Blender Dreams Continued

Banana Apple Oatmeal Smoothie

Last week I was blessed with a second full day play date with my Vitamix. The morning started off amazing with glorious sunshine and warm air that beckoned me outside for a run. Oh that all runs could be so delightful. A recent article in Runner's World talks about the "runner's high" that all runners crave, and I am happy to say it found me this morning. Maybe it happened in part because I was so happy in my surroundings, the world is so beautiful when it is in full bloom. I followed up that joyful experience with a delicious breakfast smoothie with banana, apple, cranberries, yogurt, cinnamon, maca powder and oatmeal. Having made this smoothie more than once, I have to admit that the quality of the yogurt really makes all the difference in the smoothie's flavor.  The first two times I made it with Skyr (pronounced skeer), an Icelandic style yogurt with a smooth, rich flavor and creamy thick texture. The third time I made it with plain, non-fat Greek yogurt. Skyr was the hands-down winner! It is high in protein but not high in fat, so give it a try if you see it in the dairy aisle.

The Best Green Juice

As is the cast on most days off, time really flies. Before I knew it my stomach was grumbling for lunch when an idea came to me. Months ago I purchased It's All Good, a cookbook written by Gwyneth Paltrow, and was eager to try a recipe entitled, The Best Green Juice, but without a juicer or even a blender I was out of luck. I decided today would be the day! I blended up kale, a lemon, an apple, a knob of ginger and fresh mint to create a refreshing juice with a nice zing at the end. Drinking it made me feel energized to get busy with the remaining chores on my list for the day...such as going to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Ha, ha, neither of those places is really a chore, in fact you don't have to twist my arm to head over there in search of something delicious.

By the time dinner rolled around I was still in a green sort of mood, so broccoli became the object of my attention. The Whole Food Recipes cookbook by Vitamix has an interesting recipe for Quiche with Brown Rice Crust that I decided to master. I like the idea of using brown rice in place of a pastry crust, it makes me feel like I am doing something healthier for my body. It's remarkably simple too. Once the crust is initially baked, top it with steamed broccoli and then pour on the egg mixture. The Vitamix takes all the work out of the egg mixture- dump in eggs, soy milk (well, I used almond milk because I am not a fan of soy), cheddar cheese (and here I used freshly shredded Gouda because I had some and wanted to try it), fresh parsley, basil, salt and onion powder (for which I substituted garlic powder), and then blend away! You could also whip the ingredients by hand, so those without a powerful blender fear not. The quiche is baked at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes and ready to eat. Bon Appétit!

Mix cooked brown rice with an egg, press into a sprayed pie dish and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

The finished broccoli quiche

A yummy slice of the pie

Oh, Happy Vitamix Day!

A long awaited dream finally delivered itself into my reality. A Vitamix blender. How wonderful! Not sure why someone should be so excited about a blender? Well then, you have never encountered a Vitamix. It is one of the best inventions for making a whole food diet simple, and I now have the distinct pleasure of owning one. As if that wasn't joy enough, I was able to devote a whole day to playing with my new super food machine!

Oatmeal Cranberry Pancakes

As a new Vitamix owner, I was incredibly responsible and read the owner's manual. *Yes, if you're one of my family members you can sigh and laugh now.* One recommendation mentioned in the literature on more than one occasion is to start by following some of the recipes in the accompanying Whole Food Recipes cookbook to help develop a feel for the proportions of ingredients and the operation of the machine. Ever interested in doing the best job I can do, I agreed this would be a wise approach. Since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I figured it would be a great place to start. Enter Oatmeal Cranberry Pancakes...made in a blender. Okay, well not totally, I did have to cook them on a nice hot griddle, but consider my enthusiasm growing as I embarked on my first Vitamix culinary adventure! Topping the hot and hearty pancakes with some honey and banana slices was a totally inspired decision that made my taste buds very happy. Let's call this one blissful breakfast.

Garden Fresh Cocktail

One of the amazing things about a Vitamix is its ability to juice whole foods. There is no loss of fiber- it gets pulverized so that your body can easily digest it. By the time lunch rolled around I thought some vegetables would be appropriate and so I pulled out tomatoes, spinach, carrot, onion, red bell pepper and parsley for a delicious "cocktail." Maybe the thought of V-8 juice is coming to mind right now? Well let those thoughts, along with all that sodium, flow right back out of your mind because V-8 juice does not hold a candle to this refreshing drink. While I sat enjoying my drink and coming up with the weekly dinner menu, an idea for making my new favorite beverage even better popped into my head- add pea shoots! Pea shoots have a fresh, crisp flavor that would complement the other veggies nicely; they are like spring in a beautiful edible package. If you  haven't tried them, toss some into your next salad and taste for yourself.

Chicken Potato Spinach Soup

When dinner finally rolled around I was ready to test out another amazing Vitamix feature- the ability to cook hot soups. Yes, this time the cooking really did take place right in my blender. The blades generate enough friction to create cooking heat. I know, it's amazing. I decided to try Chicken Potato Spinach Soup because such a gray, rainy day called for something warm and comforting. The soup base, potatoes, onion, chicken broth, milk and rosemary, is blended to smooth, steamy perfection and then other ingredients are added in at a slower speed so they retain some texture. The book advised chicken and spinach, which I was more than happy to try. BUT, since my earlier experiments were so successful I was feeling bold and threw in some additional ingredients- red bell pepper, mushrooms and green onions. Delightful! What a pleasant way to make soup, and cleaning up the kitchen was ridiculously easy. The Vitamix is like its own dishwasher. Rinse out what's left clinging to the sides of the container, fill halfway with warm water, add two drops of dish soap and blend for 30-60 seconds. Clean! A satisfying end to a wonderful day for this food lover.

Polenta, Take 2

Have you been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the results of my polenta dinner to post? If I remember correctly, there was a homework assignment. Did anyone make a batch of polenta yet?  How did it turn out?  Here is a picture of my finished polenta dish. To the steamy polenta I added freshly grated gouda cheese, roasted butternut squash and pine nuts. I allowed the polenta mixture to set in the refrigerator for a few hours prior to baking to allow it to solidify a bit. Once in the oven it got nice and bubbly, and I sprinkled some freshly grated Locatelli on top. There really isn't such a thing as too much cheese, right? I decided to top my bowl of polenta with sauteed cremini mushrooms and fresh baby spinach. It added another layer of texture to the dish along with rich flavor.

Steaming pot of polenta, see blog on 3.29.14 for the recipe.

Roasted butternut squash.  Spread about 4 cups of peeled and cubed butternut squash on an oiled baking sheet and roast on 375 for about 30-40 minutes, or until tender.  Mash the squash a bit before adding to the polenta.

Freshly grated gouda.

Toasted pignolis (pine nuts).  Coarsely crumble these before stirring into the polenta.

The finished baked polenta.