In my home kitchen, I like to do things by hand. I find myself chopping instead of pulling out a food processor. I reach for my mortar and pestle instead of a spice grinder. But do you know what I always put to good use and for which there is no substitute? My blender. No such thing as a hand-chopped smoothie.
How did I become so attached? During my time at Daily Harvest, my center of gravity was a Vitamix. I thought deeply and often about the merging of ingredients: emulsions, textures, and viscosities. I asked myself uncommon questions. Are the broken seeds of passion fruit exciting or distracting in a smoothie? How many greens can I add before a soup becomes too fibrous? I started using my blender so frequently that it was always on my countertop, helping me make much more than just smoothies
How you use your blender is—as always—entirely up to you. But hear me when I say this: don't be bullied into adding more liquid than you want or need. Use a tamper stick or shake your NutriBullet (yes, I said it). This helps to avoid diluting flavors or messing with texture and body. Just because the blades don't feel like catching doesn't mean they can't be convinced. You're the boss; you make the rules!
WHAT CAN YOU MAKE IN A BLENDER?
There are some obvious ways blenders function in society, and then there are less obvious ways.
The obvious:
Smoothies. Frozen cauliflower, avocado, hemp seeds, greens, a pinch of sea salt, and vanilla powder are all ingredients I strongly endorse. Suppose you throw the aforementioned in a blender with something sweet and tart, like frozen cherries or pineapple chunks. I think you might enjoy it. Also, using mostly frozen ingredients in your smoothie makes for a frostier end product. The texture is key!
Hot Soup. Long live the original food blogger days and this creamy butternut squash soup. For summer, swap in a large head of broccoli.
Cold Soup. I know you were thinking it when I said hot soup. It's finally gazpacho season.
The less obvious:
Eggs. If you're preparing eggs for a frittata, quiche, or scramble, try blending instead of whisking. I only do this if I want to include fresh herbs or greens, which is often the case. Green eggs!
Marinades. Like this!
Batter. Crepes, moong dal chilla, muffins. Be careful not to overwork your flour if it's glutinous.
Salad dressings. Yogurt/sour cream/buttermilk-based dressings really shine here. Olive oil can sometimes lean a little bitter when blended. Something to be mindful of.
Sauces. Salsa verde! Salsa Roja! Romesco! Hollandaise!
Frozen Drinks. I love piña coladas.
I hope you're inspired to pick up your blender! I'm holding mine right now!
WHAT ABOUT SHRIMP?
I’m so glad you asked. I got to chat with Outside Magazine about grilling shrimp. Fancy that! You can catch it here.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you make in your blender!
Love,
Ash
piña coladas 😍
Thanks for this Ashley!! Smoothie update! I just made one with frozen bananas, mango, strawberries, blueberries, frozen baby spinach, chia seeds, dates, peanut butter and Greek yoghurt. I know, a lot of ingredients lolll.