Posts Tagged ‘immersion blender’
Posted by terrepruitt on October 2, 2012
When you do something, like Nia or use a blender every day, it gives you a lot of material to post on a blog! I’ve been using my birthday present almost every day. When I first heard of “super” blenders that made soup I thought that was crazy.
I thought that the blender had a heating element to heat up the soup. And there are some like that. But with the high-speed blenders, I didn’t realize the blades go fast enough to cause heat and heat up the soup. They go so fast it is hot! I didn’t think it would be something I would like. As you may know I love to make soup and one of the things I love about the soup I make is the fact that I do it all in one pot and then I use my immersion blender. I really like that. I don’t like having to pour cooked soup into a blender then blend it then pour it back into the pot to re-warm it. The soup recipes that I have seen for blender soup either have you doing that or have you cooking some if not the majority of ingredients before putting them in the blender. At this point, for some of my soups I will stick to my one pot and stick blender recipes. Another reason I like to make the soup in a pot is because I believe that cooking some of the ingredients as you go allows you to layer the flavors. Now, I know that phrase from cooking shows and I could be off base with what it means and what I am doing, but that is what I consider myself doing when I sauté onions and then garlic and then add the butternut squash and sauté it. Then add other spices, etc. It layers the flavors. But in a lot of the blender soup recipes you just dump it all in. Well, since I got the dang thing I decided to at least try one of the recipes for soup. I picked a recipe that does not require any other cooking. Just dump all the ingredients in the blender container and press soup. Now with that kind of ease I could maybe live without the layer of flavor if I liked the soup.
I like it ok. I think that if I followed the recipe exactly it would have more flavor, but I also think that if I follow the recipe exactly it would be too hot for me.
The recipe that came with the Blendtec Blender and is on their website is for Tortilla Soup.
Tortilla Soup
2 cups warm water
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 large carrot
1 1 inch strip of red pepper
1/4 avocado
an onion wedge
1 1 inch X 1/2 inch chunk of pepper jack cheese Monterey jack
2 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon no-salt herb seasoning Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
The ingredients go into the blender in the order that they are listed then you press “Soups” on the blender and let it do its thing. It does really go so fast that it actually does get hot! Some people might like their soup piping hot so this MIGHT not be hot enough for them. But this type of soup is perfect at the temperature that the blender makes it.
It was not spicy because I didn’t use the pepper jack. I bet if you like that hot (spicy) cheese the soup is good with it. I will make it one day with the pepper jack because even if it ends up being too spicy hot for me, my hubby will eat it. For now, I am just using the Monterey jack.
The first time I made this it took me 30 minutes because I was going slow. The second time I made it, it was ready to eat in 20 minutes. So my title, So Fast It’s Hot, applies to the blades of the blender AND to the fact that this can be made and in a bowl in 20 minutes. Now that is HOT!
Before I got the blender I had an opinion about blender soup, what about you? What do you think about blender soup?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: 20 minute meal, 20 minute soup, blender soup, Blendtec, fast soup, hot soup, immersion blender, Nia, pepper cheese, Tomatoes, Tortilla Soup | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on January 28, 2012
I spent a large portion of the day practicing Alive, it is the Nia routine I am starting to teach. I debuted it Friday, but I need to practice and practice. In Nia we say, “tight but loose”. So I need to know the music and choreography to perfection which allows me to dance with it and play to it is loose and flowing and fun to my Nia students. So practice and play is the key. I was so busy having fun with it I didn’t have a lot of time to come up with a blog post. Because I also spent some time in the kitchen making a different version of my Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup recipe. The people I made it for convinced me that it was good enough that I could use my adaptation of my Baby bok choy and spinach soup recipe as a post. So here goes.
Parsnips, Broccoli, Baby bok choy, and Spinach Soup
–olive oil
–1 medium sized onion chopped (save some for garnish)
–2 parsnips (chopped)
–1 bunch of broccoli (chopped)
–4 bundles of baby bok choy (bottom portion separate from leafy portion, chop both and leave separate, they are added to the soup at different times)
–2 or 3 tsp of minced garlic
–1.5 tsp granulated garlic
–1.5 tsp garlic salt
–48 oz of chicken broth
–a half of bottle or can of beer
–shake or two of teriyaki
–small piece (3/4 of an inch) of ginger, chopped
–3/4 of a 6-oz bag of spinach
–1.5 (ish) wooden spoonful of cream cheese spread whipped with chives
Sautee chopped onion in the olive oil. When the onions look tender add in the chopped parsnip, add granulated garlic and garlic salt. Cook parsnip until it seems a bit tender, then add the bottom portion of the bok choy and broccoli. Let it cook a minute, then add the minced garlic. Sautee until tender. Then pour in the broth. Add about a half can or bottle of beer and the few splashes of teriyaki. Stir it as you feel necessary throughout the entire process. Bring to boil. Add the cream cheese if you are going to use it. Add the ginger. Add leafy portion of the bok choy and bag of spinach. Let cook for a few minutes or until the veggies are wilted. Once the veggies looked wilted use the blender to mix it all up. (I use the immersion blender so I can keep it all in the same pot. Please remember to be cautious of the steam.)
The parsnips give this a little difference flavor and the broccoli leaves little green specks in the soup no matter how much you blend it. Actually when you look at it, it looks the same as all the other soup I make. But it tastes different.
I was trying to make something easy to eat for someone with a sore throat. This soup is kind of thick yet easy to swallow and it packs a punch with all the vegetables it contains. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and let me to continue to share my soup experiments and at the same time put spending time with friends and family at the forefront of life!
Enjoy!
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: baby bok choy, beer in soup, broccoli, family time, garlic, immersion blender, Nia Music, Nia routine, Nia routine Alive, Nia students, Nia Teacher, parsnips, soup recipe, spinach, teaching Nia, vegetable soup, veggie purees | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 24, 2011
My friend made a comment on my celery post. She offered the recipe for celery soup (it’s in comment #5). Awesome, you know I am on a soup kick. There are a lot of recipes out there for celery soup, of course, but it is nice to have a recipe from a friend. A nice tried and true recipe. I made it tonight, but I made some adjustments.
Since I don’t like pepper, I only put a sprinkle in, but I think this might have kept it from having much flavor so I added the marjoram which — to me — tied the flavors together nicely.
1 bunch celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
a sprinkle of black pepper
a sprinkle of salt
48 ozs chicken stock
Sautee onion in olive oil, then add the parsnips. Cook the parsnips for a few minutes. When the parsnips start to get tender, add the celery and spices, cook it for a few minutes. Then add the stock. Let it simmer for awhile, then let it come to a boil. I let it cool for a bit then blend in blender or with a stick blender.
This is becoming my standard method of cooking soup. I have just been changing the ingredients.
I will probably try the celery soup with an apple -as my friend mentions- one of these days. What about you? I would love to hear what you’ve come up with.
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: celery, celery soup, chicken stock, immersion blender, marjoram, parsnips, stick blender | 7 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 19, 2011
Today I taught Nia. It was not a Nia class, but a one-on-one session. No matter what I am teaching, a class, a playshop, a move, a song, an individual, I always learn things myself. It is amazing. Sometimes I am reminded of something. Today I was reminded of how fun it is to teach someone something new. To explain something in a way that allows them to understand. In some instances it might be the information is received and then there is still learning or “mastering” to be done, but they have the tool you gave them. In some instances they just have it. It just depends on what it is. But it is amazing.
When I am learning a new routine I would love to be able to take a perfect “product” into my class. But there is often a point where I know it is not perfect, but I can’t learn anymore by myself. So I take it into class and usually that first time in that one hour I learn more than (or just as much as) I had learned in the time it I spent getting to the point I where I took it into the class. Amazing. I might have actually said this very thing before in a previous post, so it might sound familiar to you. Or it could sound familiar because you have experienced something similar. Learning as you are teaching. I love that!
Well, it is May and for the past week, maybe two it has been cold and raining here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I don’t mind it so much. Especially since, as you may know, I have a new found love . . . making soups with my immersion blender! The last one I made I made it too spicy and I couldn’t eat it. I was very sad. But my husband loved it which was great because he was stuck eating the whole pot. I was thinking it would be the last batch before the warm weather comes in and I might have been right. The past two days have been pretty warm and very beautiful.
It seems like spring might actually finally be here.
During the cold one of my friends posted a picture of some of her flowers. She had cut them and brought them in the house and posted “At least it’s springtime inside the house.” She inspired me. It took me a few days, but I cut these from a tiny rose bush we have in our yard. These are VERY small roses. The bush is probably not even two feet high.
I just wanted to share. I wanted to share the beautiful flowers, the beauty in a sign of spring, the excitement of learning as you teach, the wonder and beauty of the world. I wanted to share and I wanted to say I am looking forward to living in the beauty that is, and learning as I go.
Posted in Flowers, Misc | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, beautiful flowers, beauty, emulsion blender use, Flowers, immersion blender, learning as you teach, May 2011, Nia, Nia Bay Area, Nia class, Nia Playshop, Nia routine, Nia Song, rain in May, rose bush, Roses, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area Nia, soups, spring, teaching Nia | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 12, 2011
I was going off the “recipe” for Green Garlic and Spinach Soup, but I was not measuring and making it up as I went along so the measurements are not exact.
When I served it I put some mozzarella in it. For hubby I put some raw onions and mozzarella. But I made him taste it BEFORE I added anything and he thought is was good without the added onions and cheese. I would imagine if you like pepper it would be a GREAT addition to this soup. I was going to serve it with hot sauce to my hubby because originally I thought it was going to be rather flavorless, but it turned out not to be flavorless and he liked it.
Keep in mind that I made this up, never having made a soup like this and never having used the immersion blender. So you might want to read my “Experimental Soup” post so that you know some of the issues if you haven’t done something like this before. Basically keep an eye on things because this post is not a step by step, “turn stove on, turn stove off” kind of recipe.
Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup
–olive oil
–1/2 (ish) of a medium sized onion chopped
–some chopped onion (for garnish)
–2 bundles of baby bok choy
(chopped, bottom portion separate from leafy portion)
–2 or 3 tsp of minced garlic
–garlic powder
–garlic salt
–48 oz of chicken broth
–some beer
–shake or two of teriyaki
–1 6-oz bag of spinach
–1.5 (ish) wooden spoonful of cream cheese
–mozzarella
Sautee onions in the olive oil. When the onions look tender add in the chopped bottom portion of the bok choy. Let it cook a minute, then add the garlic. While the bok choy is cooking, add garlic powder and garlic salt to help the veggies sweat. Sautee until tender. Then pour in the broth. Added some beer and teriyaki.
Stir it as you feel necessary throughout the entire process.
Bring to boil. Add the cream cheese if you are going to use it. Add leafy portion of the bok choy and bag of spinach. Gently boil for a few minutes or until the veggies are wilted.
Once the veggies looked wilted use the blender to mix it all up.
Ok, so if you try this let me know. If you make changes let me know. Sometimes I just stick to what I have tried because I don’t wanna ruin a good thing so you can do the experimenting for me and let me know what you’ve done that works! 😉
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: baby bok choy, Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup, beer, bok choy, chicken broth, cream cheese, emulsion blender, Experimental Soup, garlic powder, garlic salt, green garlic, green garlic and spinach soup, immersion blender, spinach | 11 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 9, 2011
On the way to teach my Los Gatos Nia Class on Friday I thought that I would be making soup on a warm day. By the time Nia class was over it was getting cloudy. I was thinking it might turn into a good day for soup. I was going to attempt the Green Garlic Spinach Soup. On the way to class I decided to shop at the store somewhat on the way home from the fitness place. I had never been there and was hopeful they would have green garlic. Since it looks like a scallion I was thinking that I had seen it in stores before and I just didn’t know what it was. Well, some of the produce at the store was less than desirable. I passed on the collard greens and I couldn’t find the green garlic. I had my mind made up that I was going to make soup using my emulsion blender. I decided that I would make baby bok choy and spinach soup. I am going to share about the soup making process and issues in this post. My next post (Tuesday) will be the “recipe”.
I bought the basic ingredients I would use. By the time I left the store it was cold and cloudy. Perfect day for soup. When I got home I decided to get out the blender to figure out what blade to use and to wash the blade. I neglected to look at the blade my friend used. In looking at the instructions I was thinking “blade C” would be the right blade.
Since I’ve never cooked bok choy before and I didn’t really know if it would work, I decided to sauté the bottom portion of the stalk and save the leafy part to add to the soup at the same time as the spinach. I sautéed the veggies. When I finally added the broth I was thinking this soup was going to be pretty flavorless so I added some of a beer that was open in the fridge. It was a Hefeweizen. So it was going to add some heartiness. I also put in a dash or two of teryiaki. I let it boil then added the leafy part of the bok choy and the spinach. I thought my friend had just let it cook long enough to wilt it.
Oh, I didn’t yet mention that I don’t have a stock pot. Maybe some of you know where this is going. 🙂
The instructions for the blender said that when you use blade C use it in a chopping motion. Ok. So I stuck the blender in the pot with one little pulse I thought, “Hmmm . . . . I should cover this.” With the next “whrrrrr”, I thanked God because I was going to heat some bread in the oven on foil but decided not to and I think that having the piece of foil out already is what kind of made me think to use it. Even with the foil it made a mess. I used blade C but it wasn’t getting creamy. So I added some cream cheese. Not part of the original soup plan. I tried blending again. Still not creamy, I added the rest of the spinach. Still not as creamy as my friend’s soup.
I decided to use a different blade. Blade B. I put it on and put the blender in the pot and it did absolutely nothing. So I decided to go back to blade C. Now mind you, I was very careful to unplug the blender, and detach the stick from the motor. So I walk over to the place where I have to blade removal tool and there is no blade. Well, no wonder it wasn’t doing anything! So I fished the blade out of the soup. I put it back on and it still didn’t do anything. So I was going to change back to blade C and guess what? Blade B was back in the soup.
I tried blade C again. By now, I am using a portion of a lid and foil (I have this half metal half plastic lid and the plastic always falls out leaving the metal “rim” — so I was using that to help keep the mess down). There was still green soup dripped all over the sides of the pot and all over the burner. So I decided to use yet a different blade, the Raw Meat blade.
I never really got ALL the secondary spinach chopped up clean and the soup never got creamy. But my hubby said over and over again it was good. He said it was a keeper. The next day (today) he was still talking about it and said I had to post the recipe on my blog. I thought that those of you that make soup and those of you that use an immersion blender would enjoy hearing about how I made soup a mess by not using a stock pot or the correct blade.
Do you know which blade I should be using to blend the veggies and have it come out creamy? Also, tell me how to use the blender. Do I move it around like a hand mixer or set it at the bottom of the pot, then blend, then pick it up and set it back down, etc.?
Posted in Just stuff, Misc | Tagged: baby bok choy, Baby Bok Choy and Spinach Soup, Collard Greens, creamy soup, emulsion blender, emulsion blender use, Experimental Soup, fitness, green garlic, Green Garlic Spinach Soup, immersion blender, Los Gatos Nia Class, Nia, Nia class, scallion, soup lesson, stock pot | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 7, 2011
Ok, so I haven’t made it yet, and I didn’t make up the recipe, but I plan on making it. I found my instructions for my immersion blender. It is an old one. It is a Thane Thunder Stick Pro. I can’t find the year on the instructions, but I know that I bought it since I’ve lived here. That has been within the last 12 years. Ha! I know they have improved since then. If I end up using it as much as I hope I will just have to get a new one.
Anyway, the recipe for teriyaki sauce is as follows:
I will definitely experiment with this because I will avoid the “artificial sweetener” and MSG. I might just try the below recipe from allrecipes.com.
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cooking sherry
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
I am sure someone has mentioned to me to make my own teriyaki because I LOVE teriyaki and I don’t like the High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) used in the brand I normally by. I had a friend call me recently to tell me of a brand that didn’t have HFCS but the choices were spicy and ginger or something.
So, I will just try to make my own. Not that I have to use the blender, but why not?
Do you like teriyaki?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: artificial sweetner, cooking sherry, emulsion blender, ginger, HFCS, High Fructose Corn Syrup, immersion blender, MSG, teriyaki, teriyaki sauce, Thunder Stick Pro | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 5, 2011
Last week one of my friends posted something on her Facebook page about green garlic. I meant to ask her about it when I talked to her but I forgot. Then she visited my blog and made a comment that included green garlic. She said she had posted a recipe of green garlic and spinach soup. She has many things that she makes that I want to try and I told her I put that on my list, well, I can cross it off. She had me over to lunch and she made green garlic soup.
First of call green garlic is somewhat what it sounds like. It is not GREEN so much as it is “new’ or not yet read to be mature garlic garlic. It looks like a scallion, but it is the garlic before it starts changing into cloves and a bulb.
I was able to witness this being made and she made it look so easy. Much easier than the recipe looked. She made a creamy soup without any cream. It is awesome. I need to find my immersion blender and start using it and I too will be able to make creamy soups and sauces without cream.
She cut up the green garlic. Sautéed it in olive oil. She used a little bit of butter, maybe a teaspoon or two. She cooked it until it was tender. Then she poured in a box of stock. I spotted the recipe and it called for vegetable stock, but as we were dining she said she used chicken. So I am going to use whichever one I can find without Canola Oil. 🙂 Then she put in a huge bunch of spinach. It wilted quickly then she blended it all in the pot.
It was gorgeous. It was delicious. It has to be nutritious because it was garlic, olive oil, spinach, and low sodium chicken stock. Oh, she did add crème fraîche to the bottom of our bowls, but that could be left out.
I can’t wait to find my blender’s directions so I can change the blade and get to making soups. I sure it will happen just in time as the weather changes.
If my friend happens to read this and wants to correct, add, or change anything in my notes on her recipe please do. Also, if you are here . . . . thank you so much. Thank you for visiting and thank you for having me over for your yummy soup and closet shopping!
Soup? Do you make your own soup? What is your favorite recipe?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: blender, chicken stock, closet shopping, emulsion, emulsion blender, Facebook, Facebook page, favorite soup recipe, green garlic, green garlic and spinach soup, green garlic soup, immersion blender, olive oil, spinach, vegatable stock | 10 Comments »
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