Vitamixing Dinner
Photo by James Ransom (featured on Food52.com)
We’ve been trying to eat more vegetables in our house (grown-ups included) and now have a brand spanking new Vitamix on the counter ready to spin any assortment of fruits and vegetables (and god knows what else) at 240 MPH. Just making a commitment to eat more veggies (basically, prioritizing vegetables above other stuff) is changing the way we shop for groceries and the way we plan our meals. Let’s hope this lasts.
This commitment is also changing the way we eat OUT. At Calafia Cafe in Palo Alto Saturday night, I eyed up the vegetable sides and decided to try the pureed cauliflower, which was listed as both gluten-free and vegan, so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t gobbed with cream and butter. IT. WAS. TOTALLY. DELICIOUS. So…inspired…as I type this, I’m steaming a head of cauliflower along an onion, which I’ll toss into the Vitamix with water, olive oil, salt + pepper! I’m using these ratios, which I found in a recipe called Paul Bertolli’s Cauliflower Soup on Yummly (via Food 52).
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion (6 ounces), sliced thin
1 head very fresh cauliflower, about 1-1/2 pounds
Salt, to taste
5 1/2 cups hot water, divided
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Voila! Way healthier than mashed potatoes and so simple I can cook it while I type this! I’m serving it with almond-crusted tilapia and a green salad for a veggie-rich (and super easy and hopefully super yummy) dinner.
How do you get lots of veggies into your meals (and your family’s)? And if you have a Vitamix, what’s your favorite thing to make?
wellfesto 
Awesome! Congrats on the Vitamix. I was pretty skeptical of the Vitamix vs. any regular high powered blender, but it makes such a big difference! It really is a beast of its own. My favorite vitamix recipe: a smoothie:
In a 64 fl oz blender jar: (makes ~70 fl oz)
•1/2 cup water or 1/2 cup coconut water *
•1 cup almond milk * (available at Trader Joe’s or Costco)
•1 cup of unsweetened juice * (e.g. cranberry or pomegranate) (available at Trader Joe’s)
•1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds * (quantity depending on how much smoothie you drink each day to make sure you don’t take way too much iron)
•2 oz cauliflower
•2-10 oz high powered greens like spinach * (e.g. you can have 10 oz spinach if you only have one serving per day (to not eat too much of one thing – e.g. vitamin A and iron) and decrease other ingredients, or you can have less spinach if you drink tons of this and want to include other ingredients)
• 2 oz lettuce (or more if you’d like)
•1 oz kale (or more if you’d like)
•2 bananas *
•2 cups of frozen berries * (e.g. blueberries, strawberries)
•1-2 carrots
•1 apple
•1 pear
•1 peach or plum
•1 orange
•2 tomatoes
•other ingredients to consider:
◦any other fruits or vegetables. (watercress, zuccini, etc.)
* denotes what I consider a great ‘base’ for a smoothie (you can play around with other ingredients to remove some or include others to make different varieties)
This recipe looks so simple and absolutely delicious! I’m definitely going to give it a try.
One of my personal favorites is a roasted tomato soup, like this one – http://gourmetblender.com/roasted-tomato-soup/
yum! thanks for the recipe, sarah. can’t wait to try it!