“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
I like reading recipes, but usually don’t follow recipes very well. Using what I have is my natural default. Since my hubby has blessed our family with a Vitamix, I might as well take advantage of its strong motor. When you cook with Vitamix, your kitchen literally sounds like you are cooking up a storm! Take heart for some loud sounds. I might do some quick spinning dance with young children while the mixer is grinding. They seem to enjoy it instead of being afraid of it. Like many things in life, a lot has to do with how we make use of it and have fun in the process. This way of thinking is a lifelong lesson for me to practice.
I can count the years we have been blessed by Vitamix conveniently by my first child’s age. That being said, it’s been over 14 years at this point. I can’t believe my little baby is growing up so fast, and our Vitamix is still permanently sitting on our small kitchen counter. Throwing something quick together using Vitamix is becoming more automatic. It takes me a moment to think through the steps as I plan to teach my children to cook. Cooking with Vitamix is a simple way to get started even with young children. They can help select ingredients to put into the blender cup to make a smoothie. My 7 year-old helped make some banana popsicles this week. When we put bananas into the blending cup, he decided to use some mashed bananas for half of the popsicles and the other half for smoothies! What a clever thought! We did just that!
That’s the beauty of home cooking, you have a lot of room to explore, experiment and build relationships with your loved ones. Even as I prepare for this post, I have found many new and interesting recipes online using Vitamix. Think about what you like, what you want to make, and do some research, then get busy with your hands to make it happen. You will remember much better after you have put your thoughts and hands into something. Cooking shouldn’t be intimidating. It’s more scary to have a picky eater than trying something new. Change starts with our mindset. You can always try with a small amount and gradually increase as you feel comfortable.
You can try to use just a single or a couple of ingredients to have a more pure taste or mix things up for a richer and more complex taste. It’s so easy to make plant-based milk with Vitamix. Presoak the raw nuts (if you have a soaking routine established) and make the nut milk next morning. Don’t let perfectionism get in the way. If you don’t want to bother with the soaking process, just add nuts and water. If the nuts you have are roasted, there’s no need to soak anyhow. Whatever you make at home is probably still way better and cheaper than the store-bought ones. Play around with the sweetener and water/milk amount as you go. Find your sweet spot. I like to add bananas and dates as natural sweeteners, but you can use raw honey, molasses, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar with moderation for a treat. Trust me. Cooking is not rocket science. You can always try one cup or one meal at a time. Change or swap as you see fit. Again, enjoy the process. In the end, the worst thing that can happen is some leftovers, which can be creatively mixed into another meal.
Almond Milk
Almond milk is the easiest for me. 1/2 Cup of almonds and a handful of dates. Add a teaspoon of cinnamon powder if you would like. Fill up the cup with water or milk, and start the blender. After half a minute, here you go, your milk is ready! Just make sure the dates are pitted before you throw them in. Sometimes, even those pitted dates may still have a few with seeds in them. Vitamix can still grind the seeds up but your milk may be more grainy, especially at the bottom. Guess how I figured out that tip? Yep, trial and error, a most effective learning method. 🙂 I have also noticed that if I add some oats into the mix, the milk may be less foamy. This simple way of making milk can please my children if they want white milk instead of a green smoothie. But I put everything here into the smoothies as well. Now that we are milking, I don’t need to make “milk” as I used to. Another homestead blessing!
Smoothies
As for smoothies, I like to make them fresh to get the optimal nutrition. I sometimes mix the leftover smoothies to the sourdough pancakes batter or waffles mix. Common ingredients for the smoothies are: ½ C nuts (almonds most of the time for us), a few (maybe 7-10) dates, 2 Tbsp sesame seeds/flax seeds, 2 small bananas (and/or sweeter fruits like pineapple cores, mango peels or sweet potato peels), ⅓ C oatmeal (cooked leftover oatmeal and/or raw oats), raw or cooked carrots (or beets if you want another interesting pink color), a handful of fresh greens. We try to use organic ingredients as much as possible. I sometimes put a few cut-up SCOBY pieces (a byproduct from making Kombucha) into the mix to make a probiotic drink. Add some raw honey if it’s too sour. If we pick greens from our garden or hydroponic vertical garden, I will try to have one of the boys pick them right before I make the smoothies to have the maximum nutrition benefits. If you are making baby food, you can add a lot less water to reach the thickness for easier feeding. Scoop some out for the baby, and add water/milk to make more smoothies for the family. Nowadays, my toddler enjoys sipping her own smoothie with a straw! Yeah for self-feeding!
Soy Milk (and other beans)
If you desire to make soy milk, it does take a few extra steps. However, once you get the hang of it, you will have no need to buy canned beans in general. First, you will need to buy organic soybeans. I used to get ours from the Asian market for a lower price and now we get ours from Azure Standard. Presoak your beans for roughly 8 hours. Dump the soaking water (to the garden if you would like to). Submerge your soaked beans with a new batch of water two to three inches above the beans. Cook your beans with the lid open while you are busy in the kitchen so you can keep an eye on the pot. It will have a lot of foam after it starts boiling. If it does spill over, no worries, it happens to me many times as I cook a variety of beans often. Kids will think it’s fun watching Mom hopping in the kitchen. :-) Simply move your pot to another burner and continue the process. This way the overflow liquid will not get burned on your stove, making it harder to clean. Skim the foam a few times and turn the heat down to low. Close the lid and allow the beans to simmer for an hour or two. Smash a bean with a fork against the wall of the pot. If you like it tender, just cook them longer. Once you know how to cook soybeans, it is the same with cooking other beans. You can experiment with different bean juice. Soy milk or bean juice (豆浆 Dou jiang) is a common beverage in China, providing easy-to-digest proteins for generations in history. Simply add the cooked beans along with the cooking water into the blender and grind it. Add more water to reach the consistency you enjoy. Unlike the traditional bean juice maker, you don’t need to filter the pulp with Vitamix! If you really want to reach a smooth texture, you can always run the milk through the cheese cloth. Use the pulp in your soup or add it to your bread or biscuit mix to give extra nutrition and fiber.
Hummus
Legumes are very versitle. You can add natural sweeteners to turn it into a dessert drink or add salt to make a savory sauce or dip. A friend from Lebanon brought homemade hummus when we hosted a potluck with our international friends. We love to try international foods. I was introduced to an interesting ingredient called Tahini. When I realized Tahini is just sesame paste, this ingredient does not sound so mysterious any more. Since Vitamix can grind up everything, you can swap tahini with sesame seeds. To make hummus, you will need 4 Cups cooked chickpeas (or canned chickpeas), 4 or more peeled garlic, ⅓ C olive oil, 2 Tbsp Tahini/sesame seeds, juice from 1-2 lemons, 2-3 tsp real/pink salt. Garnish with a dash of paprika after you pour the dip into individual small glass containers. You can adjust the amounts of spices or experiment with other spices or beans to create different bean dips. Add some hot pepper if you want a kick. Dips make the veggies, bread taste more interesting. They also make easy finger foods for a quick healthy snack.
One of the staples I make after moving to the U.S. is hummus. I never had hummus growing up. It’s never too late to try a new taste. Simple ingredients have their way to bring us flavorful experiences (read Trio). When we first moved to the country, a friend was willing to trade a gallon of fresh raw milk with a small mason jar of homemade hummus. I felt empowered and honored to be a part of a supportive homestead community. You never know how your new experience will open up new opportunities. Life is full of surprises.
I hope you are inspired and encouraged to try simple healthy ways of eating and food prep for God’s glory. Happy blending!
Further experimenting: I have found a site with many Vitamix recipes if you would like to explore more.
3rd Culture Living 