“Gauguin’s Paradise” (Vanilla Passionfruit Protein Drink)

August 13, 2012

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Farmer’s Market as Gauguin Painting

Every Saturday morning a Farmer’s Market pops up in our beach town. All I have to do is descend from my mountaintop and there it is, looking deceptively relaxed and anchored. However, I know of all of the hours of intense work and care – from farmer/owner to day laborer – that have gone into making today happen. And my heart is humbled by this gift.

Today, as I tour the stands, I’m struck by a tangle of scents and colors. We are deep into summer now and the sun is blazing, warming the fruits and shooting their perfume out into the air toward me. Peaches, nectarines, wine grapes, black cherries, pluots, blueberries, melons, mangoes, strawberries, and passionfruit.

My senses are saturated in vibrant hues and smells. I wander along, dream-like and suddenly I connect all that I am experiencing with Gauguin and his French Polynesian paintings. His colorful style and exotic Tahitian images are here as I admire the deep reds, purples, greens, oranges, blues, and yellows surrounding me. I smell the sweetness of the grapes and strawberries and the seductive perfume of the mangoes and passionfruit and I’m right in the middle of a Gauguin work of art! Perhaps you know the one I’m thinking of?

The painting is entitled “Te aa no Areois” (The Seed of Areoi) and it’s home is in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. In it, a beautiful woman is seated upon a piece of blue and white indigenous cloth; she looks out, away from the artist with what seems to me to be a pleased, relaxed gaze . She is surrounded by flowers, mountains, palm trees and a touch of sky and cloud. By her side stands a low table laden with tropical fruits. She holds a blue bird the palm of her left hand.  The colors in the painting seem to be on fire; so, too, are the colors of the produce on display today.

I make my purchases and come home to create a cooling breakfast drink in honor of Paul Gauguin and his love of Tahiti, color, the spirituality found in nature and of breaking the rules!

“Gauguin’s Paradise”  (Vanilla Passionfruit Protein Drink)

If you can’t find fresh passionfruit in your market, most carry frozen passionfruit purée. You can also order it online. Although it may seem pricey, it will last quite a while and a little goes a long way. It’s great stirred into yogurt, salad dressings, cocktails and salsas, adding a healthy, tropical tang.

Passionfruit is full of phytonutrients like vitamin C, vitamin A, and carotenes. It is a good source of antioxidants, potassium, fiber and minerals. Choose heavy, wrinkled fresh passionfruit, this being, perhaps, one of the few times we want wrinkles: the wrinkled ones have a more concentrated flavor!

1 cup cold water
1 packet Arbonne Citrus Energy Fizz Stick
1 packet Arbonne Digestion Plus
2 scoops Arbonne Vanilla Protein Shake Mix
1 scoop Arbonne Fiber Boost
5 ice cubes
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Tahitian vanilla is extraordinary, by the way!)
2 large passionfruit (or about 2 tablespoons frozen passionfruit purée)

How to make “Gauguin’s Paradise”:

Add all the ingredients, except for the passionfruit, into a blender. Scoop the pulp from the passionfruit into a small bowl and stir; reserve 1 teaspoon as garnish and place remaining passionfruit pulp into the blender.

Blend well, at least for one full minute, until the mixture is smooth and a lovely pale yellow. Pour into a glass, and top with the remaining passionfruit pulp (I like to slowly spoon it along the side where the drink and the glass meet, so you can see the pulp. Otherwise it sinks into the drink quickly).

Sip slowly with closed eyes and imagine yourself in your own version of Paradise – or at least on an exotic tropical island!

Makes 1 vegan, gluten-free drink

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