Blendtec Review
The Blendtec Blender – the queen of blenders or is it just a bunch of hype? Being one of the biggest fans of Dr Oz, I am forever testing out his healthy smoothie recipes. From Dr Oz’s Green Drink to Dr Oz’s Red Drink, and everything in between… I have tried them all! However, a lot of these smoothies are very hard on blenders because of the ice crushing that is involved. Plus, since a lot of the drinks contain whole vegetables, quite a few of the blenders I have previously owned produced vegetable smoothies with a less than appealing texture. So, I set out on a mission… to find the most powerful and versatile blender that is truly worth the counter space that it requires. I had read amazing things about the Blendtec Blender and when they offered to let me test out their product, I was ecstatic! I will give a complete review of the Blendtec below, but the bottom line is that I love the blender (and all of you!) so much that I bought another Blendtec to giveaway to one of my readers (details on how to win are below)!
Blendtec Blender Smoothie Review
Ever since I got my Blendtec, I have started every morning with a healthy smoothie. I either try one of Dr Oz’s recipes or I create my own based on what I have in the house. One of my family’s favorite smoothies consists of plain organic yogurt (here is my Cuisipro Donvier Yogurt Maker Review in case you missed it!), ice, frozen strawberries, bananas and flax seed (shhhh, nobody even notices when I slip in this healthy ingredient that is full of omega 3′s because the Blendtec grinds it up so finely). With previous blenders that I have tested out, I would end up with large bits of frozen strawberries or big ice chunks in my smoothies. But the Blendtec creates completely smooth, thick smoothies…even better than the ones that you get at the mall. And you do not even have to watch the blender. You literally push a button and it stops on its own when your smoothie is done. Perhaps this is why Panera and Starbucks both use Blendtec Blenders to create their yummy smoothies and frappucinos! Here is a video that I took one morning while making my daily smoothie:
Blendtec Blender’s Many Uses
The Blendtec Blender passed my smoothie test with flying colors. No matter which ingredients you put in…even if you add something with tons of fiber (like spinach) to your smoothie, it comes out smooth and delicious. I finally actually enjoy Dr Oz’s Green Drink Recipe, whereas before I had to try and force it down because of its texture. Frankly, even if the Blendtec could only be used to make smoothies, it would be worth the counter space! But I tested out quite a few other uses for the Blendtec. Next stop, Hummus! My family loves to snack on fresh veggies dipped in hummus, but after tasting homemade hummus, I promise that you won’t be able to go back to the store bought variety. Usually, hummus is made out of chickpeas and tahini (which is a sesame paste). However, the Blendtec is so powerful that it can actually puree the sesame seeds into tahini on its own. I placed into the blender 1 TB water, 3 TB olive oil, 4 TB lemon juice, 6 tsp sesame seeds, 1 cup garbanzo beans, 3 cloves garlic, a small piece of raw onion, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin and 1 TB dried parsley. You can use canned garbanzo beans, but I decided to go with the garbanzo beans that you buy in the bulk section and soaked them overnight in water. After a minute or so on speed 5 in the Blendtec, you will have the most creamy and delicious hummus that will totally wow everyone who tries it!
My house goes through almond butter and walnut butter like its water! So, I tried making my own nut butters. Much to my delight, nuts are not a challenge for the Blendtec. It could not be easier, you just place raw almonds or walnuts into the blender, and let it go for around 10 minutes. With other blenders, you have to let the nuts run for a couple of minutes and then let the machine cool down for a few minutes, and continue repeating this process until you get a nut butter consistency. Otherwise, the blender overheats. However, I do not have to do this with the Blendtec. I can just let it run for 10 minutes and it produces the perfect nut butter. Also, if you stop the blender sooner, you can make your own almond flour (which can be used in quite a few recipes as a healthy substitute for white flour).
Next up, hot soup? Really? A blender can make fresh, hot soup? Yes! Minestrone is a family favorite, but ever since we have been moving away from canned foods, soup has made an appearance at our dinner table less and less. What is great about soup in the Blendtec is that it is quick and easy, plus it is a great way to hide certain veggies that your kids say that they hate. The tomato base that I start with is 1 cup of hot vegetable broth, 5 tomatoes halved, 1 cup purple cabbage, 1/2 onion, 3 cloves garlic, and a handful of basil leaves. But you can add any other vegetables that you want to use up as well! Run the Blendtec on speed 5 until you reach your desired consistency. Then I add to the soup leftover plain pasta from the night before (any shape!) and some frozen vegetables that I have warmed up. I love that I know exactly what is in my soup and can control the sodium, plus it only takes a few minutes – including clean-up!
I could go on and on, but I have to share just one more treat that I recently discovered – Dr Oz’s Banana Ice Cream. You can make ice cream with only one ingredient – bananas! No sugar, no cream, and nothing unhealthy. Sounds like a dieters heaven, but would it actually work and taste good? I have heard complaints from people who say that it does not come out creamy like ice cream. And you know what I tell them? That must be because of your blender or food processor, because when I make Banana Ice Cream, it comes out tasting like a bite of heaven. All you have to do is freeze chunks of bananas, throw them into the Blendtec for a minute, and you will have a tasty frozen dessert that even the pickiest eater will love. I have been experimenting with the concept by adding chocolate syrup, caramel or even peanut butter for an even more special (and slightly less healthy) treat… and every “experiment” has been devoured by my family with absolutely no leftovers!
Best Way To Clean A Blendtec Blender
The final requirement for any kitchen appliance in my house is that it must clean-up quickly and easily. All I have to do with my Blendtec is to fill it up with some hot water, add a few squirts of dish soap, and let it soak for a couple of minutes. Then run the blender for a minute or less, pour the soapy water back into the sink (on top of my other dirty dishes to give me a head-start!), and rinse out the blender jar and lid. Only a few times have I even had to go over the blender jar with a sponge. Even my husband, who hates doing the dishes, volunteers to clean the Blendtec because it is so simple. Here is a video that shows just how well the Blendtec cleans itself:
How to Enter the Blendtec Blender Giveaway:
You can buy one here: Blendtec Blender
How to Win: Each of the following will give you a certain number of entries into the Blendtec Blender Giveaway, so do as many of the following as you would like to increase your chances of winning! Good luck everyone!
1. Leave a comment below and share your favorite blender recipe! (1 entry)
2. Subscribe to my updates via e-mail by clicking here: Subscribe to Opinion Queen by Email, confirm the subscription, and leave a comment below to let me know that you have subscribed to my e-mails (or tell me if you already are). (2 entries)
3. Tweet about my giveaway with a link to my site, and leave a comment below with a link to your tweet. You can do this every day! (2 entries)
4. Make your facebook status about my giveaway with a link to my site, and leave a comment below with a link to your page. You can do this every day! (2 entries)
5. Grab my Banner in the right sidebar and post it on your website (or tell me if it is already there)! (3 entries)
6. Add a link to OpinionQueen.com from your blog or website, and leave a comment below with a link to where you added the link. (3 entries)
7. Follow me on twitter: TheOpinionQueen and then leave a comment below with your twitter name. (2 entries)
8. Tell everyone about this giveaway on Digg, Stumble, in a forum, meme, Google Buzz, blog it, or any other social networking place (2 entries for each one that you do!)
9. Leave a comment on a non-giveaway product review post on my site and leave a comment below to let me know what you commented on. (1 entry)
The winner will be selected on June 6, 2011 through a random number generator and contacted via e-mail. If there is no response from the winner within 3 days, another winner will be selected. Only US Residents are eligible for this giveaway.
UPDATE: Due to the technology problems we have been experiencing over Memorial Day Weekend, we will be extending the opportunity to enter the Blendtec Giveaway for an extra week (through June 6th). Sorry again for the inconvenience!
Congratulations to Sarah on winning our Blendtec Blender Giveaway!!!
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