5 replies to this topic

[lucid]

I recently tossed the cheap walmart blender and got a rocking well reviewed kitchen aid blender. Previously I had just used my blender to mix up protein shakes and make fruit smoothies. However with my new high powered blender i decided to venture into the much more hazardous waters of making veggie smoothies (aka blended salads).

So far I have progressed from making more or less undrinkable blended salads to making drinkable but certainly not terribly tasty blended salads.

From what I can make out, blending up vegetables increases the bio-availability of lots of nutrients. The food gets much more finely ground compared to chewing, and most people including myself probably don't chew their food quite enough. I have also read (though I can't cite) that it may increase the absorption of veggie protein.

Blending veggies is a big deal in the raw food circles, but there is just too much energy joo joo talk in those circles for me to even browse through most of their websites. That said there is quite a bit of evidence for the benefits of lowering AGEs intake.

Anyone else out there blending up veggies? Or has anyone read anything regarding bio availability of nutrients in blended veggies?

[woly]

I blend a cup of brocolli with some berries and protein powder at night. Its not super tasty but drinkable. Things like allicin in garlic and some of the glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables are activated once the vegetables structure has been damaged (cut, crushed etc), this makes me think that blending may be a good way of maximising this reaction.

Whats your recipe so far?

[lucid]

Well I have been trying a few things. I have found that I can add some carrots or spinach to a normal fruit smoothie and not ruin or indeed harm the wonderful taste.

The past few recipes have been a variation of the following:
2 cups of spinach
1 cup of carrots
1/4 cup of broccoli
1 squash (sometimes leave this out)
1/2 cup of V8 (sometimes have tried using apple juice)
1 big handful of ice

I also sometimes add hotsauce, or parsley. I like the idea of putting garlic in there. Apples and spinach go quite well together, though I don't care for spinach and berries much. The broccoli is a very strong taste so it can be a little much.

Right now I don't know how i feel about the v8 or apple juice, I feel that both mix weirdly with the green veggies: broccoli and spinach. Hmm.

[AgeDefier]

For vegetables...

I do a gazpacho-type thing...tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, onions, garlic, red peppers..hell, ok, I throw in just about whatever I can find at the time. It's good though. Mix in some olive oil and seasonings. Spinach or chard is good. I haven't tried lettuce though.

I also have another one, similar but with cilantro for detox (I have a lot of fillings so I have some concern about mercury and I've heard cilantro is good for that).

Basically you can take any recipe from the web and just convert it to the blender.

My favorite though, just about every other morning:
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup other types of berries (strawberries/blackberries/raspberries)
1 tbsp cocoa
1tsp coconut oil
Green tea

Maybe even some mint, ground cardamom, cinnamon and/or cloves...some goji berry mix...

That will get you going.

[kenj]

>>> Apples and spinach go quite well together

Not a bad combo! Carotenoids, vitamin C, quercetin, and whatnot underappreciated substances... I just have to add; I prefer to chop the stuff, and then chew it (close ur eyes) for a great gastronomic experience xD. I AM THE BLENDER MUAHAHA. :-/ In fact I actually just had a bowl of spinach cooked in coconut oil, - miXed with small apple cubes, small handful of nuts, raisins, and a square of chopped dark chocolate: now I know where Popeye gets his ridiculous energy from. :D

[sthira]

I blend a lot of vegetables with a Vitamix, which is an amazing machine capable of blending nearly anything. One thing you can try -- which works well -- is to make your favorite fruit smoothie, and then just add leafy greens. You'll hardly notice the greens, and you can keep adding them in until you reach your taste edge. Experiment. Spinach and kale work well in a fruit smoothie, but mustard greens tend to dominate. Collard greens work, and all of the different species of lettuce go mostly undetected. Asparagus works really well -- meaning, you can put these vegetables into a fruit smoothie, and you'll hardly notice them. Personally, I think this is a great way to eat -- it's very clean, easy, inexpensive, and healthy.