Tag Archives: Vitamix

June 23, 2012 · 2:51 pm

Fiesta Salad

This dish has many names from Nacho Salad or Taco Salad to Frito® Pie. I call mine Fiesta Salad and have made it many times. It’s a crowd pleaser, and my version is a bit healthier than the original.

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RECIPE

Fiesta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. lean ground turkey
  • 1 Tbsp. chili seasoning or taco seasoning mix
  • 2 cups shredded lettuce
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • (optional) 1 jalepeño pepper, thinly sliced and/or diced
  • 1½ cups skim milk
  • 1 cup shredded Colby cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
  • ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 1 bag Tostitos baked tortilla corn chips

Directions:

  1. Brown ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat, separating often to avoid clumping.
  2. While turkey cooks, heat the milk in a second skillet or 2-quart pan over medium-low heat.
  3. Sprinkle chili seasonings over the ground turkey, stir, then cover to keep warm.
  4. In the bottom of each of four large soup bowls, crumble a serving (approx. 24 chips) tortilla chips.
  5. Top each bowl of chips with approximately 1/2 pound (or 1/4) the cooked ground turkey.
  6. Cover the ground turkey with 1/4 the shredded lettuce.
  7. Top lettuce with 1/4 the chopped onions, tomatoes, and sliced (optional) jalapeño pepper.
  8. To the heated milk, stir in each of the shredded cheeses until blended.
  9. Pour a fourth (about 1/2 cup) of the cheese sauce over each fiesta salad.
  10. Serve immediately. Makes four servings

Variation: Make the cheese sauce in the Vitamix. Heat milk and add to the container. Secure lid. Begin on Variable Speed 1 and slowly increase speed to 10 then High. Remove the plug from the Vitamix lid and gradually add the grated cheeses. When cheese sauce is ready, turn off the Vitamix and pour sauce over the Fiesta Salads directly from the container.

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May 31, 2012 · 9:56 am

My Favorite Breakfast Drink

Years ago, while vacationing in Mexico, I had a breakfast drink at Sanborn’s called Jugo de Seis Frutas. I can’t remember the six fruits, but I can’t forget how delicious it was! I’ve experimented with juices and smoothies until I’ve recreated the flavors. Mine is a juice of four fruits, with a splash of skim milk for a little protein. This is our regular breakfast drink.
Breakfast Drink

RECIPE

Ingredients:

  1. 1 orange, quartered and peeled
  2. 1 apple, quartered and cored
  3. ¼ pineapple, quartered and peeled
  4. ½ banana, peeled
  5. ½ cup milk
  6. 1 cup ice cubes

Directions:

  • Add all ingredients in the order listed to the Vitamix container.
  • Secure the lid, but leave the plug out for the plunger.
  • Start the Vitamix on Variable Speed 1, increase to 10, then to High Speed.
  • Use the plunger to move the fruit to the blades.
  • Run for approximately 30 seconds or until drink is smooth.
  • Pour into two glasses and serve.

Yield: 2 large or 4 small servings

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March 18, 2012 · 12:06 pm

Guilt-free Pizza

Are you shunning America’s favorite fast food because it’s rich with fat and calories? Good news: You can have your pizza and eat it, too. The caveat: you need to make your own. With the growing availability of whole grain, thin crusts, you can make pizza that isn’t labor-intensive.

Today I took leftover pasta sauce (which I’d made using ground lean turkey, lots of garlic and onions, and San Marzano tomatoes crushed using my Vitamix) and spread it on a store-bought crust. I added a few items (sliced Crimini mushrooms, a bit of green bell pepper, and sweet onion), topped with reduced fat Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese plus a sprinkle of Redneck Pepper Italian. I baked it ten minutes in a preheated 450° oven (but I used a Pampered Chef stoneware baking pan. If you use a metal pizza pan, reduce heat to 425°). After removing it from the oven, I sliced it into six pieces (3 servings).

You can use any combination of toppings you like. There are pizza sauces available. Just read the labels to be sure you don’t get too much fat or sugar. Shred your own cheese or buy it already shredded and ready to use. The two big offenders that make pizza less healthful are meats and refined flour crusts. If you stick to meat-free or lowfat meats like ground turkey, and if you use a thin, whole wheat crust, you can enjoy two slices of pizza without wrecking your diet.

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January 24, 2012 · 12:47 pm

Peanut Butter and Honey Sandwich?

I didn’t realize today is National Peanut Butter Day. In honor of this holiday, I made my own peanut butter (using my Vitamix, of course. Do not try this with a regular blender or you’ll burn up the motor).

The following slide show demonstrates making one cup of fresh, all natural peanut butter. However, the process works better with two or even three cups at a time. This recipe makes two cups.

RECIPE

Fresh ground peanut butter

Ingredients:

2 cups roasted peanuts

Directions:

  1. Place all peanuts into the Vitamix container.
  2. Set Vitamix at Variable Speed 1 and turn on.
  3. Gradually increase speed to 10 then switch to high. Run for approximately 1 minute.
  4. Turn off machine and check contents. You may need to scrape the walls of the container with a spatula.
  5. Repeat steps 2 and 3. When the sound of the motor changes as if laboring, stop.
  6. Remove the Vitamix container from the base and scrape (using a spatula) out all peanut butter into a container for storage.

Peanut butter keeps in the refrigerator for a week, although it probably won’t be around that long! After you taste fresh peanut butter, you won’t enjoy the commercial jars of peanut butter that contain additives.

I enjoy spreading the peanut butter on a toasted slice of whole grain bread. I drizzle with honey. Nutritious and yummy! Try it and see.

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