Any good Vitamix/blender recipes or uses?

[lissyflo]

I'm stuck in a bit of a rut with my vitamix uses and wondered if anyone has some recipes or different uses that are tried and tested? I use it a lot for breakfast (blending fruit, Greek yoghurt and oatbran together) and make a lot of soups with different roasted vegetables (roasted tomato, pepper, garlic and balsamic is my sons' favourite).

If anyone has any more inspired options or specific recipes, I'd love to hear them!

 

[missy]

Hi lissyflo, we have 2 Vitamixes because I just needed one for both homes LOL but I haven't used either of them for over a year though I really do love the delicious things they can make so thanks for the reminder to get it going again.

I am going to share a list of recipes with you that you might already have but just in case. When I was using the Vitamix on a regular basis I started making smoothies without a recipe and just have fun with it and that seemed to work well. I cannot remember any specific recipes since it has been a long time since I used my Vitamixes but I do remember keeping it half greens in an attempt to keep it healthier and less sugary. And for keeping it creamy and thick (I love thick smoothies) add more ice and a creamy texture food like a banana, peanut butter, avocado. Not all together though haha.

Enjoy and please share any delicious new recipes with us! When I start getting my Vitamixes going I will update if I find anything new worthwhile sharing.

https://www.vitamix.com/browse/recipes/Smoothies/?id=ctfindrecipeslandingpage

 

[rainwood]

I use my Vitamix mostly for smoothies - my current favorite is 1 banana, frozen mango chunks, a big, big handful of spinach, whole milk yogurt and a little bit of water. It's a pretty bright green and tastes wonderful. I think using whole milk yogurt is important so that the sugars in the fruit metabolizes more slowly. I like that you get a serving or two of greens at breakfast. You can substitute different fruit for the mangos, but depending on what you use the color might be less appetizing. Using really dark berries like raspberries or blueberries is okay, but using strawberries makes it a dingy brown mauve color.

I've tried it for soup, but the Vitamix makes everything hot which, to me, is different and less flavorful for soup than actually cooking the ingredients. Using roasted vegetables like you do gives the flavor, but I tend to use leftover roasted vegetables in salads.

 

[lissyflo]

I am going to share a list of recipes with you that you might already have but just in case. When I was using the Vitamix on a regular basis I started making smoothies without a recipe and just have fun with it and that seemed to work well. I cannot remember any specific recipes since it has been a long time since I used my Vitamixes but I do remember keeping it half greens in an attempt to keep it healthier and less sugary. And for keeping it creamy and thick (I love thick smoothies) add more ice and a creamy texture food like a banana, peanut butter, avocado. Not all together though haha.

https://www.vitamix.com/browse/recipes/Smoothies/?id=ctfindrecipeslandingpage

Thanks, Missy! I used some of the suggestions from the booklet that came with the machine and had previously assumed without checking that the suggestions on the Vitamix website would be the same as in the booklet, but there's loads more on the link you gave. That will teach me to make assumptions!

 

[lissyflo]

I use my Vitamix mostly for smoothies - my current favorite is 1 banana, frozen mango chunks, a big, big handful of spinach, whole milk yogurt and a little bit of water. It's a pretty bright green and tastes wonderful. I think using whole milk yogurt is important so that the sugars in the fruit metabolizes more slowly. I like that you get a serving or two of greens at breakfast.

Thanks, Rainwood! I was really good at putting greens in when I first started making smoothies but have ended up making more fruit-based ones without realising. I must get back into the habit of adding something leafy in too to cut down on the sugar hit.

I agree on the soups - I've had some real successes but also a few tasteless, slightly strange-textured results!

 

[lissyflo]

Oh, I forgot to say, Missy - it had never occurred to me to put peanut butter in for taste and creamy texture. Sounds delicious!

 

[cmd2014]

My favorite breakfast smoothie (for 2) is to stuff 1/2 the container with packed spinach, add 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder, 1 cup of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries), and 2 - 3 tbsp ground flax. Add in about 1 cup of water and blend on the smoothie setting. You can add a bit of plain Greek yogurt in too for more protein, or 1/2 a ripe avocado for a really smooth textured smoothie with more good fats and fibre. A tbsp of peanut butter is tasty too. If you use fresh berries, add in some ice cubes to keep it thick.

The vitamix hummus recipe (with the 2 cans of chickpeas and the sesame seeds) is also very good. I add in extra lemon and some toasted sesame seed oil just for an extra bit of kick.

I also use my vitamix for doing things like pureeing soaked chilies for Texas style chili (I soak the de-stemmed, de-seeded chilies and then blend them with the tomatoes, garlic, a bit of chicken broth, and sometimes some of the soaking liquid until they are a smooth paste, and add that into my meat mix).

Vegetable purees also come out very smooth (cauliflower puree, carrot puree, pea puree) if you want something fancy to serve your protein on (restaurant style). For a less silky and more chunky texture though I use my food processor. If I'm doing cauliflower puree as a fauxtato dish, I just use my immersion blender as I like it a bit chunky.

Blender drinks are tasty too (although not super healthy).

Mostly I use mine for smoothies though.