What can I make in my shiny new blender?

August 17, 2005 6:28 PM

I just bought my first blender. What can I make? Give me your favourite recipes for smoothies, cocktails, and blended whatnots!
posted by Robot Johnny to Food & Drink (25 answers total)

1 pack guacamole mix.
3 avocados.
a few scoops of sour cream.
posted by pieoverdone at 6:45 PM on August 17, 2005

Orang Julius

I also dig Orange juice, Pine apple chunks, and Crushed ice. mmmmm

Also check out the Hamilton Beach website
posted by JonnyRotten at 7:07 PM on August 17, 2005

errrr pineapple with out the spaces..
posted by JonnyRotten at 7:07 PM on August 17, 2005

Go get a bag of frozen cut up fruit from your local Giganto-Mart. Dump some of that in the blender with 1 any flavor yogurt, a banana, and some juice. Great breakfast, and the giant bag of frozen fruit keeps forever.

Or, 1 can of frozen limeade
1 can of tequila
1/4 can of triple sec
1 can of icecubes
Blend and be happy.
posted by mygothlaundry at 7:29 PM on August 17, 2005

In the name of all that's holy, don't make whackamole like that. Make whackamoley with avocados, lemon or lime juice, salsa (or ingredients thereof), and mash it up by hand with a potato masher. Add sour cream afterwards if you want. High-fat stuff like that that you can't eat allatime deserves to be made right

Best thing to do with a blender: ice cream + milk = milkshake.

Also tonnato sauce, which is sort of tuna mayonnaise and is good on pasta.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:30 PM on August 17, 2005

My wife makes these really cool smoothies from banana (1), frozen strawberries (or you can use fresh strawberries and a few ice cubes), Yoplait strawberry/banana yogurt (1) and a splash of OJ.

Or you can go with a milk shake: milk + ice cream. Just experiment to get the proportions right.
posted by wheat at 7:33 PM on August 17, 2005

Best smoothie ever involves frozen strawberries or peaches, banana, buttermilk or plain yogurt, and a spoon or two of brown sugar or honey depending on the sweetness of the fruit. The tang of the yogurt or buttermilk is awesome and I hear it's healthy, too, though I don't tend to care about that very much. A sprinkle of cinnamon or a spoonful of that powdered Chai tea mix is good, too. Definitely go with the frozen fruit instead of ice cubes because I have a food-service quality Osterizer and I STILL get unappetizing little ice chunks no matter how long I blend. Whenever strawberries are on sale I buy two or three cartons, pop off the little green hats, and throw them in a giant freezer bag.

If you're out of salsa, which I usually am just when I'm craving it, try one can of tomatoes, a quarter of an onion, a clove of garlic, lime juice (or a little vinegar if you don't have a lime), and Tobasco. Add salt and pepper to taste and plenty of cilantro if you've got some laying around. I also add a bit of liquid smoke or chipotle peppers in adobo if I happen to have a can open, which I usually do. You can also leave out the garlic and add half a mango or peach.

And in general, whatever you're making, put liquid ingredients in first, because usually if all the ingredients on the bottom are dry or really chunky then the blades seem to make themselves a void in which to spin without actually mixing anything. Keep a chopstick or something similar to poke ingredients down towards the blades if the mixing isn't going well. Make sure the blender is off before you do this, of course, even though I tend to live dangerously and ignore my own advice about that.
posted by cilantro at 8:03 PM on August 17, 2005

kidney beans, soft tofu, and cilantro makes a great dip.

My smoothy is one frozen bannana, fresh or frozen berries, rice milk, orange juice and either Udo's oil or just plain flax oil.
posted by carmen at 9:00 PM on August 17, 2005

Good smoothie: blackberries, raspberries, blueberries. You might want to add some ice or a little water as it can come out very thick and almost require a spoon to eat...
posted by pollystark at 2:33 AM on August 18, 2005

Easy one for two people - 2 bananas, handful of strawberries, rasperries, mango, papaya or whatever else you may have kicking about, 300g of plain yoghurt, 200ml of milk and honey if you wish. Whizz it the night before, stick it in the fridge and there's breakfast!
posted by jontyjago at 4:49 AM on August 18, 2005

We got an industrial blender that can be used to make whole wheat pancakes by dropping in unground wheat with milk and other ingredients. They are so fresh tasting they are almost zesty. This thing pulverizes ice like nothing. Worth it when you are ready to make the leap from cheap blenders assuming you bought one, which you may not have.
posted by mecran01 at 5:37 AM on August 18, 2005

I don't consume dairy but loooove banana smoothies, I make them after I go for a run:

banana
a couple of splashes of vanilla soy milk
small handful of ice
some brown sugar
posted by superkim at 5:37 AM on August 18, 2005

throw a few raw carrots into some of the above recipes, too. Tastes better than you think it would.
posted by mecran01 at 5:38 AM on August 18, 2005

I love avocado milkshakes - sounds gross and if I hadn't had one almost forced upon me while travelling in Morocco I wouldn't have wanted to try it. First sip, though, and I was hooked.

Milk, an avocado, sugar to taste. Blend. These are also great with papaya instead of avocado.
posted by hazyjane at 5:49 AM on August 18, 2005

I don't have a particular smoothie recipe but I have a method that tends to produce great smoothies.

Pick a drink base: yogurt (does not have to be flavoring free), milk, or ice. The difference in taste/consistency should be obvious. This will provide the bulk of the mixture and actually allow the whole smoothie to blend. I like a thick smoothie so when I use ice or milk I tend to use it sparingly.

Pick fruit base: Banana, apple, or orange. This will provide the main taste. If you like your smoothies chunky use actual orange slices and apple slices. If not, use concentrate (or juice). Experiment with the amount.

Pick an accent fruit: Blueberry, pretty much any berry really, pineapple, or a base fruit you haven't used. This will add a nice counterpoint to the mix. Experiment with the amount.

Finally, sweeten with honey to taste. I don't like to use sugar if I don't have to. In fact, many of these shakes won't need sweetening at all.

Enjoy.
posted by oddman at 6:24 AM on August 18, 2005

instant coffee
+ sugar
+ chocalate syrup
+ milk
+ ice cream
+ ice
= yum
posted by Merik at 6:37 AM on August 18, 2005

Throw a scoop of protein powder into any of the above fruit and yogurt mixes for a nutritional boost.

If you planted tomatoes this is a great time of year to be drinking gazpacho. Mess around with the ingredients, I like it strong on the garlic and cilantro.
posted by LarryC at 6:40 AM on August 18, 2005

oh, and it helps to do a quick pulse of the blender before you add the ice and ice cream, this dissolves the instant coffee.
posted by Merik at 6:40 AM on August 18, 2005

I regularly use my blender to make hummus... grab the following ingredients

can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

small cup/bowl of water (~4oz, 100ml)

lemon juice, fresh or bottled

tahini, aka sesame paste (~2T, 30g)

3-6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled

paprika or other spices

First I put cloves of garlic in the blender, dry, and turn it on 'chop' until they're mostly puverized, slowly adding some lemon juice to make a garlic slurry. Then add in the garbanzo beans and tahini, with a bit of the water... Though it requires some caution, I usually take off the lid of the blender at this point and scrape the sides of the pitcher with a plastic/metal (not wooden) spoon or spatula to ease mixing. Add a little water or more lemon juice to make the mixture more smooth. Pour into a bowl and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes or more (the mixture will thicken). Don with paprika and serve with pita or fresh veggies.

posted by zachxman at 7:19 AM on August 18, 2005

Just a tip. Do not make mango smoothies. The fibrous nature of the mango when blended changes structure into more of a metamucil substance. Are you catching my drift here?

Yoghurt makes a great base. A banana adds a nice consistency. Throw in a handful of frozen fruit along with the fresh to chill the smoothie and voila!
posted by Pollomacho at 7:29 AM on August 18, 2005

Avocado, banana, ice, sugar, milk — all to taste.

The trick is that the avocado and bananas be ripe (to be at the peak of sweetness).

* mmm *
posted by silusGROK at 8:38 AM on August 18, 2005

ice cream + fresh, hot espresso = the best shake ever. Or use strong chai, or thai iced tea in place of espresso. Frozen margaritas are excellent, or mojitos, or frozen lemon drops, etc. Try making frozen versions of any of your favorite drinks! (Midori + dash of lime + cointreau + ice is excellent.)
posted by wzcx at 10:58 AM on August 18, 2005

make a glace (Should have an accent and be pronounced glah-say):

Very strong cold coffee or decaf, sweetened to the tune of 2-3 parts sugar to 8 parts coffee.

Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. Chill the blender jar.

When it's thoroughly frozen, grind up the ice in the blender. Pulsing might be necessary.

Once you have a nice slush or snow, scoop it out with a rubber spatual and eat it with a spoon.

Make fruit glaces, too: start with an overly-sweetened juice or other potable, because when it's icy cold it needs more sugar.
posted by wryly at 11:44 AM on August 18, 2005

Get a small butternut squash, halve, seed, peel, cube, lightly oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes or at 350F or until tender. Blend with some chicken or veg stock. Put into a pot with more stock until it has a soupy consistency. Heat until warm, toss in curry powder to taste and serve with maybe a small dollop of sour cream and cracked pepper.
posted by plinth at 2:43 PM on August 18, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions! My mouth's a-waterin' just thinking about all these tasty new blended treats...
posted by Robot Johnny at 10:28 PM on August 18, 2005