OK, I know we all make choices about where to live in life, but since I’ve hunkered down here in sunny-less Cleveland Ohio, I have to suck it up. So being the ides of February, and it’s snowing yet again (the big huge fluffy flakes, which are actually really lovely) I decide a piping hot bowl of silky soup is on the menu for supper. And I just happened to have a nice chunk of ginger in my fruit bowl, some carrots and a sweet potato. All which really need to be eaten or used to build a snowman. (I’m not sure about the sweet potato on a snowman though.)
For anyone who knows me, I a huge veggie fan. I eat virtually everything. EXCEPT carrots. I’ve never been a fan of their dirt-like pungency. I usually mask their strong flavor in things like soups and sauces, but this time I decided to have the carrot be the guest of honor. For dinner…carrot-ginger soup. It was just what the day called for--a big fuzzy robe, slippers, and a hot bowl of soup with a little feta-baked pita on the side.
Here’s my recipe. It’s not complicated or fancy, but darn is it delicious! In fact I’m sure this recipe has been written a hundred times over, but what’s the harm in writing it once more?
Carrot Ginger Soup
1 large sweet potato, cut up with skin on
2 cups carrots
Water to cover…boil until soft
Add the cooked ingredients and cooking water to the Vita-Mix 64 oz container
Add:
1” chunk of ginger (unpeeled)
2 tsp salt (I like salt…)
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
½ cup soymilk
2 cups water (more or less to desired consistency)
Blend on High speed 2 minutes or until hot and steamy.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
"Put the blue box down and walk away slowly. Keep your hands where we can see them."
Ingredients
· 6 (approximately 2 1/4 pounds) ripe frozen bananas (peeled)
· 1 Wedge peeled lemon (I used it frozen) · 1/4 cup Honey · 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
· 1 1/2 cups whole milk
Directions
Place all ingredients into the Vita-Mix in the order listed. blend on high-10, until the banana and lemon are completely broken up and you get the 4 bumps in the top of the mixture. If you like a soft serve consistency, then enjoy! For firmer ice cream, place mixture in an airtight container and freeze for 3 to 6 hours.
UNBELIEVABLE FRESH AND CREAMY TASTING!!!!
Here is a great link for banana crunch ice cream made in your Vita-Mix machine click here
It is from a Vita-Mix owner! Sounds delicious! Looks Yummy too!
This is the easiest jam recipe you'll ever make! Mix 2 cups organic berries (I've used strawberries, blueberries, mulberries and blackberries) of your choice with 6 dates (removing the pits) to your Vita-Mix and blend on high speed until smooth. This will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 7-10 days. I've also used apples and cinnamon, mangoes and pineapple. Yummy too! Have fun with it!
This is the new logo for the SUBMIT RECIPES GROUP. We have been asked by you to help direct people where to post recipes. Hopefully everyone follows directions on how to post so as a community we all have ONE place to go for all OUR recipes submitted.
Please submit ALL recipes so that they are easily searchable to ALL members. Go to the "GROUPS" heading and look for this logo.
There are 3 ways to make sure your recipes get into the Recipes group:
1- Add this group as a "favorite" Any recipe you add as a BLOG post just make sure to go down to the in the blog and click the box SUBMIT RECIPES HERE in the heading "Add blog post to group" Your content will be added to the recipes group.
2- For better visibility add recipes as a Video or Audio track DIRECTLY into the SUBMIT RECIPES GROUP.
3- Enter the "Submit Recipes Group" and add your recipe in text format in the comments box.
You can immediately get to the group by clicking on the logo above.
Have you seen a Vitamix demo at a Costco, fair or show and just loved a recipe they were making? You can always come here to Vita-Village and share that.
Check out this blog the recipe she loves is featured below. You can read about how this Vitamix customer loves the green smoothie...it is part of her routine now and her kids LOVE IT ...they prefer it over any other drink! Click here to read I enjoyed this one
Green Monster Cocktail (provided by Vita-Mix Demonstrators)
Start with something light to cover the blades - 100% Welch's or Dole's white grape or banana/orange/pineapple frozen fruit juice. (Anything light in color). I use green grapes and water (about 10 grapes and 2 cups of water).
Add couple of baby carrots (or regular carrot)
1 cup spinach
1 - 2 large leaves of Swiss Chard (my change to original recipe)
1 banana (peeled)
orange (peeled - but leave the white stuff on)
a large slice of pineapple with core
a little squash or cabbage (optional)
half an apple with peel
a whole peeled lime (I actually use two and you can just take the juice too)
large piece of ginger peeled (my change to original recipe)
2 cups of ice
splash of honey on top (or Agave Nectar)
Watch this YouTube video--a demonstration with the Professional Series Vitamix machine.
Today I made Raw Applesauce in the Vita-Mix. It was very good!!! I used the recipe in the Vita-Mix cookbook that came with my 5000 Deluxe and revised it a little bit.
I used:
3 Apples, peel on (or off if you prefer)
1 pear, peel on (or off if you prefer)
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Raw Agave, I probably put in 2 tbsp. & It was a bit sweet. (I never measure it, just pour it in!) Or use honey if you prefer. Just don't use sugar!
Then I processed it on 10/high until it was pureed to my liking.
I would like to know if you try this recipe and if you like it when you do try it. Please, let me know!!!!! And don't forget to rate it too. 
Just thought I'd share my recipe..... Some fruit ( a varied assortment of apples, grapes, strawberries, blackberries, pineapple, etc...) some ice, some water, a scoop of soy protein, and a scoop of flax. This is incredibly energizing!
Here in Canada, winters are long and cold. This recipe helps warm things up.
To the VitaMix add:
1 cup milk
1 scoop protein powder
1 banana
1 tablespoon hot chocolate powder (dark chocolate is better). Cocoa powder would work as well.
Turn machine on, increase speed to 10 and switch to high. Let the machine run for about 4 minutes or until a lot of steam escapes from the top.
No more scalded pans making hot chocolate.
Robert's Toasted Wheat and Walnut Bread
2 Cups Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Toasted Whole Wheat Flour
1 Cup Bread Flour
1 Cup Hot Water
3 Tablespoons Toasted Walnut oil
1 Whole Egg
3 Tablespoon Honey
1/8 Teaspoon Barley Malt Powder (optional)
1 Tablespoon Vital Wheat Gluten
3 Teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
1 Cup Walnuts, Toasted, Rubbed, Skins Removed, Chopped
Making the Flour
The 2 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour can be made in the Vita-Mix dry container. Simply follow the directions for doing this that came with your Vita-Mix.
The Toasted Wheat Flour is also very easy to do. Spread 1/2 cup of whole hard winter wheat berries on a baking sheet. Put in to a 350 degree oven and toast for 12 to 18 minutes or until you start to smell them get toasty. Do not burn them. Allow them to cool completely.
Make flour out of the toasted wheat berries just like you did for the untoasted wheat berries.
Do not use more than 1/2 cup of toasted wheat berries. The toasted wheat berries offer a nice nutty flavor to the bread but because of the toasting the gluten protein in the berries have been destroyed using more than 1/2 cup will cause problems with the bread and its rise.
Also, I recommend that you make as fine a flour as you can. Follow the Vita-Mix directions for making flour and do not process longer than recommended. However, the finer the flour the lighter the bread will be.
Making the Bread Using a Stand Mixer
In the bowl of your stand mixer add the wheat flour, bread flour, hot water and walnut oil. Using the dough hook mix for 1 minute on low setting and then turn the mixer off and allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes add in the remaining ingredients except for the walnut pieces and knead using the dough hook on the speed recommend by your mixer manufacturer for bread dough. Usually speed of 2 or 3, but check your mixer manual to make sure. Knead for 5 minutes.
Add in the walnuts and knead for 2 more minutes. Allow the dough to rise until doubled. Turn the mixer on for just a second or two to punch the dough down. Remove the dough from the mixer bowl to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough making sure to distribute the walnuts as evenly as possible throughout the dough.
Flatten the dough in to a 6-inch wide, 8-inch long sheet and then roll it up from the wide side in to a log. Turn the log over and pinch the seam shut and do the same to the ends. If needed turn the ends under the log if the log is too long to fit in the bread pan. Place the dough log in to a lightly greased bread pan (do not use oil, use butter or shortening, oil will not prevent sticking). Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the middle reads 205 to 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes in the bread pan and then remove to a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.
Notes
Walnut Oil - The walnut oil you use is very important. Do not use walnut oil that is without color, this oil has been heavily filtered and processed and will have little if any flavor. Instead you want walnut oil that is made from toasted walnuts and has had a minimum amount of filtering; it should be a nice light brown color. I use La Tourangelle toasted walnut oil. You can find a list of retailers on their site or you can order from them online. There site address is: http://www.latourangelle.com/usa/index.php
Barley Malt Powder - If you don't have barley malt powder you can leave it out. Just don't use the malted milk powder you can get in the supermarket it isn't the same. If you want to have this on hand you can order barley malt powder from King Arthur Flour at http://www.kingarthurflour.com
Walnuts - For me when I toast the walnuts for this recipe I do it in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes. I then let them cool, break them up and then rub them between my hands to remove as much of the skin as possible. You don't have to do the rubbing part if you don't want, but these skins will come off in the bread and it will make it harder for the walnut pieces to stick in the dough. I also don't like them floating around in the bread dough. Don't worry about getting all of the skins off, just get what you can with a 1 minute rubbing. You need to chop or break the walnuts in to green pea sized pieces.
Usage Suggestions
The local botanic garden hosts two different chefs each weekend to demonstrate recipes with just-picked garden delights. Yesterday, the recipe was Organic Tomato Gazpacho - made in a blender. Here it is:
5 each Roma Tomatoes (rough chopped)
2 each Cucumber (seeded, peeled and chopped)
1 each large Red Pepper (seeded, cored and chopped)
1 each Celery Stalk (chopped)
5 each Green onions (chopped)
2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Tabasco (or to taste)
1 oz Olive Oil
1/4 cup Sherry Vinegar
2 ea - 8 oz cans tomato juice or V8
For garnish: 1 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream, halved grape tomoatoes and scallions
In your Vita Mix, combine first 6 ingredients. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine oil, vinegar, tomato juice (or V8) and Tabasco. Blend into vegetables until smooth. Serve in large bowls or mugs. Serves 6 to 8.
Everyone in the audience gets samples. The soup was fantastic. The chef suggested it the day before you plan to serve so all the ingredients can "marry" in the fridge.

I just fancied something tasty this afternoon so went for a rummage in the freezer to see what I could make with the Vita-Mix.
Out came :
In the fridge I found:
Used about 4 tablespoons of each and mixed it in the 32 oz container. I'm not brilliant at the ice cream, I worry about the noise when I tamper the frozen ingredients but it mixed them OK. (Must remember to slice the banana into smaller pieces next time before I freeze them).
It was GORGEOUS!!!! I find banana ice cream a bit sickly but the lemon and mango gave it a real fresh zing. Must remember this one. Better still I'll write it in the back of the recipe book!
I was in the mood for a dessert smoothie and threw this together. Boy, was it delicious. Especially for anyone who loves chocolate milk, chocolate-covered bananas, etc.! I'm sure it isn't a new concoction, but it is just so good that it should be posted again!
1/2 cup coconut water
1/2 cup almond milk
2 frozen bananas
1 tsp raw cocoa (I used Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder)
3 tsps organic shredded unsweetened coconut
5 oz baby spinach (or just pack it in)
Ice cubes optional
Enjoy!
Back at again with the vitamix...mixin up some fun n sticky snack bars. I've been wanting to make something sort of like a raw Larabar but a little more moist and chewy. I like energy bars but they always seem really dry and borring...like you're eating just to not be hungry but not because you're looking to throw a party for your taste buds. I was kinda diggin the idea of using apricots and cherries for some tartness and balance it out with flavor of almonds and cashews. I crunched up equal parts of cashews and almonds with a pinch of pink salt. I then threw in the dried apricots and cherries and munched it a bit more until it started to form a loose dough. I sprinkled in a bit of cinnamon, a drizzle of almond essence and squirt of agave to get the dough to stick together a bit more. Then the fun part!....I dumped it out and mooshed it in my hands; sprinkling in some goji berries, cranberries and cacao nibs to give it some superfood kick. I then flattened it into a pancake shape and cut it into bars so I could wrap them up individual to snack on later. With odds n ends pieces left over I got really silly and formed them into balls and dipped them in the melted chocolate that I left from a few days ago. Now that's I call a party for your taste buds!
USDA MAY SOON RECOMMEND A MORE PLANT BASED DIET, Less Meat.
New guideline recommendations were released yesterday (June 15, 2010) by an advisory committee that calls for drastic changes in the way we eat and this is great news for Vitamix.
Once the recommendations are official, the USDA Food Pyramid chart will shift toward a more plant- based diet that focuses on nutrient-rich rather than energy-dense foods. Here are the main recommendations:
Vitamix customers are already aware of the benefits from eating whole foods and having a larger plant based diet. Most Vitamix recipes are mainly fruits and vegetables—the Vitamix blends them into delicious whole food recipes in only minutes and the Vitamix makes it easy. Vitamix expects changes in the new guidelines that call for a shift to a more plant-based diet will be good for sales as people will begin to look for tools to help make the plant based diet more convenient for themto acheive.
“People think that munching through mounds of carrot and celery sticks- things like that- is time consuming and boring, what the Vitamix can do is make consuming more fruits and vegetables quick, easy and delicious.” The Vitamix 5200 comes with a cookbook filled with great chef tested recipes that take whole food meals to a whole new level,” said Wendy Manfredi, Vitamix Advertising and Public Relations.
This gives Vitamix the perfect opportunity to promote that our premium blending equipment will increasingly become an even more important appliance for Americans who will take the new guidelines into consideration and actually start to improve the way they eat. People will still want convenience and good tasting food. The Vitamix is the tool they will desire even more so to help make fruits and vegetables taste more exciting. With our busy lives pulling us in so many directions, the Vitamix can help busy families eat nutritiously in a matter of minutes. * Vitamix is the tool that can deliver more nutrition in our meals, every single day and keep us on track with what we should have always been eating anyway.
Watch the report from Good Morning America below. Notice the change in the Food Pyramid charts.
Click here for the full report featured on GMA June 16, 2010.
The Dietary Guidelines were first published in 1980 and are mandated by Congress to be reviewed, updated and released every five years. The Dietary Guidelines contain the latest, science-based nutritional and dietary guidance for the general public. They are the foundation for federal nutrition education and promotion programs, as well as the basis for the federal food assistance programs.
Visit the USDA website for a download of the full 2010 report that was just released June 15, 2010. Click Here.
Question of the week:
My question is about the so-called “toxic ‘ things found in raw leafy green veggies, like the oxalic acid in spinach. How much is too much of this stuff to eat? I’m feeling well and the drinks are tasty. Thanks for the help.
Terry Fischer
Hi Terry, There are small amounts of natural toxins, called alkaloids, on all greens. However, each green contains a different alkaloid, so generally, if you eat a variety of greens you won’t have any problems. Some scientists believe that these alkaloids are there to prevent us from eating the entire crop , so that there will always be more for future generations. You will find out, naturally, how much is safe to consume. When you eat a green in moderation it tastes great, but when you’ve had enough, your body will tell you by the taste. It generally starts to taste bitter, can cause nausea or you may notice your mouth becomes very dry. This bitter reaction is very obvious to most people when they eat the stronger greens, like chard, collards, arugula and dandelion. Sunflower greens and spinach taste very mild to most people until their body has had enough, then they tend to make the mouth feel very dry. Listen to your body and only eat the amount you need, then go on to a new green for your next meal. You’ll notice that when you blend greens in a recipe with lots of other ingredients (like in greens smoothies or blended salads) your body doesn’t always tell you when you have had enough. This is because your body is picking up on all the different foods at one time and it is confusing. I recently worked with a woman who was consuming large amounts of spinach every day in her green smoothies. She suddenly started feeling very light-headed and nauseous, she said she felt like she was going to faint all day long. When she stopped eating the spinach and substituted it with a different green in her smoothie every day, her dizziness went away. I suggest typically adding the amount of greens you would comfortably eat in a salad when making a smoothie, energy soup or blended salad. It is very important to rotate your greens daily, which is the natural way to prevent any problem with over-consumption of one green. If you eat a new green every day, you’ll typically rotate at least 7 greens in your diet. The typical greens that are available to most of us, are romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, Bibb lettuce and bok choy. The highest quality greens are those that are dark green in color, organic and locally grown. Add small amounts of the stronger varieties, such as dandelion, arugula, mustard greens, beet greens, etc. See page 165 of our book, “Transitioning to Living Cuisine” (or in the Level VI eBook on page 14) to read what happened when my husband, Allan, and I ate too many buckwheat greens. Please email me at rene.oswald@att.net with your question for the next blog post. I can post your name, your initials or you can remain anonymous, it’s up to you!
So, now that my candida cleanse is coming to a close, and I have developed much healthier eating habits, I am now starting the 3rd week on my new exercise regimen, the P90X, yes, the same one that runs those awful infomercials all the time. My hubby wanted it initially and I decided if he would drink smoothies (WITH GREENS!), then I would do the workouts too. We do not work out together (that would be grounds for divorce), but we are both doing the same program. We turned our office into the workout room.
First of all, I can tell you that this is a HARD workout. I am not a complete couch potato, but I have not had a real workout routine for years. This program kicks my butt; I can't even do a lot of the stuff, or I have to do it in a modified form (ex. I do pushups from my knees right now and pull-ups with a band). My hubby isn't a body builder either, so we are both very challenged. But I do appreciate the mottos they use - "do your best, forget the rest", "just show up and push play" and the trainer on the videos is very good.
We did a lot of measurements when we started and weighed ourselves. I swore that I would not touch the scale again until day 30 which is April 19th. I think I am typical of most women when I say that I am very critical of my body and regardless of how much my hubby insists that he sees results, I don't see it. But each day I can do a little bit more of the workout, or go lower on the pushups, or lift more weights, so even if I don't see it I know something is happening. Doing it together (but at separate times) has meant being supportive of each others' efforts: we bring each other water and after really hard workouts make each other smoothies. He has become quite the smoothie maker and actually gets upset if I run out of greens to put in his smoothie now. This is a straight meat and potatoes guy who I use to beg to eat a side salad at dinner.
P90X includes a meal plan as part of the program and guess what the first phase is??? Low Carb!!! No Sweets!!! High Protein!!! Isn't that what I just did for the past 8 weeks??!!! I'm thinking that my morning smoothie is going to be great to keep up with. I am going to make lots of veggie soups and sauce bases in my vitamix. I will need to find some non-flesh protein alternatives because, although I am not currently a vegetarian, I am not a huge meat fan either. Hello nut butters and seeds, tofu, soybeans, whatever - I like it all. Send non-flesh protein ideas my way quick!