My experiments with “green” smoothies have led me to that happy marriage of beetroot and chocolate, but with a little twist inspired by Sumayya Jamil who recently wrote about her Chilli Chocolate Lassi with Mint and Rose Petals.
What caught my eye was the inclusion of cumin seeds and mint, so I decided to try the two with beetroot, spinach and banana. This might be my most favourite “green” smoothie to date:
1/2 large banana (~75g)
1 small beetroot, boiled (~60g)
30g spinach
1 heaped tsp cocoa powder (or more to taste)
4 large ice cubes
a few mint leaves
a few cumin seeds
a pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
Blitz until silky smooth, adding as much water as necessary.
I’ve owned my Vitamix for a couple years now and have never regretted the purchase. Still, for all my fondness of the machine, I’ve never pushed its limits, particularly the claim that the motor is so powerful it can make hot soup. This week, spurred on by Helen‘s experiments, I decided to test it out with this Avocado Tortilla Soup from the Vitamix Cookbook.
The Vitamix cookbook isn’t the kind of cookbook that really inspires confidence. Mostly due to the pictures: it’s just so old school. But I was willing to give it a shot.
Place broth, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, pepper, avocado and lime in Vitamix. Select Variable 1. Turn machine quickly to Variable 10 and then to High. Blend for 6-7 minutes. Reduce speed to Variable 2 and remove lid plug. Drop in corn, beans and chips and blend for 10 seconds.
Serve with lime, cilantro and avocado garnish.
2.2.6
I skipped the black beans and corn (pulverised corn just seemed wrong and I didn’t have black beans). Instead of tortilla chips, I sliced up strips of corn tortilla and pan-fried them with sweetcorn, a bit of salt and my sister’s kick-ass homemade taco seasoning mix.
Result: the Vitamix DOES indeed heat water to the point of near boiling. After six minutes of high-speed blending, the soup was done, and steaming HOT. Also surprising: the soup is pretty good. I can see why they add the corn – it adds necessary sweetness to offset the acidic lime and tomato. But I preferred the corn left as whole kernels. I can’t imagine adding black beans to this – it would rob the brilliant colour. Maybe red lentils or channa dal? Maybe.
The only downside is that the Vitamix is freakin’ LOUD. This may throw a snag in Helen’s and my brainstorm to do a Vitamix supperclub. A Vitamix on full throttle is very antisocial. But let me tell you, the soup that comes out the other end: smooth as silk.
