Vanilla is a delicious ingredient that can give variety to your smoothies and take them to the next level. It’s enough of a premium ingredient that I usually only use it in simple combinations where its flavor is not overwhelmed by stronger flavors. It turns out that both vanilla extract and whole vanilla bean are great in smoothies. Continue Reading →
Update: The Vitamix refurbished discounts expired, but now they have come back! Blendtec’s lives on.
This is a reminder that the extra $30 off select reconditioned Vitamix units is scheduled to expire on Friday, February 28th. If you’ve been dawdling on ordering one (or know someone who’s been thinking about buying), make sure the order is placed by Friday. It’s possible that this promotion could return at some point, but we can’t count on it. The standard reconditioned (5200, Pro 200, et al.) is $299 with this discount, and the standard presets reconditioned (6300/Pro 500) is $349. Aside from the rare lucky person who finds an under-priced Vitamix at a garage sale or thrift shop, these are the best prices I’ve ever seen for Vitamix. Continue Reading →
Vitamix recently added a new listing to their Blenders page: The Vitamix Creations Turbo. It turns out that it is not a new model, but rather a new package. Since “Creations” is in the title, that means it is primarily intended for sale on QVC. Indeed, it looks like this Sunday QVC will be featuring it as a TSV (Today’s Special Value). QVC is promoting it as a 15-in-1 blender, but how does it compare to the other Vitamix models? It is equivalent to a TurboBlend Two Speed, bundled with a dry container. The Two Speed is the bottom-of-the-line Vitamix—it is a perfectly capable machine, but it lacks variable speed control. Continue Reading →
Even though I thoroughly enjoy a good grapefruit, I avoided grapefruit smoothies for a long time because I was afraid of them being too bitter. I recently decided to try making one for variety and it was actually quite good. For starters I recommend using either a small grapefruit or a half because it can still be pretty bitter. Continue Reading →
This soup is conceptually similar to the broccoli and asparagus soups that I wrote about last year, but the the cauliflower and mushrooms give it a totally different flavor. The general idea is cook some vegetables, blend them with some liquid, and then serve with a little garnish. I steamed the vegetables, but you could also saute or roast them. I kept the flavor simple by not adding any extra stock. It’s a sort of vegan cream of mushroom soup. Continue Reading →
Vitamix has brought back the additional $30 savings on reconditioned Standard and reconditioned Standard Presets machines. This promotion originally only ran in November, so now you have another chance to score a great Vitamix deal. If you are not sure if you really want a reconditioned machine, I wrote a page about when you should consider buying refurbished.
To sweeten the deal further, Vitamix is running a bonus drawing. Continue Reading →
Persimmons have become one of my favorite smoothie fruits. Their sweet and mild flavor goes with many combinations. Unfortunately persimmon season is winding down, (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), so before they’re gone for the year I decided to buy 5 lbs to freeze for future use. I like persimmons in the pumpkin or sweet potato pie smoothie, as well as in other random combinations. Lately I’ve been simply pairing them with just cranberries or pomegranate. Continue Reading →
Now that I have my faster and more fun pomegranate deseeding technique, I’ve been eating a lot more pomegranates. A friend who is Indian-American came up with this interesting variation on the pomegranate smoothie. It’s inspired by jeera pani (cumin water) and a pomegranate lassi. I would never have thought to put cumin seeds in a fruit drink, but it’s surprisingly good. Completely different from the usual smoothies, and a bit savory.
Just in time for Thanksgiving… I’m with family for the holiday. My mom usually makes this cranberry sauce (or relish) with a food processor, but this year she couldn’t find the food processor because her Vitamix has displaced it in the kitchen. She was worried that the Vitamix would over-process the cranberries into a puree, but by pulsing it the cranberries came out perfectly. This sauce is best to make the day before you serve it so that everything steeps together. Continue Reading →
I recently made a particularly good variant of the pumpkin pie smoothie that I described last year. The main additions are coconut milk and cardamom. I’m also posting this to remind everyone to take advantage of persimmon season. The sweetness and smoothness of persimmons makes them ideal smoothie ingredients. Continue Reading →