Minestrone Soup

I'm lying here sick in bed (maybe that snowball fight wasn't such a good idea), and even with two sweatshirts, two comforters, and a pair of fake Ugg boots, the only thing that seems to help the chills is a hot bowl of  minestrone soup. My family loves minestrone, and I think I've tried a billion different varieties from my mother's kitchen experiments to the many Italian restaurants that dot New England. I got this recipe from the Vitamix cookbook, but I changed it due to lack of materials.

 2 cups chicken broth
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
4 baby carrots
1 pinch: salt, pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 can beans
Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 onion
1/2 zucchini
Optional: cheese

I tossed everything but the beans, olive oil, onion, and zucchini in the blender and increased from Variable 1 to High. Meanwhile, I drizzled olive oil in a pan and turned the heat on medium-high. I then chopped the onion and zucchini, and tossed them in the pan with one of Emeril's spice packets (it's essentially salt and pepper with a few other spices I don't have around the house, but I'm sure cooking the veggies in olive oil would be just as good). I drained half a can of Pinto beans, and by that time the base in the Vitamix had started to steam, so I turned it off. This was a 5 minute process. I then poured everything into a pot on the stove and waited for the soup to boil. I topped off my serving with some shredded cheddar cheese.

Taste score: 8/10

Likes: I really liked this. I used Hunt's crushed tomatoes with basil, and it gave the soup a hearty, tomato-ey flavor without tasting like a senior citizen's dinner. The recipe called for raw onion, which has too intense of a bite for me, so I'm glad I cooked the onion on the stove.

Dislikes: I would have liked a little more texture. The recipe calls for canned corn, which I don't have. I think next time I'll chop up the carrots and add them to the onions and zucchini on the stove. I also wish I had Parmesean cheese. 

Nutrition score: 9/10
 Pretty good. The broth adds sodium, but 1 cup of soup is under 100 calories, has 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and only 1 gram of fat. Check out this recipe for minestrone with kale to add some Vitamin A. I'll have to try it next time!

Chicken Broccoli Spinach Pesto

Okay so I obviously stole this image. This meal was so good I completely forgot to take a picture! Basically I used the pesto sauce recipe and threw some boneless, skinless chicken in a skillet. When the chicken was fully cooked, I threw in some baby spinach and blended some frozen broccoli (not more than Variable 4) into a chopped heap of veggies.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

When I went to summer camp and they served hummus, I had no idea what it was. I definitely had no idea it was made of chickpeas! But ever since then I've always wanted to make my own hummus. I had some red pepper left over in the freezer from Chicken Tortilla Soup a while ago and thought I'd give it a shot.


1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/4 red pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 dash salt

I threw the red pepper slice on the George Foreman which I don't know was really necessary but seemed to mellow out the flavor. Toss all ingredients into the Vitamix and start on Variable speed, working your way up to High. Blend for a minute or two, so that the mixture is one uniform color. I had to add a few more drops of olive oil to keep it moving. Serve with pita, snap peas, carrots, etc.

Taste score: 8/10

Likes: I will definitely make this again! The red paper was not too overbearing and the texture was creamy and smooth. Usually hummus is made with tahini but I couldn't find that in the grocery store and this recipe came out great without it.

Dislikes: It's annoying to grill one little slice of red pepper. I'll probably just try garlic next time. Also, unless the hummus is in a sealed container, it starts to harden.

Nutrition score: 9/10

Chickpeas get glowing reviews. They're high fiber, folate and manganese-laden little gems. They help prevent heart disease, lower cholestrol, and stabilize blood sugar.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 cup Bisquick

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 peeled sweet potato 

1 tsp vanilla

Cook sweet potato in the microwave for 5 minutes on high with about 1/4 cup water. Dump ingredients (including the water) in the Vitamix. Select Variable 1 and increase speed to 5, pushing ingredients down with the tamper. Bake for 10 minutes at 350. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Taste score: 9/10

Likes: Yumm these are better than cheesy biscuits and better for you too. They were moist enough so I didn't even have to spread them with butter. I'm guessing they're probably best right after they come out of the oven. I will definitely make this a regular breakfast recipe.

Dislikes: I probably wouldn't make this in a Vitamix again, since the batter gets stuck around the blades. And I might try to blend in the skin because it has so much fiber. Trying out a wheat flour version instead of Bisquick would add more fiber as well.

Nutrition score: 7/10

Sweet potato has lots of vitamin A and C. Bisquick isn't the most nutritional batter mix, but it's super easy!

The Vitamix Salad Series: Strawberry Spinach Salad

It's finally strawberry season so I decided to try out this classic picnic recipe. Nothing makes spinach taste good like fresh strawberries!

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t salt

Dump ingredients in the Vitamix. Select Variable 1 and increase speed to 7, then blend for 20 seconds. Serve with baby spinach, chopped fresh strawberries, and almonds.

Taste score: 9/10

Likes: We used to have this in the summer at the peak of strawberry season. I remember eating this recipe at a friend's BBQ because it was the first time I ever had spinach that I liked! I don't know if the dressing would be that good with any other combination. This was the perfect blend of fruity, sweet, and leafy crunch!

Dislikes: Again, the vinegar is a little overwhelming. Since I only had apple cider vinegar, I'd probably use white if I had it. 

Nutrition score: 9/10
Spinach is a superfood full of vitamin K and it's really good for your brain, your eyes, and your bones. Strawberries are a rich source of vitamin C. The sugar content of the dressing isn't ideal, but it's preferable to fatty ranch or creamy italian dressings.

Faux Fried Zucchini

Maybe I should make this blog, 100 ways to use Fiber One breadcrumbs! We used to have garden fresh zucchini in the summers, sauteed in a pan with oil and breadcrumbs. Even though it was one of the only ways I would eat this green summer squash, I know that frying vegetables don't necessarily make them good for you. Since I always eat the crispy ones anyway, I tried popping them in the oven.

I used the same Fiber One mixture from the Faux Fried Chicken recipe:
http://mylifewithvitamix.blogspot.com/2010/01/faux-fried-chicken-fingers.html


I cut the zucchini into thin slices and drizzled them with olive oil. I then added a few shakes of Parmesan cheese and some salt to the breadcrumbs, dipped the zucchini in the mixture, and baked at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Some took longer to crisp than others depending on the thickness of the slice.

Taste score: 9/10

Likes: This is even better than the oil drenched version, and that is a rare statement! Like I said, I always like the crispy ones, and the zucchini slices were perfectly golden brown. I had this as an after school snack, and I wasn't hungry hours later (probably because the combination of zucchini and the breading packs in a lot of fiber!).

Dislikes: I had to cook them in two rounds, because some burnt before others were fully done. But lesson learned- I can't wait to make this again!

Nutrition score: 10/10

Zucchini is full of manganese, vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, and folate. It's also low in calories and sugar. Aaand I paid a grand total of $0.52 for one zucchini. What's not to love?

Coming soon...

Olive oil and parmesan sautéed asparagus


Oven baked onion rings


I have officially added onions to my list of eatable vegetables. Asparagus was on sale this week so I grabbed a bunch and wondered if it would share the same fate. Vitamix lovers, you are in luck!