes online and I’m obsessed!  Pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, is indigenous to Central and South America but is now grown all over the world.  The green and pink “scaled” fruit is packed with health benefits and PitayaPlus guarantees a GMO-free, organic product with one ingredient—pitaya!  This is super important to me considering so many companies add so much CRAP to the food we buy!

The company started in 2008 when the founder was volunteering in Nicaragua and eating this fruit on a daily basis. The fruit made him feel refreshed and energized, so he looked to find a way to bring the super fruit to the United States.  My fiance owns a house in Nicaragua, so the story of the company hit close to home and made me love pitaya even more ❤

Just to name a few of the health benefits of this hot pink magic fruit:

• Good source of iron
• High in fiber
• Rich in magnesium
• Rich in antioxidants
• Rich in Vitamin B2
• Powerful dose of Vitamin C

When I ordered the cubes, it look about a week for them to arrive.  The shipment included 4 bags surrounded by dry ice.  They were a bit melted and not as cube-like as expected, but worked fine to toss in the blender.

The possibilities are endless, but here are a couple fun ideas to keep that summer feeling as it starts to get cold:

Pitaya Piña Smoothie

• 1 serving frozen pitaya
• 1 banana
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
• 1 cup coconut milk
• Chia seed garnish

Put ingredients in your blender (I have been loving my new Nutribullet), blend and top with chia seeds.

Tropical Radness Bowl

• 1 small scoop of Pitaya cubes
• 1 Banana
• 1 cup frozen Mango (I love the Trader Joe’s frozen mango)
• 1/2 cup frozen Pineapple
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• Unsweetened coconut
• Roasted Cocoa Nibs (Trader Joe’s)
• Small scoop of peanut butter
• Fruit of choice for topping

Blend pitaya, 1/2 banana, pineapple and mango with a small amount of coconut milk.  Slowly add more until it reaches desired consistency.  I find with bowl and smoothie recipes, the liquid amount varies.  Less is more to begin with.

Add desired toppings; in this case, 1/2 banana, coconut, peanut butter, roasted cocoa nibs.

Pitaya Mint Spritzer

Take soda water of choice and pop in a few cubes.  Add garnish (fresh mint in this case), and some tequila if you choose–simple and refreshing.

[This post is not sponsored in any way, I am just sharing an exciting product with my readers]