Smarty Cooking School: A Love Letter to my Vitamix

Cue the Barry White music, light some candles and put out the fresh flowers. If this machine were a man I would trap and marry it. Very seldom does a piece of kitchen equipment live up to all the hype.

I was coveting the Vitamix blender for years. Yes, years. I had heard of its magical powers from my brother Scott who swears by it. Well after doing a ton of research and reading every review possible, even watching the guy demonstrate it at Costco more than four times I finally broke down and purchased one. They are not cheap starting at around $375 and up for the home models. The ones restaurants use cost around $900. However, if you cook at all they are totally worth it.

This is no ordinary blender (I am starting to sound like a Ron Popeil infomercial). It pulverizes everything. It will actually COOK soup in it from pure friction. NO tiny chunks of ice in my margaritas, no odd bits of fruit in smoothies. In the first week alone I must have used it more than 20 times.

I make my kids smoothies every morning now. You can put anything in there and they would never know. Sneak in those veggies.

Here are some of my favorite things to make with my Vitamix:

Green Juice (I make this for lunch most days). I swear it kept me from getting sick this winter. You don’t need exact measurements just make sure you add some water to thin it out so it isn’t too thick.

Green Juice
Spinach and or Kale (stems removed)
Half a cucumber
2 Stalks of Celery
½ an apple (peel and all)
handful of parsley
1 inch section of fresh ginger
half a lemon (peeled)
½ cup to a cup of filtered water

It is like health in a glass. Add more fruit if you want a sweeter drink. I love the taste of veggies so just the bit of apple helps balance it out.

Chunky Monkey Smoothie
Banana
Almond milk
Small scoop of Peanut butter
Ice
(If you are feeling naughty, add some Nutella or chocolate syrup) Your kids will LOVE you.

Shrek’s Famous Berry Blast
Splash of OJ
Banana
Handful of blueberries, strawberries or any berries
½ an apple
Tablespoon ground Flax seed
Handful of baby spinach

You can make it for your kids without the spinach first then let them make it with it and call it a Shrek shake. This worked for my kids.

My favorite Salad Dressing
I use this on pasta salad and any green salad especially in the summer when the basil is so abundant.
Tablespoon or good-sized squirt of Dijon Mustard
Handful of fresh Basil leaves
1 garlic clove
Dash of salt and pepper
1 cup red wine vinegar
½ cup Olive oil
Blend until basil is incorporated. I know most dressings have a different ratio of olive oil to vinegar. I like them more on the tart side and not so greasy.

Of course you don’t have to have a Vitamix to make any of these recipes, a regular blender will do. Just make sure you chop the ingredients into smaller pieces before starting.

What are your favorite things to make in your Vitamix/ Blender?