RV There Yet??

Yay! I finally received my Christmas present from slaDE yesterday. Since I first saw them advertised at exhibition shows here in Calgary (i.e. The Home Show / The RV show), I salivated at the thought of owning a Vita-Mix. A blender of sorts, but oh so much more! It’s a juicer / food processor / blender / soup-maker / bread-kneader all-in-one. I’m in love and have only had it one day!
After watching the relevant dvd material on operation and recipe know-how, I decided to forego their suggestions of trying out their starter recipes and headed full-on into experimental mode!

This morning I started off with a smoothie …

Vita-Mix Recipe:

• 1 peeled organic orange
• 1 peeled organic lemon
• 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 kale leaf
• 1 tbsp maca
• 1 tbsp greens powder
• 1 tbsp hemp powder
• 1 tbsp gogi berries
• 2 cups ice
• dashes of cinnamon, vanilla and stevia

Verdict:
Too acidic …. next time, use less lemon. Otherwise, quite nice!

For lunch, I experimented with a soup … I had some vegetables that I’d been meaning to bake all week. In the mix included a butternut squash. So instead of throwing out the inner seeds, I threw them into this concoction:

Vita-Mix Recipe:

• 2 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1 can organic tomatoes
• 1 organic onion
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves organic garlic
• 3 tbsp raw popcorn!

Setting it up for 3 minutes on high speed, I prepped: 1/2 cup of black beans and a handful of fresh cilantro to be added afterwards (ie loose chop) on low variable speed.

Verdict:
A quick fresh yummy steaming soup. The seeds added a real unique hearty flavour. Gotta love it!

Enjoying the diversity in meal options, I wanted to experiment with a lovely creamy pesto to top rice linguini pasta.

Vita-Mix Recipe:

• 1/2 cup cold-pressed olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated organic parmesan cheese
• 2 cups organic basil
• 3 cloves organic garlic
• 3 tbsp raw pine nuts
• dash himalayan salt & pepper

Turning the Vita-Mix on high for 30 seconds and I had a beautifully lightly chunked pesto!

Verdict:
One of the best pasta sauces EVER!

Unable to scoop out every ounce of pesto, slaDE coaxed me into making a potato soup with the residual yumminess.

Vita-Mix Recipe:

• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 baked potatoes
• 1 stalk organic celery
• 1 organic carrot
• 1 organic onion
• 1 cup skim milk
• handful cilantro
• dash himalayan salt & pepper

After 5 minutes on high, I added another carrot and celery stalk, mixed on variable speed for some added chunky goodness.

Verdict:
Less potato next time … a bit too starchy. Adding milk and a splash of butter on reheat will solve this dilemma quite nicely. A thick creamy concoction indeed!