Saturday, April 4, 2015

D is for Dragon Fruit

Apparently the proper name for the Dragon Fruit is Pitaya and it is one of several fruits of a cactusDragonfruit_Chiayi_market. I have often seen these in our local supermarket but never tried one. I do remember, many years ago, having a holiday on the island of Malta and our taxi driver stopping and peeling us a cactus fruit to taste. Not sure if it was the same thing, but it was delicious. The Dragon Fruit were originally native to Mexico but having been discovered by explorers, have been transplanted to Central America and other parts of the world, particularly Asian countries where they are grown extensively. The cactus only blooms at night and has large white flowers often known as Moonflowers. I bet that's lovely to see.

Dragon Pear Smoothie


Pitaya and Pears... of course we're going to pear them up for a smoothie;) Add a few more fruit fav's and turn that sweet crunch of a pear into a smooth sip of Dragon-Pear-Smoothiehealth. 

Ingredients
  • 1 Pitaya Pack
  • 1 Pear (no core)
  • 1 skinless Kiwi
  • 2-3 Strawberries
  • 1 Kale Leaf
Directions
  1. With a medium size kitchen knife, slice off all four sides of the Pear excluding the core as much as possible
  2. Cut both ends off the kiwi and all the skin
  3. Combine all ingredients into a blender
  4. Blend on medium to high for 30 seconds
  5. Pour into a glass and enjoy:)

Have a great weekend and a Happy Easter.
Jo

42 comments:

  1. I've never tried dragon fruit before, but I'd give the smoothie a try if it tastes as pretty as it looks.

    Scribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge

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    1. It does look pretty doesn't it. I will try it too once this madness is all over LOL

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  2. Such a fun, bright color. I don't know if I've ever seen a dragon fruit. I'll pick one up and try it, if/when I do.

    Happy Easter.

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    1. They certainly sell them in our local store but I admit I haven't tried one either.

      Happy Easter

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  3. Not sure if they're the same as Dragon Fruit but we get lots of prickly pear cacti on Fuerteventura as the plants were cultivated widely throughout the Canary Islands for the beetles which live/breed on them and from which cochineal is produced.

    What a lovely colour Smoothie!

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    1. I have a feeling they are Sue, but couldn't swear to it. I had prickly pear fruit once in Malta, delicious.

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  4. I don't think I've ever seen one in a store around here. I once asked for fennel in a supermarket here and the produce guy asked me if that was some gourmet item, so not likely they would carry these.

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  5. I've never seen one in a store, even when I lived in Arizona. That was a long time ago though.
    I wonder if a certain Dragon like dragon fruit?

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    1. A certain dragon's grandma hasn't even tried them either. They didn't make it into our stores until fairly recently I think.

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  6. I love Dragon fruit. It is an interesting texture inside and the inside colour of the skin is so magenta! This smoothie sounds delicious

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    1. Ah, at last, someone who has eaten one. I will definitely try them next week.

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  7. I have not been brave enough to try Dragon Fruit, but by the looks of it, I have been missing out. What a beautiful color for a smoothie, very interesting - happy D day

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    1. Just never got round to it myself. Will do though.

      Thanks Claudia

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  8. Can you buy them in Canada, Jo? Perhaps Whole Foods has them. Would be fun to try one.

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    1. Yes definitely round here Natasha. Hope you can find them.

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  9. Hi Jo - I've seen them .. but had no idea what to do with one .. and so had no inclination to try one .. now I can see a smoothie would be a great idea .. I'll have to keep my eyes open .. beautiful colour .. cheers Hilary

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    1. If they are anything like the prickly pear I ate, they are probably delicious.

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  10. I have never seen one of those in my grocery store. I do have a very boring grocery store.
    You have picked the most clever foods for this challenge. Love it!

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    1. You're tucked away in the wilds a bit aren't you? Probably why, because they couldn't sell them.

      Not all of them I'm afraid.

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  11. I wonder if I could find them in our local market or produce market. Not sure there's a huge demand for them around here but I'm intrigued.

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    1. I've been intrigued for a long time but never done anything about it.

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  12. I am a huge smoothie fan and this looks delicious.

    Good luck on this years A-Z!

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    1. I only make one smoothie, but I would like to give this a try.

      You not doing it this year Brandon?

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  13. Not only sounds good but I love the colors! I love smoothies too... Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

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    1. Me too, brilliant colour. Lisa, is that supposed to be a hyperlink? If so it's not working. Email me for help if you need it.

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  14. Would this happen to be the favorite snack of one of dear friends?

    Have a great weekend, Jo... and happy bowling, if you go out for a game :)

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  15. I've never had dragon fruit, but I'd like to try it. I love the color too.

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  16. They sell them here. I bought one and cut it up for the kids at school to look at it. I didn't taste it though. I need to get more adventurous.

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    1. You let the kids try something you wouldn't try yourself. Tut tut.

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  17. That smoothie I bet would be refreshing on a hot summer day! Happy Easter!

    betty

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  18. There's a market close by that may carry those. I'll have to have a look this week. Sounds tasty, Jo.

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  19. I found your blog thru Betty. What a delicious sounding smoothie. I learned something new here today. Hope you had a blessed Easter.

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    1. I have to try it myself yet Mildred. It does sound good. Good Easter, hope it was the same for you.

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  20. My first thought was YUM - and then the second photo made me jump to the comments to say YUM without even reading the post yet - Dragon fruit I have eaten are white with black seeds on the inside and quite delicious, though not as memorable as a pineapple or mango - The cactus fruit you had in Malta was probably a prickly pear.

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    1. Yes it was a prickly pear Ida. It does look delicious doesn't it?

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  21. I have tasted Dragon Fruit.. tasted a bit too bland for me..
    But they look stunning!

    Fellow #AtoZChallenge blogger.
    Mithila @Fabulus1710
    http://www.fabulus1710.blogspot.in

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    1. I never did try one Mithila, but I agree, they do look stunning.

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