The Smoothie

So you got your Vitamix and you're ready to go… Here it is! 

Or at least version 1.0. 

I expect there are as many variations as there are people making smoothies. But here is, our take on Caroline's green smoothie. 

This recipe is enough for 2 large glasses plus one sippy cup for Antonia. 

2-3 stalks of kale, stem removed, washed

Small handful of spinach or Chinese broccoli, or bok choy

1-2 tablespoon sized chunks of raw ginger. 

2-3 celery stalks (chopped into 3" chunks.)

4-6 sprigs of mint leaves (20 leaves) 

1 banana 

1/2-1 quartered apple (depending on how sweet you want it)

1/4 cup plain nonfat yoghurt

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

1 1/2 cups ice cubes. 

1 cup water. 

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice. 

Optional extras:

Walnuts 

Raw Oatmeal

1/2 Avocado (Caroline like the smooth texture) 

Fill the blender with all the ingredients. Starting with the lightest (greens) first, placing the ice on top. 

Start the blender on low, and start working the mixture down increasing speed slowly as the ingredients combine. Stopping and starting the motor several times. This will likely require some use of the stick to mash the contents down, or we just lift the pitcher and shake it so things settle down 3-5 times blending in between each shake. Once the mixture is almost completely combined turn the motor to full and blend for 15-30 seconds. 

Definitely experiment with other vegetables and fruits. Strawberries and peaches are great. 

We keep washed mint, spinach and kale in the fridge so prep is relatively quick. Mint keeps well in a cup of water covered with a plastic bag (together with cilantro & parsley) in the fridge. 

Please comment or email me with your recipes and experiments. Maybe a version 2.0 will evolve. 

Toasters and Blenders PART 1

Two things that any well equipped kitchen needs are toasters and blenders.  Caroline found the best. There are many options out there, and if you do your research the models here should come as no surprise.  I had originally thought of this as one post about both, but it has grown, and now will come in two installments. Today we will discuss blenders.  

Vitamix vs. Ninja

If you read Consumer Reports (subscription required) there are two blenders that rate the highest. The Vitamix 5200 or the Ninja Master Prep Pro. 

Caroline already had the Vitamix and swore by it.  So being the contrarian penny pincher brother that I am I went and bought the $60 Ninja (available almost exclusively online) To be clear the Ninja is impressive.  And we did make many adequate smoothies with it.  But we were still trying to sip little chunks of kale and spinach that had eluded the six spinning blades.  In fact the Ninja is not what one might think of as a blender.  It is really more like an immersion blender on steroids. It has several sizes of pitchers, and blades, and the rest is just an incredibly powerful motor that you place on TOP.  And if you are on a budget, and you don't mind chewing some kale while you sip your smoothie, then this beast is not bad.  It will also crush ice beautifully and the small jars are good for chopping small things and grinding spices and coffee.  But if you already have a food processor then it's a little redundant.  

Blenders are for liquids, and that's just what the Vitamix does.  It turns everything into liquid.

And the Vitamix is a significant notch above every other blender out there. What's special about the Vitamix? A ridiculously powerful motor? Maybe, but others, including the ninja, are powerful. The variable speeds? I don't think so.  By all accounts what makes the difference is the "vortex" action created by the pitcher.  And it IS impressive. Entire handfuls of kale are reduced to a juice like consistency in seconds. And if you are interested in getting your cruciferous vegetables as Caroline was during her struggle with cancer, it's hard to imagine a better way of doing so. I'm not sure what prevents other blender pitcher designers from creating a similar effect, but nobody seems to have bothered to do so. Of course the ($450) price of a Vitamix is very high.  As Caroline pointed out, you can use one of those 20% off coupons from Bed Bath & Beyond, or Costco actually has the best price. 

ALSO: Stay tuned for Caroline's green smoothie recipe coming soon.