Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I know there are a number of folks here who own high power blenders (Vitamix, Blentec, and the like). I have realized that I have mainly been using mine to make green smoothies, with the occasional hummus batch or vinaigrette thrown in. While I've been doing the smoothie thing every day, I suspect that I have only reached the tip of the iceberg in terms of use.

What do you all like to do in yours? Any favourite recipes or uses you'd like to share?

I do a lot of puréed soups...just made some Andalusian gazpacho the other day.

Amy

Carey,

Indian and Thai curry pastes. Spanish or Mexican adobo, mole, and pipantes. Exotic but butters. Coulis. Really, anything you didn't used to make because the effort of grinding/mashing it up was too much.

Did you mean to type an "n" rather than a "b" or did you drop a "t"? Just how exotic are these butters?

Maybe he was stuttering while typing?

I also use mine for those pastes and salsas Fuzzy mentioned, though I find that I have to add a little more liquid, so it will circulate a little in the container. I use it to grind up small amounts of grains and legumes, to add to breads and other recipes. And, like Amy, I just made some gazpacho, using up many of those tomatoes. Nothing grinds them up smoother than the VM.

Ditto the gazpacho and cashew/peanut butter. Also made an arugula/tofu soup the other day that tasted just like it had cream added to it.

Along with smoothies and protein drinks, I make sauces, tapenade, humus, and any drink I would normally whip up in a blender

Ah, my lovely android tablet at work. I don't know how anyone can type on these things.

Thanks for the laugh! Butt butter...tee hee!

My one worry about the Asian curry pastes and mexican spicy stuff is that they have stained my regular blender in the past. Any issues with the vitamix that way?

I have not had them stain anything except the spatulas I use! And I usually just wash it by blending some hot water and detergent in it, and rarely put it in the DW, which is the only way I can usually get garlic out of other things.

Just thought of another thing I make, along the lines of nut butter - tahini. A little extra oil is needed, but not much.